The St. Patrick’s Day that Changed America and the Revolution

PATRICK K. O’DONNELL 17 Mar 2022

St. Patrick’s Day is renowned for its green beer and revelry, but on March 17, 1776 the day marked a turning point in the Revolutionary War. Through the course of events, a young bookworm would serendipitously uncover a solution that unlocked American innovation and changed history.

Two months after his initial departure from Fort Ticonderoga, on January 25, 1776, Henry Knox employing 42 sleds miraculously moved 60 tons of captured British artillery 300 miles over snow-draped mountains and across frozen rivers to Cambridge, Massachusetts. With the artillery in hand, Washington renewed his plans for an attack on Boston. But lack of powder and the 8,000-or-more-strong British garrison made the attack very iffy. During a council of war, 49-year-old Major General Artemas Ward presented another plan: “The attack must be made with the view of bringing on an engagement, or of driving the enemy out of Boston and either end will be answered much better by possessing Dorchester Heights.” The heights were less than a mile from Boston, and cannon fire could easily sail over the harbor and hit the city—whoever controlled the heights controlled Boston.

The challenge: how to build a fort atop the heights in the middle of winter before the British stormed the redoubt prior to its completion. Washington would find his answer at one of his dinners. A guest that day was 30-old-year-old Rufus Putnam, who, as a teenager during the French and Indian War, gained just enough knowledge of fieldworks to make him dangerous. During the meal, Washington asked the Braintree native how to build a fortification on frozen ground quickly. Confessing, “I never read a word on the subject . . . but was employed in Some under British Engineers,” he told Washington he’d get back to him since “no excuse would do.” Pondering the question while walking back to his bed, “Singular circumstances I call providence,” Putnam visited General William Heath’s quarters and noticed a book on his table entitled The Attack and Defense of Fortified Places by John Muller, and he asked to borrow it. Heath refused and claimed he never lent his books. Eventually, Heath relented, and Putnam went back to his quarters and fell asleep with the book on his chest. The next morning Putnam found the answer on page 4 in a fortification term he had never heard of “chandeliers.” Running back to Washington’s headquarters, Putnam relayed his astounding finding to the commander in chief. The solution lay in building a series of prefabricated wooden frames five feet high filled with tree branches bundled together that could be quickly transported atop Dorchester Heights and assembled into walls. The walls could later be topped off with earth and embrasures could be formed in the fortification to protect the artillery from Ticonderoga.

This remarkable untold story is in the new bestselling book, The Indispensables: Marblehead’s Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware. The book is a Band of Brothers-style treatment of this unique group of Americans who changed the course of history.

To the horror of the British, shells started exploding on their positions on March 4, 1776. Knox’s artillerists fired on the city as a diversion for the real attack from Dorchester Heights. Washington wanted the noise created by artillery to cover the construction of the fieldworks on Dorchester.

On the night of March 4, the Americans converged on Dorchester Heights. A full moon illuminated their movements as they quickly seized the high ground with no resistance from the British. American innovation and ingenuity were on full display as 300 teams of wagons loaded with entrenching tools and prefabricated chandeliers, gabions, and fascines (bundles of sticks) formed the bulwark of three fortifications on top of the mount. Hundreds of men bit into the frozen ground with pickaxes and shovels as they put the chandeliers into place and shoveled dirt and rock into the cylindrical gabions. Working like a colony of bees, the men remarkably completed the bulk of the work in about an hour. From Dorchester Heights, the Americans could shell the British positions inside Boston with impunity. As dawn broke over Boston, the horrified British saw the three forts that seemingly materialized out of thin air overnight: “The enemy had thrown three very extensive structures with strong abattis round them on the commanding hills on Dorchester Neck, which must have been the employment of at least 12,000 men.”

William Howe, the commander of the British troops in Boston, immediately responded to the crisis and ordered 2,400 of his men into boats to launch an amphibious assault and storm the heights. This is exactly what Washington hoped for—a frontal assault directly into the teeth of his defenses where the defenders would outnumber the attackers. It would have been a bloodbath. Washington even positioned heavy barrels loaded with dirt and rock the Americans could roll down on the advancing Redcoats. However, as would occur many times during the Revolution, weather would alter history. An enormous storm set in, blowing the boats in the harbor, making it impossible to launch the assault. Howe postponed the attack, but the storm raged until March 6, creating two priceless days for Washington to move in more troops and further strengthen the defenses. 

General Howe realized his situation was no longer tenable and decided to evacuate Boston. Terrified to fall into the hands of their fellow Americans, thousands of Loyalists crammed aboard Howe’s ships. They sailed to Halifax, from where they would regroup and receive reinforcements, and Howe would invade New York. But from that day forward, St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, would become known as “Evacuation Day” in Boston. 

Patrick K. O’Donnell is a bestselling, critically acclaimed military historian and an expert on elite units. He is the author of twelve books including The Indispensables, featured nationally at Barnes and Noble and Washington’s Immortals, and The Unknowns. O’Donnell served as a combat historian in a Marine rifle platoon during the Battle of Fallujah and speaks often on espionage, special operations, and counterinsurgency. He has provided historical consulting for DreamWorks’ award-winning miniseries Band of Brothers and for documentaries produced by the BBC, the History Channel, and Discovery. PatrickODonnell.com @combathistorian

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2022/03/17/exclusive-odonnell-the-st-patricks-day-that-changed-america-and-the-revolution/

10 facts about Geo. Washington academia and media won’t tell you – It’s Not Presidents’ Day, It’s Washington’s Birthday

Exclusive: Chuck Norris honors our 1st president, who ‘believed in the power of grit, guns and God’

February 21, 2022

What do you know about George Washington? Do you know the real Washington or just the one that liberal academia and media want you to believe?

With Feb. 21 being President’s Day and Feb. 22 being the anniversary of the actual day George Washington was born, I thought there was no better time to honor again what I consider one of the greatest leaders ever born anywhere. I want to give the 10 facts about Washington liberal media and academia won’t tell you. These are also actually 10 reasons I believe everyone should admire Washington, no matter what their political persuasion.

Let me begin by highlighting a few bullets of background for some who might not be as familiar with this pillar of American life beyond the basics, as documented by the University of Virginia and the History Channel.

According to Encyclopedia Virginia and history.com, on Feb. 22, 1732, George Washington was born to a family of middling wealth in Westmoreland County, Virginia, the second son from the second marriage of a colonial plantation owner.

In 1752, at 23 years young, Washington joined the British army and served as a lieutenant in the French and Indian War.

In 1759, Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis, a wealthy widow, and adopted her two children. (She had two other children, but they had passed.)

In 1775, at 43 years old, Washington became the commander in chief of the Continental Army and, in 1783, led America to victory over the British after eight years of war.

