God and America

0:02 Looking at our world from a theological perspective. This is the Theology Central podcast making Theology Central. Good morning everyone. It is Tuesday, July sixteenth, twenty twenty four. It is currently ten eighteen am Central Time, and I am coming to you live from the Theology Central studio located right here in Abilene, Texas. Now, as many of you know, as many of you are very aware of if you've been listening, I have been spending a lot of time, it feels like, in some cases hours, monitoring, listening, looking at how Christians, how the church, how different ministries are responding to the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, the shooting of Donald Trump, the assassination attempt. It does sound like if I have to make sure I directly use the word assassination attempt, our ministries will be very upset because they continue to accuse the mainstream media of not using the term association assassination attempt, even though I have got countless evidence that the mainstream media has been calling it an assassination attempt for not for a very not very long after the initial reports came in. Immediately they were hesitant to use the term until there was more verification.

1:34 Then slowly but surely it started being used by almost all media outlets. So I don't know why that's continuing to be thrown out there, but I think it's kind of symbolic of what we've been witnessing. So I have been monitoring, watching, listening, trying to see how Christians are going to respond to this, to the shooting of Donald Trump, to the assassination attempt, so that we can kind of see how the church is thinking and the and we can also kind of get an idea of the direction the Church is moving. What we have found is in many of the responses, either the responses just are just completely not biblical. It has nothing to do with scripture, nothing to do with theology, completely unbiblical in every way, shape or form.

2:20 That is the one thing we've seen. Second, we have seen just a lot of wild accusations, speculations, bearing false witness, misinformation, disinformation, And that has been very disheartening and very frustrating that the church, the Church where people should be able to come to to hear truth, not hear wild accusations, false bearing, false witness, false information, misinformation, have truths, speculation, slander, almost just wild gossip. I mean just some of it has been absolutely crazy to listen to. Now again, let me make it very clear, what I'm monitoring, what I am seeing, does not in any way, shape or form represent the entire entirety of the church.

3:15 I am looking at responses to this specific event and look and basing what I'm saying about those specific ministries and what they are saying. I am not trying to then extrapolate from that and say the entire church, the whole church. That would not be fair, right, So what we're looking at is what we're looking at. What you are seeing, what you are hearing is what you are hearing, and you can you can definitely offer me links and things that people are offering a different perspective. But some of what we've heard so far has been very, very disheartening, discouraging. It's just it's been negative. I don't even know there's any other way to get around it.

3:57 And I'm hopeful that things will be better now. From a philological perspective, the only theological thing being said so far basically about the shooting is basically a discussion about God's decrees and God's providence. But when I say a discussion, there's not really been a meaningful discussion about God's decrees and God's providence. It's just basically God stepped in and saved Trump. That's it, without any because God decreed it. It's a part of God's providence, his sovereignty. But there seems to be ignoring something else. Something else continues to be ignored, which is very very very very very very frustrating. Something continues to be ignored, and I'm going to mention it again in this broadcast. So here's what my plan is this morning. First, I'm going to look at a response to the assassination attempt of a President Trump. And this I received it this morning at nine to four am, so less than an hour ago. I received this email. And the title of the email is my response to the attempted assassination of President Trump. All right, so, and this is from the American Family Association. Now full transparency. You know my feelings about the American Family Association. I don't think that there is a group that has that.

5:25 I don't think there's a group out there that symbolizes the political hijacking of American Christianity better than the American Family Association and American Family Radio. They are the poster children of a political hijack Christianity. I tell people all the time, you want to hear what a politically hijack Christianity sounds like. Find if you don't have it, download the American Family Radio app. Listen to American Family Radio from about ten am Central Time to about six pm Central Time, and sometimes you won't know if you're listening to Christian radio or if you're listening to I don't know, your local conservative talk radio channel. Sometimes it sounds so politically hijacked it's not even funny. Now I haven't listened in a while, so maybe they have improved. There was a period there that I would all constantly tell people whenever I say that one of the problems in the American church is that's been politically hijacked, I would say, go listen to American Family Radio. Don't take my word for it, go listen yourself. I don't know if anyone ever took me up on that challenge. Now. Now again, I haven't listened to it in a while because it drives me in crazy, But I have a feeling that it still probably is somewhat like that.

6:33 Maybe maybe not, so if you go check it out, you can draw your own conclusion. Now, the reality is you may love American family radio and think it's the greatest thing in the world because you don't see a problem with the political hijacking of the American Church. Because I'm obviously I have a different perspective. I think the political hijacking of the American Church is absolutely the greatest threat to historical biblical Christianity in our lifetime. Right, I don't know. I used to think that it was this or this. I think the political hijacking because the political hijacking goes after conservative churches, conservative churches who have good doctrinal statements, but they basically sell out to political ideology and political focus and political idolatry. And that to me is a problem. And look, we all have idolatry problems the human heart. You mean, we make our we are the idol we worship the most, but we find other idols out there. So my idol may not be politics. I may never be hijacked by politics. I've got my own issues. But at the same time, we have to deal with the political hijacking. So this is who the email is from. So what we're gonna do is I'm gonna read this email.

7:50 And then I was going through my sermons two point zero app feed, right, which you know, I this is what all of twenty twenty four is about. The so's two point oh app So I was going through my feed and I saw a message said that was entitled God Bless America again, God Bless America Again. And I'm like, okay, I wonder if they're going to address the shooting now. It looks like when I went ahead and downloaded the audio Part one, it looks like was preached like maybe June thirtieth, so this would be prior to the shooting. However, it may be a message that they were preaching leading up to July fourth, So this may show patriotism and political mindset. It may show again some of this patriotic political hijacking of the American church. The second message I don't know the date of, but I know this they got. Let me look at it. The second one, God Bless America Again. Part two was showed up in my feed fifteen hours ago, and this one is dated Monday, July the fifteenth, So I'm assuming part two was preached on the Sunday after the assassination attempt.

