This year marks the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America (USA). The 250TH birthday celebration warrents serious consideration of the why and how it all began, and where do we go from here.
The Dec;laration of Indepence from Great Britain was a bold step the Signers knew would cause them to “hang together or be literally “hanged separately.” They put their lives on the live to establish a Republic form of government of the people, by the people, and for the people. The thirteen colonies were very different, yet they had enough in common to warrant a unified effort to secure liberty and freedom from a tyfrannical regime that ruled back in the lands most of them came from.
The US Founders had a vision for government that would not be used to control people, but would instead protect and enhance the contributions of each of its individual constituents. Their ideals hadn’t been tried in the context of governing a nation up to that point. Perfect? No human government can be perfect. For example, slavery crept in and caused major problems. By the time the US was founded, slavery was already a globally complicated problem. Although many of the US Founders opposed the practice, the best they could do at the time was set up the framework for “liberty and justice for all.” Contrary to what some would say today, the Founders bear relatively little responsibility for the institution of slavery taking hold in America the way it did. If the founding principles based on equality for all would have been completely followed, the issues surrounding slavery could have been eradicated without a Civil War.
God at the Center
The reason no human government can be perfect is because humans are not perfect. No human is perfect, but God is perfect (in every sense of the word). That’s why human government needs to honor God for it to thrive. The Founders recognized their need for God and very publicly acknowleged this fact. Many Presidents throughout our history have called for national days of prayer and repentance. The May 17, 2026 Rededication of America to God was declared by President, Donald Trump. The ceremonies at the National Mall in DC on that day are well worth reviewing online (if the reader hasn’t seen them already).
God had his hand in the founding and the ongoing success of the USA. The general public has seemed to have lost its vision for this fact. I recently read a book by Eric MeTaxas that tries to help revive a perspective of God-honoring government and community life in America. The book is called If You Can Keep It: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty. The author reminds us that America is a truly unique “experiment” in history. We have lost our sense of awe in what was accomplished by the Founders.
MeTaxas asserts that We need to resurrect the tenants of our founding. A core concept is the “Golden Triangle” of freedom, virtue, and faith. For true liberty (feedom) to be sustained, virtue is needed. For virtue to be exercised, faith is needed. And for faith to remain, freedom must be given to practice faith according to individuals’ conscience before God. Freedom requires Virtue; Virtue requires Faith, and Faith requires Freedom.
Said another way; There is no freedom without religious freedom, and no government to uphold this without the self-government of individuals driven by Virtue, and no Virtue without the Biblical principles to practice.
Great Awakening
In the decade leading up to the Revolution, a “Great Awakening” occurred to revive and restore Christian principles in peoples’ minds and hearts. In his book, author Eric MeTaxas writes a chapter on the effects of George Whitefield preaching in America to set up the Revolution. His message encouraged people to turn to God in their personal and community lives. It is estimated that about 80% of the population at the time heard Whitefield messages and were inspired. They were prepared to advance the cause of pursuing freedom from a tyrannical British rule as part of a divine order for mankind to live directly under the rule of God.
An Awakening is needed once again in America, Many problems face our nation that need the hand of God to solve. Humbling ourselves and praying to God is a key. “if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14; ESV). As written for ancient Israel in the Bible, this still applies to us today.
Along with prayer, Christians must take action to live out their faith in practical, tangible ways. In order for our Republic to remain for generations to come, we cannot drop the ball in our generation. Our government can only flourish with capable leadership committed to the same principles as the Founders demonstrated.
Strong nations, states, and local communities thrive when godly principles are lived out by their individual citizens. Jesus living in our hearts is a revolutionary idea. As the gospel of Hohn in the Bible makes it clear, living out the teachings of Jesus is the way to know truth, and following the truth is what sets us free (see John 8:31-32); free from the tyranny the enemy of our soul would have us enslaved in. There Is a real enemy, the devil, who wants us ignorant, complacent, and controlled by his lies. When we receive Jesus as our Savior and Lord, we have a new identity. Our identity is transformed from slavery (to sin), into children of God. Read Romans 8 in the Bible to understand more about this process.
My prayer for each person reading this is that you make this a revolution year in your personal life. If you don’t know God in a personal way, I pray you start. If you already have made a confession of Christian faith in some way, I pray you not remain a Christian in name only, but you engage a revolutionary transformation in allowing God to rule in more and more areas of your personal life. If you need help to declare revolution in your personal life, my book PACE to Peace: Finding Inner Rest in a World of Unrest is a great place to start.
Have a blessed Revolution 250!