As far as his political career, Washington served as a member of the House of Burgesses of Virginia from 1759–1774. He was also a member of the first and second Continental Congresses in 1774 and 1775. But while others were signing the Declaration of Independence, Washington was already on the battlefield fighting for independence. As the president of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, however, Washington was the first signer of the U.S. Constitution.

In 1789, Washington became the first president of the United States of America. He was unanimously elected by the 69 presidential electors to serve his first term from 1789 to 1793. He was then again unanimously elected for his second term from 1793 to 1797. He declined a third term.

Here are my Top 10 reasons why I think everyone should admire George Washington, and why I believe his life is still worthy to reflect today. (These are also the reasons I often cited the Father of America’s words and works among our other founders in my New York Times bestseller, “Black Belt Patriotism: How to Reawaken America.”)

10. When it came to decency, civility and morality, Washington stood for conservative values. He believed in traditional faith, freedom and family, as you’ll read in the following paragraphs. Even as a youth, Washington was a role model for many. At just 14 years of age, young George wrote out in freehand on his own volition, “110 Rules of Civility & Decent Behavior in Company and Conversation.” At age 17, George’s first official job was as surveyor of Culpeper County, Virginia.

9. Washington believed in the power of grit, guns and God. While others were frightened by signing of the Declaration of Independence, Washington was on the front lines battling for its tenets. He faced his fears, endured grave hardships and even stared death in the eyes while helping others to do the same. Who can forget the severe conditions of Valley Forge? And what about the repeated threat of personal injury?

Washington even dodged bullets on several occasions. The University of Virginia documents a few of them: “at Braddock’s Defeat where two horses were shot under him and he had four bullets in his clothes; at the final skirmish of the Forbes expedition, on November 12, 1758, where he rushed between two parties of British who were firing at each other; at Kip’s Bay skirmish on September 15, 1776, where he rashly exposed himself in an attempt to rally the militia; at the battle of Princeton, January 3, 1777; and when making a reconnaissance of the British after the landing at the Head of Elk on August 26, 1777.”

8. Washington wasn’t afraid of public opinion or challenging the status quo. He wasn’t politically correct. As history.com explained, “He struggled with advisers over what sort of image a president should project. He preferred one of dignity and humility and stumbled when encouraged to act out of character or monarchical. … A member of the Virginia planter class, he grew increasingly uncomfortable with the hypocrisy of owning slaves, yet publicly he promoted a gradual abolition of slavery. In his will he requested that his slaves be freed upon Martha’s death.” As far back as 1786, Washington said, “There is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do, to see a plan adopted for the abolition of it.”

7. Washington was cool but could be hot-headed – a man of integrity and character yet just as human as the rest of us. He could be stubborn to a fault, and had a dry sense of humor. Again, history.com explained, “Washington possessed that intangible quality of a born leader and had earned a reputation for coolness under fire and as a strict disciplinarian during the French and Indian campaign. … An extraordinary figure in American history and unusually tall at 6′ 3”, Washington was also an ordinary man. He loved cricket and fox-hunting, moved gracefully around a ballroom, was a Freemason and possibly a Deist, and was an astute observer of the darker side of human nature. His favorite foods were pineapples, Brazil nuts (hence the missing teeth from cracking the shells) and Saturday dinners of salt cod. He possessed a wry sense of humor and, like his wife Martha, tried to resist the vanities of public life. Washington could also explode into a rage when vexed in war or political battles. Loyal almost to a fault, he could also be unforgiving and cold when crossed. When Republican Thomas Jefferson admitted to slandering the president in an anonymous newspaper article for his support of Federalist Alexander Hamilton‘s policies, Washington cut Jefferson out of his life. On at least one occasion, Washington’s stubbornness inspired John Adams to refer to him as Old Muttonhead.”

6. Washington didn’t need power and wasn’t greedy. He was a first-class servant leader, who walked what he talked. He believed so firmly in our newly founded but poor republic that he took no pay for his service during the Revolutionary War (besides official expenses). And after eight long years of leading the war and retiring to his peaceful estate at Mt. Vernon, he reenlisted rather than stay retired. It is amazingly commendable – if not astonishing – that Washington came out of military retirement to serve two terms as president. He even had to borrow money to pay off debts and travel to his own inauguration.

5. Washington was passionately patriotic and believed in American Exceptionalism. And he didn’t allow personal obstacles or physical ailments to hinder his service to God, country and family. He wasn’t looking for a free ride or easy road.

Beginning at age17, Washington suffered multiple malaria attacks throughout his life. He even had a case of smallpox and dysentery, and he struggled with depression and hearing loss.

In 1779, during the middle of the Revolutionary War, Washington “feared for his survival,” not from bullets but an abscess of the tonsils. After all he had been through, at 57 years old with his war-torn body and reportedly a single real tooth in his mouth, Washington left behind the comfort of his estate on the edge of the Potomac River and traveled eight days to New York, where he was sworn in as president.

4. Washington was a devoted and traditional family man. In 1759, at 27 years of age, Washington married widow Martha Dandridge Custis. Though Martha and George had no children, he adopted her daughter and son from her former marriage. They also provided personal and financial support to nephews, nieces and other extended family members.

If it’s true that behind every great man is a great woman (and it is, as proof even with my wife, Gena, who does more for me and others than the world will ever know), then Washington’s wife, Martha, is definitely to be credited for part of the power behind the myth of the Father of our Nation. For example, for each of the eight years of the Revolutionary War, Martha came to Washington’s winter encampments (including Valley Forge) to boost his morale as well as that of the other officers.

No doubt Martha struggled to support Washington’s departure as general and president. Imagine how she must have repeatedly worried about him and his welfare over the years on the battlefield. Imagine her relief as he finally came home from eight years of leading the Revolutionary War only to “give him up again” for his country’s service as president. Though Martha refused to attend his inauguration, she stood by her man, living with him at the temporary U.S. capitals of New York and Philadelphia.

Although Martha and George had a strong relationship, there’s no doubt he had a lifelong love interest in the beautiful and intellectually astute Sally Fairfax, the wife of his friend George William Fairfax, whom he had met when he was just 16 years of age. Sally’s father would never allow her to marry someone other than from a wealthy, upper class like her family, and Washington didn’t fit the bill.

Mt. Vernon historians noted how Sally “remained ever faithful to her marriage” and yet “a good friend of Washington and his wife.” In 1773, Sally moved with her husband to England, where he died in 1787. In 1798, just a year before Washington’s death, he wrote Sally, urging her to return to Virginia. He added that nothing could “eradicate from my mind the recollection of those happy moments, the happiest in my life, which I have enjoyed in your company.” Sally never returned and died alone in England in 1811.