9:07 So I want to get to review part two. So in some ways I was just going to jump to part two to review that, but I'm like, well, let's review part one just to kind of see how they were thinking prior to the assassination attempt, and then later we can come in and review part two and see how they were thinking after the assassination attempt and just kind of get kind of it'll add kind of a different way of looking at all of this. Now, the sermon that we'll be reviewing from comes from Hey, let me pull this up way and get the name Barry Baptist Church Barry b r r y Bury Baptist Church. You can find it on the sermon's two point Oh app please go find Bury Baptist Church and download stream God Bless America Part one and part two so that you can hear them, because I want you to have the you know, direct source, so you don't accuse me of taking anything out of context. And remember, what, why are we doing these reviews? Why am I monitoring everything? The goal is not just so that I can criticize. Really, it's just it's not even really about criticizing. I may have a completely right well, I'll take this back. I will criticize when that when we're reviewing something in the church just descends into wild speculation, accusations, false accusations, bearing false witness, half truths, mistruths, lies. Yeah, that kind of slander, gossip,

10:37 when when all it leads to is just wild speculation. I mean, the one that we were reviewing last night. I was listening to a little bit more of it today and it's just so so so crazy, so crazy, just so crazy. So we're gonna be We're gonna be talking about a lot of things now. I know. I mentioned God's providence just to remind you if you go listen to this series that I've kind of been we've kind of turned this into a series about the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. I did an entire episode where we talked about God's providence and God's decrees and we dealt with the not only the theilological implications of those, but the very negative implications and how all the people talking about God's providence and God's decrees in Donald Trump being spared, they will not address the negative side. In fact, not only will they not address the negative side. There's a name that I've yet to hear a pastor, a church or ministry even say so far, I'm the only one who has said the man's name. And I've already been honest with you. I don't even know if I'm pronouncing his last name correctly, but I'm the only one who continues to say the man's name. In fact, I told everyone to take his name, write it down on paper.

12:01 I begged everyone to do that. Because of all of this situation, with the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, this man is going completely unforgotten. Now. God supposedly spared Donald Trump, but nobody wants to talk about, Well, God was there sparing Trump, but in the very same area, God to chose not to spare someone else. Nobody yet wants to mention that. So we will talk about that. So that's our goal. We're going to look at the email. Then we're gonna review this sermon. This sermon we're gonna be reviewing doesn't have anything directly to say in regards to the assassination attempt, at least I don't believe Part one does because it was preached before the event. The part two, I'm assuming it leans heavily into that.

12:48 But we can't go to part two until we review part one. So that's what we're going to do, and we will see. And again, remember I don't listen to these prior to so I never know what's going to happen. I don't know if I'll will agree or disagree. No one can accuse me. Oh, you just find things you disagree with. No. I listen to sermons. I'm encouraging people to spend this year listening to at least one sermon every single day for all of twenty twenty four. Well, since I'm going to be listening to it, why not listening to listen to it with everyone live on the air so that we can react in real time. All right, that's what we're doing. Okay, So let's go to the email. Here is the email. Here is the email again. I received this just a little over an hour ago. The subject line the title my response to the attempted assassination of President Trump the American Family Association, Tim Waldman, WILDMN, All right, urgent message from ten Tim Waldman, Dear, all right, then it has my email address. We were all shocked by the news of the assassination attempt of the former President Donald Trump. The bullet from a high powered rifle fired by twenty year old Thomas Matthew Crooks nicked Trump's ear while he addressed the crowd at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, Saturday afternoon. Now, I find it interesting that I have seen numerous Christian responses.

14:20 Who will name Trump? And who will name the shooter? Someone else continues to not be named. Maybe he will be named in this email. We will see. I firmly believe God spared the life of President Trump. Many of my Christian colleagues share the same sentiment, as reported in this American Family News story. All right, so God spared Trump, God saved Trump. That seems to be almost universally. Well, let me take the back seat. I've got to make sure I speak carefully. I don't that was way too hyperbolic. It seems that it's been a truth that is repeated in everything I have heard coming from the Christian world. God spared Trump in God's providence, God's eternal decree decreed that Donald Trump would not die. He was spared. Praise God. God protected him. God was his cover, his rock, his refuge, his shield. Praise God. Now, but we'll wait and see if someone else has mentioned here. All Right, on his Truth social platform, Trump wrote, it was God alone who prevented this unthinkable from happening, and this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand united and show our true character as Americans, remaining strong and determined and not allowing evil to win. Although President Trump survived this violent act, we

15:58 must remember that the gunman took the life of fellow American Corey Compretour and left two others seriously injured. Now, thank you so very much. Finally, this is the first time Corey's name has been mentioned. And everything that I've listened to within the Christian world, this is the very first time and emails I've received from other ministries Corey's name not mentioned. This is the first time someone has actually mentioned Corey's name. Now, that's great. I just want to make sure it's very clear that while we're sitting there saying God spared Trump, God then did not spare Corey. All Right, we just have to acknowledge that, right, So let me read everything they have to say here.

16:52 This is awesome. I'm very happy. I'm very happy that they did this because this is the first one. This is the very first one and again it was sent out today, so it's Tuesday. It was the first time I've seen. Now. I'm not saying other ministries have it. I just say from what I have seen and heard so far, let me read this again. Although President Trump survived the violent act, we must remember that the gunman took the life of fellow American, Corey Comprotour, and left two others seriously injured. I read about how Corey instinctively told his wife and daughters to get down and literally shielded them from the bullets that led to his death. Friends, there's no question that our nation is in deep trouble. Oh wait, I'm getting is that another one? Okay, I think I'm getting another email from American I'm getting another email from American Family Radio as I'm reading their previous email. Okay, all right, I may have to click on that in a minute. All right, Okay, here we go. On his truth social platform, Trump wrote, Okay, wait, we read all of that. Friends, There's no question that our nation is in deep trouble.

17:56 While Americans will continue to disagree on political and social issues, we should be able to agree on this. There's no place for this kind of violence that we saw unfold this past weekend. Man, that's all right. So so far American Family Radio, what I usually use is the symbol of the most politically hijacked ministry out there. They're the only ones so far who's mentioned Corey, and they are emphatically saying, wait, there's no room for this kind of violence. And I and I completely agree. So this is this one is surprisingly much better than I was anticipating. All right, here we go. As for the church, I'm reminded of Psalm one oh seven nineteen through twenty, which states they then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distress. He sent his word and he'lld them and delivered them from their destructions. All right, now, let's look at Psalm one oh seven. I'm going to reach down and grab a bible. Let's look at some one oh seven because there's Did you notice something when I read that verse? Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and He saved them. Now this sounds like the Samsay is referencing

19:30 something that happened in the past, right, what is he referencing here? Let's go to Psalm one oh seven. Well, ladies and gentlemen, it's gonna take us about five seconds to know who this is referencing. Look at some one oh seven verse one, Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, and his mercy endorsed forever. Let the redeeming of the Lord, say so whom he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy. And gathered out of the lands from the east, and from the west, and from the north and from the south. They wandered in wilderness, a desolate way. They found no city, a dwelling in, hungry and thirsty. They're so fainted in them. Then they cried out to the Lord, and in their trouble he delivered them. Ladies and gentlemen, this is referencing Israel and God's dealings with Israel, not the Church. This is dealing with Israel. Absolutely clearly, this is dealing with Israel. Yeah, I don't know how you can. I mean, look, they wandered in the wilderness, they found no city, that they were hungry and thirsty. I mean all of that is a reference to Israel. I don't know. But because they rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High.

