by Pastor E. Lavern Hayden, State Chaplain Back to Articles Page
March 16, 2009
We are told today that our nation was founded by non-religious people or deist at best. What people with this view refuse to acknowledge is America’s own history. I do not believe that all of our founders were Christians in the strict sense of the word, but the majority were believers in God, His Word, and His providence.
We have been told that religious views had nothing to do with our founding; therefore, Christians should not be involved today. I would like to share a few examples that showed that Christian ministers were involved, and encouraged others to be involved too.
The Rev. John Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg preached a sermon on January 21, 1776 about a time for every season from Ecclesiastes Chapter 3. When he got to the part about a time of war and a time of peace, he told his congregation that is was a time for war. At the end of the service, he removed his ministerial robe and underneath was the uniform of an officer of the Continental Army. He marched to the back of his church and ordered the drum to beat for recruits, and over 300 men joined him. They became the 8th Virginia Brigade. When the war was over, the pastor was a Major-General. (The Spirit of the American Revolution)
Another notable example was President James A. Garfield our 20th president. He was a minister of the gospel. In a handwritten letter, he recounted how he personally preached nineteen times in a revival and thirty-four people came to Christ with thirty-one being baptized in water. Let us pay close attention to his advice when he said the following: “Now, more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption. If it be intelligent, brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities to represent them in the national legislation.” (The Role of Pastors and Christians in Civil Government)
Another example was the Rev. Charles Finney, a revivalist and leader in America’s Second Great Awakening. He stated the following: “The Church must take right ground in regard to politics…the time has come that Christians must vote for honest men and take consistent ground in politics…Christians have been exceedingly guilty in this matter. But the time has come where they must act differently…God cannot sustain this free and blessed country which we love and pray for unless the Church will take right ground…It seems sometimes as if the foundations of the nation are becoming rotten, and Christians seem to act as if they think God does not see what they do in politics. But I tell you He does see it, and He will bless or curse this nation according to the course [Christians] take [in politics].” (The Role of Pastors and Christians in Civil Government)
More examples could have been given, but with one from the 1700’s and two from the 1800’s, may we see that Christians have an obligation to stand for godly principles. Proverbs 14:34 states “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” Therefore, may righteous people be involved and may they vote for righteous people.
© E. Lavern Hayden, 2009. Pastor E. Lavern Hayden is a Co-Pastor at the Wesleyan Pentecostal Church in Cumberland County, NC as well as the State Chaplain for the Constitution Party of North Carolina.