George was married to Martha for roughly 40 years. Just prior to her own death in 1802, Martha understandably destroyed nearly all of Washington’s letters to her, though three did survive.

Regarding Sally Fairfax, no man is perfect, and that included George Washington. He himself confessed: “We must take human nature as we find it. Perfection falls not to the share of mortals.” Remembering that was likely the key to his humility, service and mercy to others.

3. Washington highly revered God and religion, often elevating their irreplaceable and invaluable roles in our republic. For example, in 1789, during the same time when the First Amendment was written, then-President Washington signed into law the Northwest Ordinance, which states, “Religion, morality, and knowledge, being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.”

On Oct. 3, 1789, George Washington issued the First Presidential Thanksgiving Proclamation to God: “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the many signal favors of Almighty God.”

Regarding Washington’s often-quoted practice of leaving church services before receiving the Eucharist (Communion), maybe his own struggle was born from his wrestling with his own humanity and immoral thoughts of Sally Fairfax or possibly even the human toll that incurred when leading the war. His refusal to receive the Eucharist doesn’t prove his unbelief in Christ but rather supports it and his reverence for what the Communion elements represented. (That makes more sense to me than Paul F. Boller, respected presidential historian, who wrote in 1963, “It cannot be said that Washington ever experienced any feeling of personal intimacy or communion with his God.”)

For a true reflection of Washington’s genuine Christian faith and intimacy with God, one must-see at Washington’s own Mount Vernon estate the museum’s exhibition display and video (set up within a mini-chapel setting) of how he esteemed and served God and churches – not exactly what you read in today’s public school textbooks or hear in classrooms. What you’ll watch and read there is that he was as passionate a believer in Jesus Christ as most Christians today. If only we taught about his religion what is displayed at the museum, rather than trite comments that he was liberal, a deist and not intimate with his Savior.

2. Washington opposed big government and big-government spending. He led our nation with frugality and self-sacrifice, again, refusing to accept pay as commander in chief of the Continental Army. He was reluctant even to be paid as president, but was convinced by others it would not be a good precedent for future presidents. So, Congress gave Washington $25,000 a year, the largest salary in the U.S. for personal service at the time (2% of the national budget).

It should be noted that being president then didn’t have the thousands of perks that come with the position today, including a free mansion in which to live. For example, after staying for 16 months in New York, George and Martha rented (initial lease was two years) a mansion in Philadelphia (the nation’s capital before D.C.), where they lived from 1790-1797. Washington had to use his salary for both official duties and to maintain his personal affairs.

Much is made today of Washington’s financial fortune (USA Today once labeled him “the big daddy of presidential wealth”), but most overlook that his wealth was largely amassed in the Mount Vernon estate – which he inherited from his elder half-brother in 1761, Martha’s land and slaves inherited from her former husband, and in Washington’s presidential salary that only started after he was 57 years old.

Sure, he had lots of assets, but his liquidity didn’t flow like the wealthy today. Remember, back then, there was no established national banking system. Bartering and oscillating state currencies and commodities were the names of the game (until the 1792 Coinage Act), with the value of land fluctuating sharply based upon weather and crop production. As the Atlantic put it, “Because there was no central banking system and no regulatory framework for commodities, markets were subject to panics in ways unknown today.” Again, consider that at 57 years old, Washington even had to borrow money to pay off debts and to travel to his own inauguration.

1. Washington died like he lived, gracefully and full of grit.

In 1797, after winning the Revolutionary War and serving two presidential terms in office, Washington finally retired to Mount Vernon at 65 years of age, but he would only enjoy his rest for two years.

On Dec. 14, 1799, George Washington died of a severe respiratory sickness. His beloved Martha died only three years later, on May 22, 1802.

In his will, he humbly and simply referred to himself as “George Washington of Mount Vernon, a citizen of the United States, and late President of the same.”

At first, the Washingtons were laid to rest in an inconspicuous unmarked brick tomb at Mounty Vernon. But their final resting place was in a crypt there that bears the title of him whom refused to be king. The engraved words over the tomb make known the title by which people knew Washington best back then – not as president but general.

The inscription reads: “Within this enclosure rest the remains of Gen. George Washington.” And over the door of the inner tomb is inscribed these large words from Jesus Himself in the Gospel of John (11:25): “I am the Resurrection and the Life.”

Washington’s good friend Henry Lee probably summarized his life, leadership and legacy best in the eulogy for our first president: “First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.”

And so he remains, or should remain, always. His type of character, integrity and leadership are rare and desperately needed today maybe even more so than they were in our republic’s formation.

During this week we honor President’s Day and Washington’s own birthday, please consider sharing this article’s information on your social media and with those you love so that they can also know the real George Washington.

God, please give the U.S. more men and women like George and Martha Washington.

(For more on the monumental figure of George Washington, I recommend the amazing books, “Sacred Fire,” by Peter Lillback and Jerry Newcombe, and “The Bulletproof George Washington,” by David Barton)

10 facts about Geo. Washington academia and media won’t tell you

It’s Not Presidents’ Day – It’s Washington’s Birthday

BY TYLER DURDEN FEB 21, 2022

Authored by Richard Lim via RealClear PublicAffairs (emphasis ours),

You probably know that George Washington was America’s first president, but do you know about his enduring impact on people around the world? I did not until I visited Hainan, China in 2007.

At a family reunion, I struck up a conversation with one of my cousins, a Chinese citizen, and discovered we had a mutual love of politics and history. Although he criticized many recent American foreign policy decisions, he also revealed his intense admiration for George Washington.

He was astonished that after defeating Great Britain and winning American independence, Washington relinquished all his power to the people’s representatives and returned home to his farm. As a citizen of a country where the founding leader, Mao Zedong, entrenched himself in a lifelong dictatorship, my cousin found Washington’s resignation incomprehensible.

I realized then that for those who live under oppression, Washington’s deeds have served to make him a timeless rebuke to all oppressors. Unlike most victorious generals in history, he was able to resist the allure of power, allowing his fellow citizens to live in the freedom for which they had fought. He changed the course of history by proving that leaders ultimately could and ought to entrust power to the people.

Several years ago, I served as a historic interpreter at Washington’s estate, Mount Vernon. I took visitors through Washington’s home and explained that he gave up public office twice in his life: once after the Revolutionary War and again after serving two terms as president. Countless times, I saw people marvel at the idea that a man who lived in an era of kings and emperors relegated himself to the role of a humble citizen rather than embrace the trappings of authority. The most amazed guests were usually from foreign countries, particularly those where dictatorship was the rule. Although these visitors learned that Washington had real flaws, such as being a slaveholder, they understood that greatness, though imperfect, is still greatness.