20:52 Therefore he brought down their heart with labor. They fell down and there was none to help. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble. This is clear. I think some one o seven. I'm gonna make an argument that the pro the historical context there is it is about Israel. I think I'm gonna make an argument that that's that's an accurate way to look at it. I think that that's absolutely fair. Yeah, I'm in fact, do I have I'm looking around here. Hang on one second, I have a giant study Bible over here behind me. I'm just gonna look really quick just to see some one oh seven. All right. Uh. The concept of redemption relates to recovering lost property, buying the freedom of slaves.

21:48 Okay. This reverse some one o seven to three refers to the return of Israel from exile some one oh four. While the wilderness normally implies the wanderings calloing the exodus, the context suggests the exiles journey through the Syrian Arabic desert. The exiles were unable to assimilate in the culture and the lifestyle of their captors, Anticipating the Lord's rescue at any time, so this may be a reference to them coming out of maybe Babylonian captivity, but it definitely still seems that we may have some disagreement on how to interpret some one O seven. But it seems to be Israel. Israel Israel focused. Now why do I draw that attention because so many times people love to reach into the Bible, grab some verses and say, hey, this is for the church, ladies and gentlemen, We are not Israel. God made a covenant with the nation of Israel. That covenant with the nation of Israel included promises of protection and provision. We cannot take promises of protection and provision given to Israel and then rip them out of their context and say God's going to do the same for us. God intervened in very special, supernatural, powerful ways for Israel that we cannot in any way claim that God is going to do anything similar for us. Now, verses that speak of protection and provision for us, well, then we can quote those verses and then try to struggle with how to

23:19 understand them. But someone O seven, it's clearly it seems to be about Israel, all right, But he just quotes it and then he doesn't say there's nothing else said that about it. Then immediately the next paragraph says, can prayer save America? I know it can. As American Family Association Vice President Emeritus Buddy Smith recently wrote in his article titled Politics Aside, Can Prayer save America? The stresses and woes of our nation today are comparable to critical times and our nation in the past. It could happen again. We have seen him save our country in the past, and we should be calling on Almighty God to do it again. I'm asking you to stop sometime today and pray for America. Pray for the safety, peace and protection of those who choose to serve in public office. More importantly, I ask you to pray for a spiritual awakening in our nation. Let's sincerely pray that God will change the heart of America. If we will humble ourselves, pray seek us face in turn from our wicked ways, perhaps the Lord will do what he promised Israel he would do in Second Chronicles seven fourteen, heal our land. I do admit admire the fact that he does say, Hey, what God promised Israel. Now he doesn't do that in some one O seven, but he does that with second Chronicles seven fourteen. Now we can get into a big philological discussion here. Can we claim the promise of Second Chronicles seven fourteen?

24:51 Can we say, if we do what second Chronicles seven fourteen, then God will heal our land? Can we claim that promise? It would be a conditional promise. If we do exactly what's in Second Chronicle seven fourteen, will God do what he said? I don't know if we can make that a guaranteed promise for us? Is that promise applicable to us? Most preach it like it is never even bothering to go, well, wait a minute, who's this promise given to? I think it's given directly to Israel? Is it not? I mean even this admits it's given to Israel. So this am I'm very grateful that this mentioned Corey's name. I'm very very, very very great. I am truly grateful. You don't even understand how grateful I am, because I was starting to get very frustrated that everyone that you know, the shooter's name is mentioned, Trump's name is mentioned, and then everything about providence and God protecting we immediately mentioned Trump. Now nobody wants to deal with Well, then where was God for Corey. Nobody wants to at least nobody even wants to acknowledge that. Again. The most just kind of shrugged their shoulders and well, if God wants to protect one again he doesn't want to protect another, that's up to God. God can do what he wants.

26:06 I understand that that sounds so, you know, spiritual, but it's not. It doesn't sound so comforting to the people who you know, to the family who lost Corey. Hey, God was right there. Just I don't know how far Corey was from where President Trump was shot, but hey, you were just this far away, and God had the ability to just move Trump a little to the side, so he just gets snicked in the ear. But your husband, Nope, couldn't have just been wounded the bullet couldn't just have hit his shoulder right or hit maybe his leg. No no, no, no, no no no no no no no. Gone.

26:52 That's that's the the the conflict here. So that one's that's a pretty good response overall, that's a pretty good response. That's one of I'm just gonna be honest, at this point, of all the ones I've heard, this may be one of the best. And I was I was already kind of and see my pre my, my, my presupposition was that it was going to be negative, and so it turned out to me much better. I'm so, I'm glad I read the whole thing. I'm going to go to the email that I just received. All right, Okay, so this is one of their emails about the here's how we can stop the left's power grab.

27:37 Right, so this is a very policy. And now this is right back to their political and this is from American Family Radio, and this is about voting and stopping the Democrats. Okay, so this is right back to their politics. So they go right back to their politics, which is what they do. Again. They're politically hijacked. But their response to the shooting, in some ways, it's one of the best, even though I may have some issues with how they're quoting, you know, some one oh seven. And at least they even admit the second chronicles, Hey, that promise was given to Israel. So Eve, I mean, they do overall relative pretty I mean, I mean, come on, I'm just gonna overall say that's great. I'm thankful that gives me some hope. There's there's at least hope, and that one. Some of the other ones led me to the pit of total despair. So that one was from American Family Radio. Again, it was sent at it's just funny that while we're on the air they send another email that's just straight up political. It just it just it demonstrates, improves that they're still very political. But I am very grateful that at nine thirty or nine twenty four am, nine to twenty four am, American Family Radio sent out their their response to the attempted assassination of President Trump.

28:48 I guess technically it's Tim Waldman's response, but I think he's I think he's like the president of American Family Association. I don't know exactly his role. I can't remember. He's yeah, he's the president. He's the president. So now, yeah, all right, So overall, I think that's a that's a very good email, and I'm grateful for it. Now, we'll continue to monitor the responses that are coming in. My primary place of focus is the Sermon's two point oh app in Beta dot sermon audio dot com, because that's our focus for twenty twenty four for our Sermon's two point oh app challenge. So I'm going to continue to monitor that see what people are saying.

29:34 In the meantime, I was looking at my feed on the sermon's two point oh app because we're supposed to be choosing random sermons, and I saw one called God Bless America again Part one and part two. Part one was done like June the thirtieth. Part two showed up in my feed fifteen hours ago, and it looks like it was preached on Sunday. I'm assuming guessing my speculation is Part two will be more about the Trump shooting, and Part one laid the foundation, and it may demonstrate a very patriotic political viewpoint, it may demonstrate a very Christian I don't know. Of course, you can hear my cynicism because of all the things we've been listening to so far.

