God Bless America (2 Corinthians 3:14-18)
Gary McManus, 06/30/2019Part of the Words that Divide, Words that Unite series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
June 30th, 2019
2 Corinthians 3:14-18 ( p.1143-4 / p. 1144)
America celebrates its birthday July 4th
. . .the year was 1776!
Short history review:
The Stamp Act, 1765:
--many items would require a stamp (not just mail):
tea, sermons! and the paper the sermons were written on.
The problem wasn’t that they were taxes.
The problem was that the taxes were decided
by people (Parliament) who did not represent
the American colonies (where
the taxes would be collected).
In Parliament there was NO ELECTED
REPRESENTATIVE from the American COLONIES.
[“No taxation without representation!”, Colonists cried.]
Americans were not going to stand for it.
The taxes were rescinded and removed.
We American colonists WON!
And we continued to drink coffee.
The topic of church and state.
The world of America in 1776 was VERY
different than our nation today.
Clergymen are an example.
The Episcopal Church was the Church of
England in America.
--oaths to the King
--hired/employed by legislature
--sermons were taxed
During the years of protest, clergymen of
different denominations served the American
cause in many ways:
military chaplains, as clerks for committees of
correspondence (which were considered dissident
organizations , and as members of state legislatures,
conventions and the national Congress.
When war DID come some clergymen even took up
arms, leading Continental troops in battle.
It has been said that Religion
(the Christian religion) played a major
role in the American Revolution by offering
Godly and spiritual acceptance for opposition
to the British--an assurance to the average
American that revolution was justified in the
sight of God.
There were officials AT THAT TIME
who blamed Christians and churches in America
for the Revolution.
So what is our problem today with regard
to church and state? (IMHO)
1. First of all, we Christians in America are afraid.
2. We might even feel that people don’t like us
because we are Christian and some people do hate
us because we are Christians.
American Christians have given others reasons to be afraid.
SO, rather than a freedom OF religion
—giving everyone the choice about religion,
some are calling for a freedom FROM religion
—the removal of all signs, indications, preferences
and authority of religious faith
—no matter what kind of religious faith it is.
What can be done about fear that we all have
—Christians and anti-Christians?
Matthew 8:26, Matthew 10:26, Matthew 10:31,
Mark 5:36, Luke 12:32, Romans 8:31
Don’t be afraid of the bully (Mark 3:27).
Romans 8:38-39
[Never take counsel of your fears.]
Continue to be faithful. Celebrate and fight
for the freedoms you have.
Many died to secure those freedoms for you
and me. Hand those freedoms down to another
generation. God bless America. Amen.
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