In recent years, many Americans have lost that perspective. Some, tying Washington to modern-day racism, have even vandalized his statues and magnified his flaws to be his defining characteristics – despite the fact he was one of the most progressive founders on the issue of race. Meanwhile, countless people around the world continue to recognize his accomplishments.

We Americans used to recognize them as well. After Congress made his birthday (Feb. 22) an official federal holiday in 1879, we paid homage to Washington every year with parades and ceremonies. Starting in 1971, however, the significance of that day began diminishing. The Uniform Monday Holiday Act shifted observation of his birthday from the 22nd to the third Monday of February. One motivation for this date change was to move it closer to Abraham Lincoln’s birthday (Feb. 12) so that both events could be combined into “Presidents’ Day.” During the ensuing congressional debate, Tennessee Congressman Dan Kuykendall warned, “If we do this, 10 years from now our schoolchildren will not know or care when George Washington was born.” That’s exactly what happened, even though Congress had not changed the name of “Washington’s Birthday.”

After noticing the day occasionally fell closer to Lincoln’s birthday, car and mattress salesmen dubbed it the snappier “Presidents’ Day,” and it stuck. As a result, most people today are unaware that the federal holiday on the third Monday of February is still officially named “Washington’s Birthday.” While many cities and states still refer to the holiday by its official name, most Americans call it “Presidents’ Day.”

My birth country, the Philippines, honors its national hero José Rizal each year. Turkey has a holiday to remember its founding father, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Latin America has Simón Bolívar Day, India has Gandhi Jayanti, and Mexico has El Día de Benito Juárez. These countries celebrate these figures even though they, like Washington, reflected the times in which they lived. While these other countries remember their leaders, year after year in America, we ignore our greatest Founding Father on his birthday.

Other than Washington, we Americans honor only one other person’s birthday as a holiday: Martin Luther King, Jr. We don’t have a “Civil Rights Leaders’ Day.” Instead, we’ve chosen specifically to remember the most prominent American civil rights leader by his actual name. Yet, by celebrating “Presidents’ Day,” we’ve combined Washington with less esteemed chief executives such as Millard Fillmore and Andrew Johnson.

The “Father of Our Country” deserves better. His story has the power to inspire people of all backgrounds to demand more from their leaders. As beneficiaries of Washington’s legacy, we Americans can showcase that story to a world where tyrants still abound. We can start by remembering that it isn’t “Presidents’ Day” – it’s Washington’s Birthday.

Richard Lim hosts the This American President podcast.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/its-not-presidents-day-its-washingtons-birthday

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Was George Washington a Christian?

This is a question often asked today, and it arises from the efforts of those who seek to impeach Washington’s character by portraying him as irreligious. Interestingly, Washington’s own contemporaries did not question his Christianity but were thoroughly convinced of his devout faith–a fact made evident in the first-ever compilation of the The Writings of George Washington, published in the 1830s.

That compilation of Washington’s writings was prepared and published by Jared Sparks (1789-1866), a noted writer and historian. Sparks’ herculean historical productions included not only the writings of George Washington (12 volumes) but also Benjamin Franklin (10 volumes) and Constitution signer Gouverneur Morris (3 volumes). Additionally, Sparks compiled the Library of American Biography (25 volumes), The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution (12 volumes), and the Correspondence of the American Revolution (4 volumes). In all, Sparks was responsible for some 100 historical volumes. Additionally, Sparks was America’s first professor of history–other than ecclesiastical history–to teach at the college level in the United States, and he was later chosen president of Harvard.

Jared Sparks’ decision to compile George Washington’s works is described by The Dictionary of American Biography. It details that Sparks began . . .

. . . what was destined to be his greatest life work, the publication of the writings of George Washington. [Supreme Court] Justice Bushrod Washington, [the nephew of George Washington, the executor of the Washington estate, and] the owner of the Washington manuscripts, was won over by an offer to share the profits, through the friendly mediation of Chief Justice [of the Supreme Court, John] Marshall [who from 1804-1807 had written a popular five volume biography of George Washington], who also consented to take an equal share, twenty-five per cent, with the owner. In January 1827, Sparks found himself alone at Mount Vernon with the manuscripts. An examination of them extending over three months showed that years would be required for the undertaking; and with the owner’s consent, Sparks carried off the entire collection, eight large boxes, picking up on the way to Boston a box of diplomatic correspondence from the Department of State, and the [General Horatio] Gates manuscripts from the New York Historical Society. Not content with these, he searched or caused to be searched public and private archives for material, questioned survivors of the Revolution, visited and mapped historic sites. In 1830, for instance, he followed [Benedict] Arnold’s [1775] route to Quebec. The first of the twelve volumes of The Writings of George Washington to be published (vol. II) appeared in 1834 and the last (vol. I, containing the biography) in 1837.

In Volume XII of these writings, Jared Sparks delved into the religious character of George Washington, and included numerous letters written by the friends, associates, and family of Washington which testified of his religious character. Based on that extensive evidence, Sparks concluded:

To say that he [George Washington] was not a Christian would be to impeach his sincerity and honesty. Of all men in the world, Washington was certainly the last whom any one would charge with dissimulation or indirectness [hypocrisies and evasiveness]; and if he was so scrupulous in avoiding even a shadow of these faults in every known act of his life, [regardless of] however unimportant, is it likely, is it credible, that in a matter of the highest and most serious importance [his religious faith, that] he should practice through a long series of years a deliberate deception upon his friends and the public? It is neither credible nor possible.

One of the letters Sparks used to arrive at his conclusion was from Nelly Custis-Lewis. While Nelly technically was the granddaughter of the Washingtons, in reality she was much more.

When Martha [Custis] married George, she was a widow and brought two young children (John and Martha–also called Patsy) from her first marriage into her marriage with George. The two were carefully raised by George and Martha, later married, and each had children of their own. Unfortunately, tragedy struck, and both John and Patsy died early (by 1781). John left behind his widow and four young children ranging in age from infancy to six years old.

At the time, Washington was still deeply involved in guiding the American Revolution and tried unsuccessfully to convince Martha’s brother to raise the children. The young widow of John was unable to raise all four, so George and Martha adopted the two younger children: Nelly Parke Custis and George Washington Parke Custis, both of whom already were living at Mount Vernon.

Nelly lived with the Washingtons for twenty years, from the time of her birth in 1779 until 1799, the year of her marriage and of George Washington’s untimely death. She called George and Martha her “beloved parents whom I loved with so much devotion, to whose unceasing tenderness I was indebted for every good I possessed.”

Nelly was ten years old when Washington was called to the Presidency, and she grew to maturity during his two terms. During that time, she traveled with Washington and walked amidst the great foreign and domestic names of the day. On Washington’s retirement, she returned with the family to Mount Vernon. Nelly was energetic, spry, and lively, and was the joy of George Washington’s life. She served as a gracious hostess and entertained the frequent guests to Mount Vernon who visited the former President.