30:17 But American Family Radio just gave me a little bit of hope. So I'm going to hope that this is going to be really beneficial to review. So are you ready? Let's go see prior to the shooting, how at least one church was talking about God and America. Let's see what they had to say. Let's process it, let's think about it. We may not even make it very far, but let's just see what we can learn today. All right, are you ready? Do you feel a little bit more hopeful? Maybe I don't know about you. I'm just look I mean it. I'm so grateful that American family mentioned the name of the man who was shot.

30:59 They mentioned name. I'm so grateful for that because I don't want him to be forgotten, and I want Christians to face that, Hey, in God, God's eternal decree, he decrees everything that occurs, and God's providence he controls, he upholds, he disposes, He controls basically everything from the greatest to the least. He is sovereign. Okay, well that sounds good. So we use that and say, see God intervene in spared Trump. I know, but at the same time, when you say God decrees and he controls everything, meaning that God decreed and controlled everything which included Corey being killed, you have to embrace that ugly side of it. And now many Christians just kind of shrug their shoulders like they don't have a problem with it.

31:47 They never have a problem with it until their child is killed by a drunk driver, or their child is taken and abused or some horrible Then all of a sudden that gets really real and gets really ugly and gets very difficult to process. So all right, but let's see where this goes. Are you ready? I have no idea. We begin. Now, take your bibles and open with me to the Book of Psalms, chapter thirty three.

32:29 I'm going to preach about America, our nation, and I want to use some information from this book by Robert Jeffers. Okay, ladies and gentlemen, we're off to a rocky start. So we're going to be in Psalm thirty three. But he's going to preach on America. Okay, I have a little I have a little bit of concern because I'm thirty three is not about America. Okay, right, okay, all right, So but well we'll say he's going to obviously make it applicable to America. We will see how that works. Robert Jeffris Jeffers Jeffers. However you say his name, I'm assuming he's referencing the pastor of First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, which is not too far from here. And I would definitely say that that pastor is a great example again of politically hijacked Christianity. He's more he's known more from politics than he is for theology. He speaks on Fox News at different times. Yeah, so I got I'm already worried that he's going to be using a book from him now that and he seems to highly praise this man and wants everyone in this church to listen to him. We have reviewed some of his teaching. In fact, I receive uh, I usually receive emails

33:59 from Robert Jeffries Jeffers Jeffris, however you say his name from his ministry, typically asking for large amounts of money, okay, and which in this part of Texas is very hard to take because when they were building what they were quote as their quote unquote campus for first Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, it was all over the media all over this part of the country. I mean, I'm not that many, I'm not that far from Dallas, and they were like, it's going to cost how much money to build that church? What in the world? And it was like some astronomical number. It was insanity, and like it was a big thing here. So it's sometimes hard when I'm getting emails from him wanting money, and I'm like, I want to send an email back. We have a picture of where my church is, and like, hey, how about you send me one hundred thousand and then I can completely keep my church operating forever. We can remodel them.

35:01 There's some we can put an actual pavement down instead of gravel in front of our churt. Wait, there's all these things we could actually do. Oh, in fact, if you don't want to do that, just send me, I don't know, eighty thousand dollars and I'll pay off my house payment and then I'll be set for the rest of my life. I mean, you want, I mean the numbers sometimes are ridiculous, the amount they're asking for, and I'm like, what, but okay, so you can you can take it or however you want to interpret them. But sometimes it's just frustrating. It's like these ministries, because I don't ask for a little bit, they're usually giving you this some of these astronomical numbers. Remember I've had ministries emailing me. They're trying to raise five hundred thousand, seven hundred and fifty thousand, some almost a million dollars or one hundred thousand or two hundred thousand, like and I'm always like, what in the world, right, you know? That I don't know. I don't know how to process that, Like, if your ministry needs that much money to operate, what are you doing? And then they're always connected with these large churches, Like your church is large enough, it should be able to support all of your ministries. So then yeah, then we get that never ending frustration there.

36:10 But so that's what he's Uh, well, you're getting ready to hear I think he's getting ready to be I mean, it sounds like, well, man, well let's let's listen. Maybe i'm i'm, I'm, I'm my presupposition is taking over. Maybe I'm I'm saying he's going to be all positive here, but but maybe he's actually going to be critical. So maybe maybe i'm maybe I'm being wrong here. Maybe I'm being wrong. Maybe I'm Look, that's it's true. I'm I'm I'm projecting here, I'm projecting. So let let's let's be fair. Let's see where he's going to go. He said, America is a Christian nation. So I want to give credit to the person that wrote this book. And as matter of fact, he preaching on this morning. How many how many heard Robert Jeffers? Anybody listened to Robert boy, you're missing the body you got. You got set light.

37:07 He's on about three times on Sunday mornings, and he has the most beautiful choir you ever heard in your life and an orchestra. All right, So he he he's all into Robert Jeffers. He's he's he thinks I'll be saying so I was right. He's he's praising him, but he quoted him. He's like, hey, one, he gives credit because Robert Jeffers, I think, is how he's stating the name. It stays. America is a Christian nation. America is a Christian nation. Now we've I've told you to write down things about God's decrees, God's providence, and I've given you questions.

37:52 Right now, I want to give you a question. Here's your question for the day you ready. Is America a Christian nation? Present tense? Has America ever been a Christian nation? Past tense? Will America ever be a Christian nation? Future tense? Is it? Has it? Will it? That's what I want you to talk and debate today. Is America a Christian nation? Hasn't been a Christian nation? Will it ever be a Christian nation? My answer is an emphatic. It isn't, it hasn't nor will it ever be, And I don't ever want it to be. I don't want a national religion in any way, shape or form. I don't want it to be because you say, well, America is a Christian nation.

38:53 Exactly which Christianity are we referring to? Do you want it to be a Catholic Christian nation where Catholicism is the national religion and Protestants are imprisoned or are somehow their civil laws passed to persecute, kill, in prison those who disagree with Catholicism. I mean, I mean, if you don't know anything about church history, anytime the church and state come together, someone's going to die. Do you want it to be a Jehovah's Witness Christian nation? Do you want it to be a Mormon Christianisian because they both would claim association with Christianity. Do you want to be Greek Orthodox? Do you want to be a Lutheran? Do you want to be Presbyterian? Do you want it to be Charismatic? Oh my goodness, I would pack up and get I would get out of this nation so fast I would be gone. You know how I feel about charismatic theology. I would I would run for my life. I would just I would tell everyone to flee. All right, do you want it to be Baptist? Well, which kind of Baptists? Which kind of Lutheran? Which kind of Presbyterian? Who would be the ones in charge?

39:59 Say justice? A Christian nation? That doesn't mean anything. We got to define the Christianity you're referring to, because ladies and gentlemen, there's a lot of different kinds all making exclusive truth claims, which says the others are completely wrong, fraudulent, and may even claim that the others are not even truly Christian. But I'm going to argue that it never has been, never will be, and nor do I ever want it to be. And I'm going to base it on some of the following. All right, now, Typically you hear frequently in many churches that America is a Christian nation, And I will argue that this is a very complex and a debated topic if you're even remotely honest with the subject. Now, I think it's very fair to say the United States has had a significant Christian population and foundation. It is important to recognize in America as a nation is not officially a Christian nation in terms of its governmental struggle, and it's really weird. On one hand, pastors will say America is a Christian nation, and then five seconds later they'll say, America is filled with all of these people who profess Christianity, but they're not really saved. So is America a Christian nation because people are Christians?

41:19 Are you telling me that America is filled with all false professors? So are they really Christians or not? If they're not really Christian then and most of the people who claim to be Christians are not really Christians, then how do you even come close to saying it's a Christian nation? Because then you would say the reality of true Christian Christianity is small, small, small, small. So is it either most of the nation is Christian or most of the nation has just made up of false professors? Which is it? Because Christians will go back and forth. One minute they'll say, well, most America's Christian, and the next man will say, well, mostly the American America's possessed profess christ but they don't possess him. Well, then then it's not a Christian nation. Right, Even from just a you know, majority perspective, here I think some points to consider. The United States was founded on the principles of religious freedom, as reflected in the First Amendment of the Constitution, which prohibits the establishment of a state religion. This ensures that people of all faiths are of no faith, have the right to practice their beliefs without interference from the government. And that's the way we want it to be.

42:34 I do not want a state religion. I want people to have their freedom to believe or not to believe, and I want them to have their freedom to believe whatever they want to believe and exercise their faith, unless, of course it's going to call for violence or death or well, you know where there would be some limits. But other than that, I want people to have as much freedom as possible. I want the Buddhists to have freedom. I want the muslim to have freedom. I want the Satanists to have freedom, because the freedom denied of others is a freedom that I'm ultimately denying myself. It's not a Christian nation, it's religious pluralism. This nation was founded for people to have religious freedom. Now, now, let's be very honest.

43:21 It didn't always practice that, especially in areas where the Puritans took over. In many cases they persecuted and prohibited anything else which they came here for freedom and then denied people the very freedom they so want wanted for themselves. In some cases not in every case. No religious pluralism as a nation is concerned, is a good thing because everyone has freedom. Religious pluralism from a philological perspective is not a good thing. Okay, we don't want religious pluralism and the church. We don't want religious pluralism and our theoris, but we wanted in our nation because then people are free, and we want that religious freedom. If we deny their freedom, guess what, we'll then have our freedom denied whenever the people we denied comes to power. And that's what you see in Church history. If the Catholics controlled an area, Protestants were persecuted, If Protestants were in charge of an area, Catholics were persecuted. If Lutherans were in charge, and then it would's and this constantly happened. If this person was in charge or this group was in charge, then Athanacius was exiled from the area and had to get We can go through church history where some of the church fathers faced persecution, are being exiled because well, another group took over, and then once that group went away, then they could come back. And it's just ridiculous. That's not the way Christianity should be.

44:51 There's no call for that connecting it to political the political world. That's just that's just nothing good that comes from that. So religious pluralism is more. We can also more of a secular government. The US government operates as a secular entity, meaning it does not endorse or promote any specific religion. The separation of church's state is a foundational principle to prevent religious discrimination and ensure equality of all citizens, regardless of their religious beliefs. It's a more secular form of government. We do not want a theocracy of any kind. We don't want a theocratic monarchy. We don't want anything like that. The church can be theocratic, the church can be religious. The church the government is to be more secular in its approach a diverse religious landscape. The United States is a diverse country, with people practicing various religions, including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and others. The diversity of beliefs and values contribut to the country's rich tapestry and demonstrates that America is not exclusively a Christian nation. It's not exclusively a Christian nation. It is not exclusively a Christian nation. It is not exclusively a Christian nation. While Christianity has obviously played a significant role in shaping American history and culture, the founding fathers intentionally

46:24 established a secular government to prevent the pitfalls of religious persecution and ensure the freedom of conscience for all citizens. The United States courts have consistently upheld the separation of church and state, ruling against attempts to impose religious beliefs through government institutions. This legal framework reinforces the idea that America is not a Christian nation and an official capacity. These points highlight the complexity of the issue and the importance of recognizing the diverse and inclusive nature of American society, which represents the religious belief and freedoms of all of its citizens. Now, this is the way I would say, you want America to be a Christian nation? You want it. You don't do it through force, you don't do it through voting.

47:16 You know how you do it. You pray, fast, preach and evangelize and if everyone in America becomes a Christian. If everyone in America becomes a Christian, then I guess you could refer to it as a Christian nation. But even if everyone in America became a Christian, you know what I would still want. I would still want the freedom of religion, and still no state endorsed religion. Because even though if everyone in America became a Christian and they all became the same kind of Christian, well what happens when someone comes to power and decides, hmm, you know what, I decided to become Catholic, and we're going to get rid of all of these denominations because this is a Christian nation. But it's a Catholic Christian nation. See, you don't want you don't ever want it to turn into that. You want it to maintain that separation and no state endorsed religion, no state religion of any kind. We want that freedom. And maybe that's my Baptist side of me. I think Baptist historically have been very much ones to argue for we don't want that, we want freedom. I want you to be able to build your church across the street and say whatever ridiculous things you want to say and preach whatever you want to preach. And I want the freedom to say you're wrong, and I want you to have the freedom to say I'm wrong.

48:43 And I want the pep I want to the Muslims to be able to build a mosque right across the street and practice their religion, and I want the freedom to be able to say they're wrong, and I want them to have the freedom to say that I'm wrong. So this is off to an interesting start. This is off to an interesting start. I'm going to back this up now so now you can hear all of that in its context. Here we go, take your Bibles and open with me to the Book of Psalms, chapter thirty three. I'm going to preach about America, our nation, and I want to use some information from this book by Robert Jeffers.