On Washington’s birthday in 1799, Nelly married Washington’s private secretary, Lawrence Lewis. They spent several months on an extended honeymoon, visiting friends and family across the country. On their return to Mount Vernon, she was pregnant and late that year gave birth to a daughter. A short few weeks later, on December 14, General Washington was taken seriously ill and died.

Clearly, Nelly was someone who knew the private and public life of her “father” very well. Therefore, Jared Sparks, in searching for information on Washington’s religious habits, dispatched a letter to Nelly, asking if she knew for sure whether George Washington indeed was a Christian. Within a week, she had replied to Sparks, and Sparks included her letter in Volume XII of Washington’s writings in the lengthy section on Washington’s religious habits. Of that specific letter, Jared Sparks explained:

I shall here insert a letter on this subject, written to me by a lady who lived twenty years in Washington’s family and who was his adopted daughter, and the granddaughter of Mrs. Washington. The testimony it affords, and the hints it contains respecting the domestic habits of Washington, are interesting and valuable.”

Woodlawn, 26 February, 1833.

Sir,

I received your favor of the 20th instant last evening, and hasten to give you the information, which you desire.

Truro [Episcopal] Parish is the one in which Mount Vernon, Pohick Church [the church where George Washington served as a vestryman], and Woodlawn [the home of Nelly and Lawrence Lewis] are situated. Fairfax Parish is now Alexandria. Before the Federal District was ceded to Congress, Alexandria was in Fairfax County. General Washington had a pew in Pohick Church, and one in Christ Church at Alexandria. He was very instrumental in establishing Pohick Church, and I believe subscribed [supported and contributed to] largely. His pew was near the pulpit. I have a perfect recollection of being there, before his election to the presidency, with him and my grandmother. It was a beautiful church, and had a large, respectable, and wealthy congregation, who were regular attendants.

He attended the church at Alexandria when the weather and roads permitted a ride of ten miles [a one-way journey of 2-3 hours by horse or carriage]. In New York and Philadelphia he never omitted attendance at church in the morning, unless detained by indisposition [sickness]. The afternoon was spent in his own room at home; the evening with his family, and without company. Sometimes an old and intimate friend called to see us for an hour or two; but visiting and visitors were prohibited for that day [Sunday]. No one in church attended to the services with more reverential respect. My grandmother, who was eminently pious, never deviated from her early habits. She always knelt. The General, as was then the custom, stood during the devotional parts of the service. On communion Sundays, he left the church with me, after the blessing, and returned home, and we sent the carriage back for my grandmother.

It was his custom to retire to his library at nine or ten o’clock where he remained an hour before he went to his chamber. He always rose before the sun and remained in his library until called to breakfast. I never witnessed his private devotions. I never inquired about them. I should have thought it the greatest heresy to doubt his firm belief in Christianity. His life, his writings, prove that he was a Christian. He was not one of those who act or pray, “that they may be seen of men” [Matthew 6:5]. He communed with his God in secret [Matthew 6:6].

My mother [Eleanor Calvert-Lewis] resided two years at Mount Vernon after her marriage [in 1774] with John Parke Custis, the only son of Mrs. Washington. I have heard her say that General Washington always received the sacrament with my grandmother before the revolution. When my aunt, Miss Custis [Martha’s daughter] died suddenly at Mount Vernon, before they could realize the event [before they understood she was dead], he [General Washington] knelt by her and prayed most fervently, most affectingly, for her recovery. Of this I was assured by Judge [Bushrod] Washington’s mother and other witnesses.

He was a silent, thoughtful man. He spoke little generally; never of himself. I never heard him relate a single act of his life during the war. I have often seen him perfectly abstracted, his lips moving, but no sound was perceptible. I have sometimes made him laugh most heartily from sympathy with my joyous and extravagant spirits. I was, probably, one of the last persons on earth to whom he would have addressed serious conversation, particularly when he knew that I had the most perfect model of female excellence [Martha Washington] ever with me as my monitress, who acted the part of a tender and devoted parent, loving me as only a mother can love, and never extenuating [tolerating] or approving in me what she disapproved of others. She never omitted her private devotions, or her public duties; and she and her husband were so perfectly united and happy that he must have been a Christian. She had no doubts, no fears for him. After forty years of devoted affection and uninterrupted happiness, she resigned him without a murmur into the arms of his Savior and his God, with the assured hope of his eternal felicity [happiness in Heaven]. Is it necessary that any one should certify, “General Washington avowed himself to me a believer in Christianity?” As well may we question his patriotism, his heroic, disinterested devotion to his country. His mottos were, “Deeds, not Words”; and, “For God and my Country.”

With sentiments of esteem,

I am, Nelly Custis-Lewis

George Washington’s adopted daughter, having spent twenty years of her life in his presence, declared that one might as well question Washington’s patriotism as question his Christianity. Certainly, no one questions his patriotism; so is it not rather ridiculous to question his Christianity? George Washington was a devout Episcopalian; and although as an Episcopalian he would not be classified as an outspoken and extrovert “evangelical” Founder as were Founding Fathers like Benjamin Rush, Roger Sherman, and Thomas McKean, nevertheless, being an Episcopalian makes George Washington no less of a Christian. Yet for the current revisionists who have made it their goal to assert that America was founded as a secular nation by secular individuals and that the only hope for America’s longevity rests in her continued secularism, George Washington’s faith must be sacrificed on the altar of their secularist agenda.

For much more on George Washington and the evidences of his strong faith, examine the following sources:

• George Washington, The Writings of George Washington, Jared Sparks, editor (Boston: Ferdinand Andrews, Publisher, 1838), Vol. XII, pp. 399-411.
• George Washington, The Religious Opinions of Washington, E. C. M’Guire, editor (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1836).
• William Johnson, George Washington The Christian (1917).
• William Jackson Johnstone, How Washington Prayed (New York: The Abingdon Press, 1932).
• The Messages and Papers of the Presidents, James D. Richardson, editor (Published by the Authority of Congress, 1899), Vol. I, pp. 51-57 (1789), 64 (1789), 213-224 (1796), etc.
• George Washington, Address of George Washington, President of the United States, Late Commander in Chief of the American Army, to the People of the United States, Preparatory to his Declination (Baltimore: George & Henry S. Keatinge, 1796), pp. 22-23.
• George Washington, The Maxims of Washington (New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1855).

* Originally Posted: Dec. 31, 2016.

Was George Washington a Christian?