49:42 He said America is a Christian nation. So I want to give credit to the person that wrote this book, and matter of fact, he preaches on it this morning. How how many heard Robert Jeffers? Anybody listened to Robert Boy? You're missing the boy you got? You got satellite? He's on about three times on Sunday mornings and he has the most beautiful choir you ever heard in your life, and an orchestra. And yes, they use drums, but they use it rightly. And they use violins and they use it, and they use trumpets and trombones, and I don't know what all the other things are, but it's some of the greatest praise music. Now that's real praise music. It praises the Lord, not the devil, and not the flesh. And I'm going to say more about that a little bit later on. Okay, while you're looking for Psalms thirty three, let me invite you to our church. We are an old fashioned, independent missionary Bible believe in Bible preaching Baptist church. We have two services on Sunday morning only ten and eleven am. We have a survey. Also starting today the thirtieth of July. Thirtieth of June Sunday School. We're having Sunday school today for children four to eleven years old. On Wednesday night, we have at six o'clock a Bible study for the adults and also a large active youth program for young

51:14 people four through nineteen years old. Also, you can hear us on the radio every Sunday morning at eight o'clock on w IOK one O seven point five on the FM dial and ten o'clock Sunday morning on WCYN fourteen hundred on the AM dial. One versus scripture for my subject. That's crazy hereinge, that just blows my mind. In twenty twenty four, you're telling everyone you're broadcasting on radio. Why wouldn't you be telling everyone where to get the podcast from? Like I Sometimes churches when they talk, it's like, are we still like thirty years ago? Why would ever, Hey, you can tune in at this time to hear us on the radio. Why wouldn't you just say, Hey, go to any of your favorite podcasting app look up our church, and you can listen to us whenever you want. It's twenty twenty, Hey, at eight am, you can tune in and hear us on radio.

52:15 Well, why wouldn't you just say? Or you could just download your favorite podcasting app, Apple podcast App or our pocket casts or our overcast or Spotify or Pandora or Amazon Music or Deezer. I'm just naming apps that have podcasts on them, and you can and look for our church, and ladies and gentlemen, you can like why I did that? Seems so. Sometimes I listen to churches and I'm like, what year are we in? What year? I don't understand what year we're in anymore. I always make the joke that the church is twenty years behind like that, Like that sounds like it's like something from the nineteen seventies orright from the nineteen eighties, maybe even the nineteen nineties, Okay, but at some point we moved on. Now everyone has a phone, and on that phone, they have access to this thing we call the internet, and they and they have access to their cell phone service and they can access things right, and they can download these things called apps. And these apps, well many of them are where we call them podcast apps or their apps to have other content, but they also have podcasts on them. And then they and then you take your messages, you upload them, and then well once you upload them to a podcast hosting site, then that podcast hosting site will distribute them to all of these other sites.

53:37 And then people can download your content and they don't have to wait till eight am on a Sunday or ten am on a Sunday or six pm on a Saturday and try to ensure that they have radio reception to be able to pick up the radio station they could just that is bizarre. That that's truly, that's a blast from the past, that's what. Okay. So Psalm thirty three, Here we go, Here we go. Psalm thirty three, Chapter thirty three of Psalms, Verse twelve. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, and the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance.

54:29 The question I want to ask, is America a blessed nation or a cursed nation? The nation that reverence God will be blessed by God. A nation that rejects God will be rejected by God. I want to preach on the subject God bless America again. The problem in America is a heart problem. We as America needs a heart transplant by the great physician. Okay, ladies and gentlemen, we are about to get into some philological issues. Okay.

55:19 So first of all, Psalm thirty three, Blessed is the nation who's God is the Lord, the people he has chosen as his own inheritance. Now, I would ask you, can that, in any way, shape or form, reference America or does that primarily have a focus on Maybe I don't know the nation of Israel, whom God has chosen for his inheritance. Right, God chose Israel, made a covenant with them. There's promises in that. Okay, so you can just steal with that. But here's the thing, all right, now, I know this gets controversial, but that's okay. We have to deal with this. He says, what America needs is a heart transplant, a national heart transplant. Now, for our herd transplant to occur would mean every person in America would have to receive a new heart. So here's the thing. I know. This is typically taught in most churches. I've asked people to draw a chart trying to map this out, and everyone's acknowledged that when you listen to lots of sermons, you will come away totally and utterly confounded and confused because at times it's so contradictory.

56:21 So I know that most Christians believe that practically speaking, practically, when you become a Christian, you become a new creature. The old is gone and everything is new, meaning that the old nature is gone, the old heart is gone. You have a new nature, a new heart. Now you can say yes to God and you can say noicein now if you truly believe that to be true. Practically, well, then basically Christians not only can be perfect, they should be perfect because they have now nothing internally keeping them from spiritual perfection. They have nothing but a new nature and heart internally, and that should drive all of their external behavior, and it's flowing from which is basically perfect on the inside. Now, Christians will almost talk that way, and then five seconds later say, however, you're never gonna be truly sinless. You're gonna continue to fight, You're gonna continue to struggle. Wait a minute, what am I fighting in struggling? If I'm a new creature, the old is completely gone and everything is new, then I should be basically perfect. But then you can't turn around and say, well, no, nobody can be perfect. Well, then what's keeping me from perfection?

57:31 If I have a new heart and a new nature. Now some people will say, well, you get a new heart and a new nature. They may speak of those two things as being separate, but then they say, the old heart and the old nature remain, So now you've got two natures and two hearts. Others will say heart and nature is synonymous of the same thing. So now you had an old nature slash heart. Now you have a new nature slash heart. So you have both side of you. And the way it was preached to me early in my Christian life, you have two natures inside of you. Think of them as like you know two dogs, and the one you feed the most will become stronger. So if I feed my new nature more, it will become stronger over my old nature.

58:21 And how do you feed it? Well, if I read my Bible more, go to church more, listen to sermons more, then it will be so strong it can dominate and control the old nature. If I don't feed the new nature, the old nature will rise up and be more dominant. So you've got these two going on inside of you. So some people almost speak of it like you have four. Some people speak of you have two. Some people speak as if the old is completely gone right, And obviously there's no agreement in Christianity about this. So if you say everyone gets a new heart, does the old go away? Now, I've also heard it talked about that in a sense, Sin comes knocking on your door, and you have to decide who's going to answer the door, your old nature your new nature, which again almost makes you sound schizophrenic makes you sound like, well, then how do I control it? All? Right? So some people make it sound like, how does it work if you get a new heart? Is the old gone? Or is the new? Like? How does it work? Nobody seems to be able to clearly articulate. I know this when the Bible says that if anyone's in Christ is a new creature, old things have passed away, all things have become new. That has not anything to do with you practically. That is your positional standing before God because of his imputed righteousness. You stand before God a new creature, the oldest gone. Everything is new positionally practically, and all evidence would indicate this.

59:46 You're still a sinner. You still have a sinful nature, you still have a sinful heart. That's why you still sin, and you will continually sin. And that's why you can never obey God's law anywhere close to perfect. And that's why we are saved by an imputed righteousness, not an infused righteousness. The entire Reformation came down to that distinction, imputed not infused, spiritual heart. Now, let me say some things about America. Number one, take notes, Please, the devil has a grip on our country has a grip on our country. Our nation was founded upon Christian principles. Don't you ever forget that. Now they're trying to get rid of that in schools and public places. They are trying to erase the name of God and no mention of God in anything worth heaven. But we were built on a Christian principles.