VIDEO America’s First Christmas that Changed the Course of History – Washington’s Christmas Poem – Jesus Is Divine – America’s Greatness Happened Because of ‘Jesus Christ

Emanuel Leutze (American, Schwäbisch Gmünd 1816–1868 Washington, D.C.)

PATRICK K. O’DONNELL 24 Dec 2021

December 1776 was one of the darkest times for America:  hyperinflation gripped the economy, Washington’s army lost one battle after another, the mood of the country changed from optimism to defeat.  But on Christmas Day, Americans amid a raging Nor’easter crossed an impassable ice-filled river, surprised and killed an expertly trained enemy, and changed the course of history.

Thomas Paine epically captured the days leading up to Christmas 1776 in “The American Crisis.”

“These are the times that try men’s souls,” Paine wrote. “The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.”

Washington’s army had lost one battle after another. The economy had tanked. And the paper money the United States printed seemed worthless. Americans were abandoning the cause in droves.

During the fall of 1776, the British issued an amnesty proclamation that offered pardon and protection to rebels who signed an oath of loyalty to the king within sixty days. Thousands of Americans, including several members of Congress, clambered to sign the oath. One disgusted American Patriot recalled, “To the disgrace of the country and human nature, great numbers flocked to confess their political sins to the representative of Majesty, and to obtain pardon. It was observed, that these consisted of the very rich and the very poor, while the middling class held their constancy.” Making matters worse, the enlistments for the Continental Army expired in December and January 1, 1777.

Most Americans could read, and the pamphlet immediately raised the morale of both the military and civilians. The looming prospect of disaster seemed to spur Americans into action, and some even believed that such a crisis was necessary to give people the proper motivation to fight. “Our republic cannot exist long in prosperity,” Doctor Benjamin Rush later wrote in a letter to John Adams. “We require adversity and appear to possess most of the republican spirit when most depressed.” The crisis had a direct positive effect that steeled resolve.   That December 245 years ago marked a period where Americans from all stripes came together to alter the course of history in a great counteroffensive on Christmas night.

On the eve of the battle, General George Washington sat in his tent on the banks of the Delaware River and methodically wrote the same three words over and over on several small pieces of paper. He had decided on a daring plan: crossing the ice-choked Delaware River and mounting a surprise attack on the Hessian garrison there. Knowing that the assault could not hope to succeed if word of the plan reached the enemy, he detailed a Virginia The to serve as sentries around the Patriot camp. The general himself selected the password for the night, and that was what he was writing on scraps of paper for distribution to the unit commanders. 

While the surgeon general of the Continental Army was visiting Washington, one of the slips happened to fall to the floor. “I was struck with the inscription on it,” the physician wrote. “It was ‘Victory or Death.’” 

Contrary to the myth perpetuated by many children’s books, the Hessians in Trenton were neither drunk nor idle. Their experienced commander, Colonel Johann Rall, the hero of White Plains Chatterton’s Hill and the breakthrough at Fort Washington, kept his men in constant readiness and on patrol. A series of raids by the local militia in the prior days had put them on edge, and the men slept dressed and armed. 

Rall realized the precarious nature of the Trenton outpost and frequently demanded reinforcements—to no avail. In exasperation, he complained, “Scheiszer bey Scheisz! [shit on shit] Let them come. . . . We will go at them with the bayonet.” British spies had warned of an impending attack on Trenton, but no one knew the exact day and time. The intelligence, combined with the raids, put Rall and his men in a perpetual state of alert and began to fray their nerves. 

Washington settled on a complicated plan to envelop Rall’s garrison. The main force, which included the elite troops from Maryland, would cross at McConkey’s Ferry. The unflappable John Glover and his Marblehead Mariners led the assault river crossing on the Delaware. Asked if the plan was doable, he confidently reassured Washington “not to be troubled about that as his boys could manage it.” I tell their untold story along with the story of America’s founding in my bestselling book, The Indispensables: Marblehead’s Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware. The book is a Band-of-Brothers style treatment of this unique group of Americans who changed the course of history.

In December 1776, Washington turned to the only group of men he knew had the strength and skill to deliver the army to Trenton. The Marblehead men miraculously transported Washington and the bulk of his army across the Delaware in the heart of the raging storm. He ordered two additional groups of American troops to cross the river below Trenton to cut off the enemy’s retreat. These groups not guided by the Marbleheaders found the icy river impassable. But the courage and nautical talent of  The Indispensables  enabled the battle that changed the course of the Revolutionary War. 

When the main body reached the crossing point as the sun was setting on Christmas night, the water had begun to freeze near the shore, and even sections in the center of the river were covered in ice. Yet the men followed Washington. One participant recalled, “Our General halted his Army and raising on his stirrups made us such an animating speech that we forgot the cold, the hunger and the toil under which we were ready to sink and each man seemed only to be anxious for the onset. The Snow & Slush ice covered the firm ice in the River, yet when our brave commander gave the word and turned his horse’s head across the stream, no one complained or held back, but all plunged in emulous who should next touch the Jersey shore after our beloved.” 

The army was in pitiful condition as one American officer remembered, “It would be a terrible night for the soldiers who have no shoes.  Some have tied old rags around their feet; others are barefoot, but I have not heard a man complain.” 

By 11:00 p.m., a massive storm pelted the men with snow, sleet, and biting wind as they crossed the Delaware in Durham boats. For the troops, many of whom could not swim, falling over the side would likely have meant death in the icy currents. 

Despite the risk of frostbite and hypothermia, the indefatigable Continental Army pressed on. Washington was out front leading the operation, “I have never seen Washington so determined as he is now.  He stands on the bank of the river, wrapped in his cloak, superintending the landing of troops.  He is calm and collected, but very determined…the storm cuts like a knife.”

Miraculously, the Americans didn’t lose a single soldier in the initial crossing. However, the storm had put them far behind their original timetable. Washington had planned to have everyone over the river by midnight, but his army wasn’t reassembled on the far side of the Delaware until nearly four in the morning. Not knowing that the two other groups had not made it across, Washington ordered his exhausted, shivering men to proceed at once on the nine-mile march to Trenton. 

Through snow and sleet driven nearly horizontal by the punishing winds, the men and horses trudged through drifts and slid across the icy roads. As always, the Americans were poorly equipped, and few had clothing equal to the conditions. “Many of our poor soldiers are quite barefoot and ill clad,” wrote one of the officers on the scene. “Their route was easily traced, as there was a little snow on the ground, which was tinged here and there with blood from the feet of the men who wore broken shoes.” Another man recalled, “Our Army was destitute of shoes and clothing — . . . It was snowing at this time and the night was unusually stormy. Several of our men froze to death.” 