1:00:51 Now, I want to show you this, and it's quite lengthy, but it's now. If Satan has got his hand or control kind of America, why did God let him do that? So God didn't so God's not in charge. Now he's getting ready to go. America was founded on Christian principles. Again, I've already kind of gone through the way the nation was actually structured. Christianity obviously was influential. We cannot deny that. You cannot deny the influence of Christianity. I mean, you'd be a fool to say that. But the issue is it was never a established Christian religion. There was not a state religion. That was the whole thing. America was not to do that. They were fleeing religious persecution. Don't do that when you come here, don't do even attempt But there were attempts to do that early on. Now he's gonna say something lengthy. We're already at an hour.

1:01:51 Of course, these all go so fast, so I may I may just do a little bit to see what he's getting ready to say. This is probably going to turn into a never ending like he's going to quote some historical facts. I could go check other historical This is going to turn into that kind of argument. Okay, but here we go worth hearing. First of all, let me read this to you about our founding fathers, our founding fathers. Benjamin Franklin suggested that the Constitutional Convention should seek God's blessing in an opening prayer at every session. During the meeting on June to twenty eighth, seventeen eighty seven, Franklin said, I have lived a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth that God governs the affairs of men. Sound like he believed in the sovereignty of God. He said, And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his knowledge, it is probable that an entire can raise without his age?

1:03:06 Can it? No cannot rise without his aid? Okay, He's quoting Benjamin Franklin now. Benjamin Franklin's religious beliefs are a topic of great debate amongst scholars and historians. He was raised in a pure basically in a pure as a Puritan, and had appreciation for religious principles. His personal beliefs evolved throughout his life, leading to some ambiguity regarding his religious affiliation. Here are some points to consider regarding Benjamin Franklin's view on religion. Deist tendencies. Franklin often associated with deism, a religious and philosophical belief that that basically puts forth the idea of the existence of a creator who established the universe but does not intervene in human affairs. Deists typically reject organized religion and emphasize reason and nature as source of spiritual insight. Diverse religious Franklin showed an interest in various religious traditions, including Christianity, but also explored other faiths as Quakerism and free Freemasonry. He valued ethical teachings and moral virtues found in different religions rather than subscribing to strict dogma. Franklin's public statements and writings often reference God and religious concepts, reflecting a belief in a divine power and moral order. However, he was critical of religious hypocrisy and superstition, advocating for a rational approach to spirituality. Throughout his life, Franklin express commitment to various living, personal to virtuous living,

1:04:39 personal integrity, and social responsibility. His emphasis on ethical behavior and civic engagement aligned with many religious values, even if he did not adhere to traditional Christian doctrine and conclusion. While Benjamin Franklin's religious beliefs may not fit neatly into a conventional Christian category, his complex views on spirituality, morality, and philosophy demonstrate a very nuanced approach to faith. Franklin's legacy is a thinker, inventor, and statesmen, reflects a practical and pragmatic worldview shaped by diverse influences. Now, it's always amazing that when people want to go back and people do this, the same thing that people do the same thing with the Church Fathers. Drives me crazy. They do it with our founding fathers, They do it with the early Church fathers. If you are Baptist or Reformed, you go find things from the Church fathers to see see they think just like they thought, just like we did, and then ignore everything else. They said.

1:05:34 You see this with baptism. See see see they believe in baptizing babies, and they also believed in baptizing people in the nude. They also believed in all of these things you have to do in order to be bab You don't believe any of that. So it's like everybody wants to go to the church fathers and the founding fathers to only read into them what you believe and what you think, instead of letting them be who they are. We say this about the church fathers. Let them be who they were. Don't make them into something they're not. They're not a member of your first Baptist church or your first Lutheran church. They were who they were with their own thoughts and ideas. What we do is go see what they thought. Unless we're going to assign magisterial authority to them, there's no need to go. What do you gain by saying, well, this church father agrees with me? Well, congratulations? Are you saying they have magistul authority? No? Then who cares if they agree with you? You can give me a list of fifteen church fathers who agrees with you. I don't care because I thought, as the Protestant, the Bible is the authority, not the Church fathers. And guess what, you can go and try to make the church the founding fathers will say they said this, and they said this, and they said that.

1:06:45 Okay. The argument is, we don't want this nation to be a Christian nation because we don't want a state religion. And if you want that, you're not a thinking of the unintended consequences of it. But see, he's only going to give us certain quotes by Franklin. He's not going to go into the complexity of Franklin's beliefs because well, that doesn't quite fit the narrative. We have been assured in the Sacred Writings, which is your Bible, that except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Do you notice what he's doing. Remember he said he was going to use that book by Robert Jeffers, right, And I do believe it's Jeffris. I do believe that's the way you say. If I said it incorrectly, I apologize. I do believe it's Robert Jeffers, or maybe he said it differently. I don't know. Someone of us said it differently.

1:07:53 Now, please note he's using that book. Now, class what is this called? Is he using primary source or secondary source? He's using a secondary source. So then you would have to go grab that book by Robert Jeffers to see if there's footnotes. Then go find the primary source, find out when Franklin supposedly said this, or whichever church fough or said it, and then say, okay, now let's go look at a broader look at all of what Franklin believed, and then understand these context and that broader context. But he's using a secondary source that's making references to other sources. And then you and you know, you know, is Robert Jeffers using the primary source or is he taking it from a secondary So this may not even be a secondary source, This may be third this may be wait because a lot of times what happens. Pastors will pick up a book and say, well, this person is quoting, you know, Benjamin Franklin, and then you go follow the footnote, go, no, he's not actually quoting Benjamin Franklin.