Not wanting to lose any more of his troops, Washington shouted encouragement to the men: “Soldiers, keep by your officers. For God’s sake, keep by your officers!” Throughout the night, the commander in chief remained determined; adversity brought forth his best qualities. “Press on! Press on, boys!” he shouted as he rode up and down the line. 

The Americans arrived on the outskirts of Trenton just before eight o’clock in the morning. Thanks to the reduced visibility from the storm, they approached within two hundred yards before the sentries sounded the cry, “Der feind! Heratus! Heratus!” (The enemy! Turn out! Turn out!). 

Shots were fired, and the Americans charged, some yelling “These are the times that try men’s souls!” the famous words penned by Thomas Paine, as their battle cry. The Hessians, disorganized, fell back from the onslaught that seemed to come from all around them. Small groups clashed throughout the city in the house-to-house fighting. Soon smoke from the cannons and muskets filled the streets and, combined with the continuing storm, added to the confusion and lack of visibility. 

Very quickly after entering Trenton, Washington’s army captured several Hessian artillery pieces. In the thick of the fighting, Rall ordered his men to retake the guns because their loss was considered a dishonor to the regiment. 

With kettle drums beating, Rall shouted, “All who are my grenadiers forward!” 

By this time, the Americans had infiltrated the entire city, and marksmen took up secure positions in houses and behind fences where they could pick off the enemy fighters. American artillery, commanded by Bostonian Colonel Henry Knox, pummeled the oncoming Hessians. Knox later wrote, “Here succeeded a scene of war, of which I had often conceived but never saw before.” Another participant captured the macabre melee: “My blood chill’d to see such horror and distress, blood mingling together, the dying groans, and ‘Garments’ rolled in ‘blood’ the sight was too much to bear.” 

After retaking his artillery, Rall tried but failed to rally his men. Acting on faulty intelligence, he assumed that his only escape route, a bridge across the Assunpink Creek (a tributary of the Delaware River that flows through Trenton), had been captured by the Marbleheaders. He ordered the Hessians to retreat through an orchard to the southeast. 

At that moment, two bullets struck the commander in the side. Mortally wounded, he “reeled in the saddle.” His men attempted to evade the Patriot forces, but the Americans pursued. On horseback, Washington led the attack, urging the Marylanders and his other troops forward, shouting, “March on, by brave fellows, after me!” 

Hit from three sides, the Hessians, now leaderless, lowered their guns and their flags around 9:00 a.m. 

Word of the surrender soon spread to the Continental forces throughout Trenton. A huge shout shook the town as the triumphant Americans threw their hats into the air and cheered the victory. In short order, they found forty hogsheads of rum and cracked them open. By the time Washington found out about the alcohol and ordered the casks destroyed, “the soldiers drank too freely to admit of Discipline or Defense.” 

Washington had intended to continue his push forward and to attack Princeton and New Brunswick after Trenton, but these plans for a further offensive had be scotched due to the state of the army. The victorious, drunken men rowed back across the icy Delaware. 

The blizzard continued to rage, and this crossing was even more treacherous than the first, costing the lives of three men. It was noon the next day before all the Americans got back to their camp, some having been awake and fighting against the elements and the enemy for fifty hours. 

The Americans had killed 22 Hessians, severely wounded 84, and took 896 prisoners, while suffering few losses of their own. Equally important, they captured “as many muskets, bayonets, cartouche boxes and swords,” as well as the artillery, swelling their supplies. 

The Americans had won a great victory, but they had little time for rest. Washington needed to capitalize on the victory at Trenton by eliminating the other British troops garrisoned in New Jersey. 

But for that he would need troops. The enlistment period for the bulk of Washington’s men expired on New Year’s Day, and they had every right to return home, having fulfilled the terms of their enlistment. 

What was left of the Continental Army went into formation and stood at attention as Washington mustered his oratorical prowess and appealed to the men to continue fighting. “My brave fellows, you have done all I asked you to do and more than could be reasonably expected,” he began. “But your country is at stake, your wives, your houses, and all that you hold dear. . . . If you will consent to stay one month longer, you will render that service to the cause of liberty and to your country which you probably can never do under any other circumstances.” 

Moved by the general’s words and his “most affectionate manner,” men slowly stepped forward from the ranks, more soldiers followed, as the majority of the army decided to continue fighting. Many of those who stepped forward would help turn the tide in the coming battles to win us the liberty we enjoy today. While the sacrifice was great, many of those volunteers died in battle or from smallpox, America’s resolve is at its strongest in its darkest hours. 

Patrick K. O’Donnell is a bestselling, critically acclaimed military historian and an expert on elite units. He is the author of twelve books including The Indispensables, Washington’s Immortals, and The Unknowns. O’Donnell served as a combat historian in a Marine rifle platoon during the Battle of Fallujah and speaks often on espionage, special operations, and counterinsurgency. He has provided historical consulting for DreamWorks’ award-winning miniseries Band of Brothers and for documentaries produced by the BBC, the History Channel, and Discovery. PatrickODonnell.com @combathistorian 

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/12/24/exclusive-odonnell-americas-first-christmas-that-changed-the-course-of-history/

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Washington’s Christmas Poem: ‘Assist Me to Sing the Morn, On Which the Savior of Mankind Was Born’

By Ali Meyer | December 23, 2021

George Washington.  

(Public domain.)

This article was first published on Dec. 23, 2015.

(CNSNews.com) – George Washington, the first president of the United States and a Founding Father of our nation, was a devout Christian baptized shortly after his birth by his parents, who were members of the Church of England. 

The book, “George Washington the Christian,” by William J. Johnson  highlights Washington’s religious foundation, his prayers, his religious habits, and his actions taken as a Christian soldier.

One of the stories that Johnson recounts of a 13-year-old Washington includes some verses that he copied on Christmas Day.

“Assist me, Muse divine, to sing the Morn, on Which the Saviour of Mankind was born,” Washington said. 

“Some think that he composed poems himself, but it is more likely that he copied them from an unknown source,” Johnson explains. “It shows the manner of Christian training he had received at home. He had absorbed ‘the spirit of the Day and the facts of the faith, as well as the rule and model of Christian life.’” 

“George Washington descended from a long line of excellent churchmen,” states Johnson. “If Washington’s military character was developed out of materials which came to him by inheritance from both sides of his family, so too was his religious character. That love of the church which we have seen as a distinguishing mark in his family became a strong inheritance which his own will and intelligence did not set aside.” 

Washington took those values and beliefs with him in the army and encouraged others to do the same.

According to Johnson, when Washington was told that the British troops at Lexington had fired on and killed several Americans, Washington replied, “I grieve for the death of my countrymen; but rejoice that the British are still determined to keep God on our side.”