1:08:54 He's quoting from a book that supposedly is quoting from Benjamin Franklin. Then you go follow that footnote, and that's actually quoting from a book supposedly quote and nobody. He's actually quoting from an original source. People do this with church fathers all the time. Well this book said this church father said this. I'm like, well, where's the actual source from the church father's writings? Now, at least that's what I think he's doing, because it sounds like you hear him turning pages and he said he was going to be using that book. So I'm assuming he's referencing. He's got it marked in the book. He's not stating where he's getting the quote from. I'm not denying the legitimacy of the quote. I'm just saying, whenever we're going to deal with the church fathers or the founding fathers, it's never as black and white as we always like to make it. We always want to put them in our jersey and our an, our theological team, or our political team. And it drives me crazy how we do that. Lajor states had a religious requirement in order to hold any sort of political office. For example, here's what every elected or appointed official in Delaware had to subscribe to. According to Article twenty two of the state Constitution. I do profess faith in God the Father, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, and the Holy Ghost, One God blessed forevermore. And I do acknowledge the holy scriptures of the Old and you Testament to be given by divine inspiration. That message Terry Leach preached

1:10:30 last week was a classic I've never heard in fifty six years of ministry. I've never heard a greater sermon on the Word of God. I mean, it was a classic sermon about the Bible. Let me go on, George W. Wasshington, our first president. Now the Delaware Religious Tests. There was a test in the Delaware Constitution of seventeen seventy six. It contained provision that required all office holders to profess faith in God and do a firm belief in the Christian religion. This requirement effectively served as a religious test for public officials, limiting eligibility based on religious beliefs. However, over time, the influence of this religious test waned as Delaware in the United States moved towards a more secular approach to governance. The US Constitution's Establishment Clause, which prohibits the government from establishing favoring any particular religion played a significant role in the eventual elimination of religious tests for a office holding at both the federal and state levels.

1:11:40 Please note the US Constitution ultimately led to the elimination of religious tests. On one hand, Christians are like the Constitution the Constitution. On the other hand, we will forget the Constitution. Is he saying we want a religious test. Is he saying that that was a good thing? He say we want a Christian a national state religion. Religious tests for holding public offices are generally considered on constitutional on the United States, as they violate the principle of religious freedom. Delaware, like other states, has removed such requirements from its laws and constitutions to uphold the separation of church and state and promote religious freedom and equality among all citizens. Now, so, on one hand, there is truth to that, but it did go away. Now it's I think it's being read in assists that people I wish we could go back to the good old days. No, I don't want to go back to the good old days. I don't want a national religion. I don't want a state religion.

1:12:40 I don't want anything like that. In his first novel address, he said he said being almighty God, who rules over the universe except for God. John Adams, the second President of our country, wrote, the general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the general principles of Christianity. I will avow that I then believed, and now believe, that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God our constitution. He went on the sun. Now he quoted George Washington. Again.

1:13:41 Just take a little bit of research here. George Washington's religious beliefs have been a topic of discussion among historians and scholars. While Washington was known to attend Christian services and reference God in his writings and speeches, the specifics of his personal faith remain a subject of debate. Episcopal background, Washington was raised in the Anglican Church of England and regularly attended services throughout his life. He was familiar with Christian Christian teaching and values. Now please note Benjamin Franklin was raised Puritan. He's raised of the Church of England, all right, so an ultimately Episcopalian, raised in the Anglican Church of England. The Anglican Church of England so now which one gets to be in charge? Again? This is what will lead to But here, once again, we saw this with Benjamin Franklin. Deistic influence. Some historians suggest that Washington's beliefs may have been influenced by deism, a philosophical position that acknowledges a creator but does not adhere to specific religious doctrines. Washington's reference to a supreme architect or providence and his writings have been interpreted as reflective of deistic ideas. Washington was known to be private about his personal beliefs, rarely discussing religion openly. This has led to very interpretations the depth of his Christian faith. So once again, it's not as easy as everyone makes it out to be. Now again, I'm just doing real time research. I'm utilizing artificial intelligence to do some of this.

1:15:09 So but immediately I'm asking, now, I'm not saying that this is that. I'm just saying he's giving quotes, not telling us where the quotes are coming from. And there's no context in which to establish this. And if George Washington, and even if you're quoting some of these certain things that he's quoting some of these things, how do they ultimately play out in a governmental setting. Once the constitution is established, and once we start trying to then how do we these constitutional requirements and the way this kind of a almost a secular form of government, how is that going to play out with the desire for many to almost have a more religious almost a state or or national religion.

1:15:50 Well, clearly the more secular approach ultimately wins out. And I think ultimately he was beneficial because we came here to flee religious persecution. They was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. Our forefathers designed this country and its constitution with the assumption that the people would be guided by a belief in and obedience to God. John Jay was the first chief of justice. Again, well, and a God. Maybe some believed in the God, maybe some had just the idea of it just a general supreme being. Obviously, Theism was dominant at that time. Theism was Obviously Theism was dominant. Theism is not Christianity, ladies and gentlemen. But again, even if that's the case, is that the way the government should be established. That's the issue. So we're going to stop there. Again, that's God bless America again. Part one really make it very far? We didn't. Really we got into some basic issues.

1:17:02 You should go listen to the rest. Maybe we'll do some more review of it. Maybe we want to get to part two because I think then it will probably have much more of a response to the shooting. But so what we learned in this hour plus is that American Family Radio is the first ministry to respond to the shooting of Donald Trump and actually give the name of the person who was killed at the rally. I appreciate them doing that. Once again, God is being spoken of, is his providence, his sovereignty stopping the bullet? But no one addresses then why doesn't God didn't God stop the bullet for the other person? No one still wants to address that.

1:17:44 Nobody wants to That's just like I don't know why nobody wants to be confronted with that. And then we're listening to a sermon about God blessing America again based on Psalm thirty three. It just immediately somehow assumes some thirty three has something to do with the United States of America, and then making a lot lot of claims about the early America almost calling for almost it sounds like some form of a national or state religion. I don't know if they're going to go that far, and we addressed some of those issues and did a little bit of research. There we have it. That's what we've accomplished today as I continue to monitor how the church is responding to the shooting of Donald Trump.

1:18:26 And again, the reason we're reviewing this sermon is because this is part one. The part one was prior to the shooting. Part two was preached after the shooting. So since there's part of a two part kind of mini series, then I wanted to put the two parts together. So maybe we'll do more review. We will see, but I challenge you to go listen to both so that you can hear their perspective. Most of you will agree with his perspective because I think most Christians do want some form of a I think we're almost reached the point. I think think the majority of Christians today almost want some kind of a national state religion. I think they do. I think we would have to do some surveys on it, but I think most America, most Christians, let me say most conservative Christians almost want that today and that's frightening to me. That's frightening to me. But so I will stand in the minority there. Maybe I'm in the majority. I don't know. I think if you take all of christiandom, I think the majority will be like no no no no no no no no. But I think if you take a subset and you take very conservative Christians, they almost want a Christian nationalism, a state or national religion, and that is I don't.

1:19:44 That's the direction I don't want the church to go. I don't, And I would argue Church history proves that whenever those two merge, state and the church, people are going to die, and the rights you deny others will be rights ultimately denied you. And that works great when state and religion work together, when it's your form of Christianity that's in charge. When your form of Christianity is no longer in charge, or another religion takes over, well then you're going to regret ever wanting that. But there we go. You can email me news I F at yahoo dot com. That's news. I F a yahoo dot com NEWSI F at yahoo dot com. Everyone have a great day, God bless