The day after Washington took command of the army on July 4, 1775, he issued an order saying, “The General most earnestly requires and expects due observance of those articles of war established for the government of the army, which forbid profane cursing, swearing, and drunkenness. And in like manner he requires and expects of all officers and soldiers, not engaged in actual duty, a punctual attendance on Divine service, to implore the blessing of Heaven upon the means used for our safety and defense.” 

About a year later on July 9, 1776, Washington issued another order defining a “Christian soldier.”

It stated, “The honorable Continental Congress having been pleased to allow a chaplain to each regiment, with the pay of thirty-three dollars and one-third per month, the colonels or commanding officers of each regiment are directed to procure chaplains accordingly, persons of good characters and exemplary lives, and to see that all inferior officers and soldiers pay them a suitable respect.”

“The blessing and protection of Heaven are at all times necessary, but especially so in times of public distress and danger,” reads the order.  “The General hopes and trusts, that every officer and man will endeavor so to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier, defending the dearest rights and liberties of his country.”

https://cnsnews.com/article/washington/ali-meyer/washingtons-christmas-poem-assist-me-sing-morn-which-savior-mankind

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Reagan at Christmas: To ‘Millions of Us, Jesus Is Much More, He Is Divine’

 By Michael W. Chapman | December 23, 2021

President Ronald Reagan.  (d. 2004)

In his Dec. 24, 1983 radio address to the nation, President Ronald Reagan recounted George Washington’s crossing of the Delaware River in 1776, which changed the course of U.S. history; praised Americans for their generosity; and talked about Christmas as the “birthday of the Prince of Peace” who, for millions of us, “is divine.”

“It’s been said that all the kings who ever reigned, that all the parliaments that ever sat have not done as much to advance the cause of peace on Earth and good will to men as the man from Galilee, Jesus of Nazareth,” says Reagan. 

Below are the complete remarks by President Reagan on that Christmas Eve. 

My fellow Americans:

Like so many of your homes, the White House is brimming with greens, colorful decorations, and a tree trimmed and ready for Christmas day. And when Nancy and I look out from our upstairs windows, we can see the National Christmas Tree standing in majestic beauty. Its lights fill the air with a spirit of love, hope, and joy from the heart of America.

I shared that spirit recently when a young girl named Amy Benham helped me light our national tree. Amy had said that the tree that lights up our country must be seen all the way to heaven. And she said that her wish was to help me turn on its lights. Well, Amy’s wish came true. But the greatest gift was mine, because I saw her eyes light up with hope and joy just as brightly as the lights on our national tree. And I’m sure they were both seen all the way to heaven, and they made the angels sing.

Christmas is a time for children, and rightly so. We celebrate the birthday of the Prince of Peace who came as a babe in a manger. Some celebrate Christmas as the birthday of a great teacher and philosopher. But to other millions of us, Jesus is much more. He is divine, living assurance that God so loved the world He gave us His only begotten Son so that by believing in Him and learning to love each other we could one day be together in paradise.

It’s been said that all the kings who ever reigned, that all the parliaments that ever sat have not done as much to advance the cause of peace on Earth and good will to men as the man from Galilee, Jesus of Nazareth.

Christmas is also a time to remember the treasures of our own history. We remember one Christmas in particular, 1776, our first year as a nation. The Revolutionary War had been going badly. But George Washington’s faith, courage, and leadership would turn the tide of history our way. On Christmas night he led a band of ragged soldiers across the Delaware River through driving snow to a victory that saved the cause of independence. It’s said that their route of march was stained by bloody footprints, but their spirit never faltered and their will could not be crushed.

The image of George Washington kneeling in prayer in the snow is one of the most famous in American history. He personified a people who knew it was not enough to depend on their own courage and goodness; they must also seek help from God, their Father and Preserver.

In a few hours, families and friends across America will join together in caroling parties and Christmas Eve services. Together, we’ll renew that spirit of faith, peace, and giving which has always marked the character of our people.  In our moments of quiet reflection I know we will remember our fellow citizens who may be lonely and in need tonight.

“Is the Christmas spirit still alive?” some ask. Well, you bet it is. Being Americans, we open our hearts to neighbors less fortunate. We try to protect them from hunger and cold. And we reach out in so many ways — from toys-for-tots drives across the country, to good will by the Salvation Army, to American Red Cross efforts which provide food, shelter, and Christmas cheer from Atlanta to Seattle.

Churches are so generous it’s impossible to keep track. One example: Reverend Bill Singles’ Presbyterian Meeting House in nearby Alexandria, Virginia, is simultaneously sponsoring hot meals on wheels programs, making and delivering hundreds of sandwiches and box loads of clothes, while visiting local hospitals and sending postcards to shut-ins and religious dissidents abroad.

Let us remember the families who maintain a watch for their missing in action. And, yes, let us remember all those who are persecuted inside the Soviet bloc — not because they commit a crime, but because they love God in their hearts and want the freedom to celebrate Hanukkah or worship the Christ Child.

And because faith for us is not an empty word, we invoke the power of prayer to spread the spirit of peace. We ask protection for our soldiers who are guarding peace tonight — from frigid outposts in Alaska and the Korean demilitarized zone to the shores of Lebanon. One Lebanese mother told us that her little girl had only attended school 2 of the last 8 years. Now, she said, because of our presence there her daughter can live a normal life.

With patience and firmness we can help bring peace to that strife-torn region and make our own lives more secure. The Christmas spirit of peace, hope, and love is the spirit Americans carry with them all year round, everywhere we go. As long as we do, we need never be afraid, because trusting in God is the one sure answer to all the problems we face.

Till next week, thanks for listening, God bless you, and Merry Christmas.

https://cnsnews.com/blog/michael-w-chapman/reagan-christmas-millions-us-jesus-much-more-he-divine

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Trump: America’s Greatness Happened Because of ‘Jesus Christ and His Followers and His Church’

 By Michael W. Chapman | December 23, 2021 |

Former President Donald J. Trump.

Speaking at First Baptist Dallas church on Sunday, former President Donald Trump stressed that the great achievements in America are due precisely to the Judeo-Christian beliefs and practices of its citizens.

“[N]one of this could’ve ever happened without Jesus Christ and His followers and His church. None of it,” said Trump.

First Baptist Dallas, founded in 1868, has an estimated 14,000 members and is headed by Pastor Robert Jeffress, 66.  Jeffress served on Trump’s Evangelical Advisory Board and White House Faith Initiative.

“More than 2,000 years ago … an angel of the Lord appeared to humble shepherds and proclaimed the reason for our Christmas joy,” said Trump in his remarks.  “‘For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.'”

“Our country needs a savior right now and our country has a Savior — and that’s not me,” said Trump.  “That’s somebody much higher up than me. Much higher up.”

“We just do what we have to do,” he continued. “But the life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ forever changed the world. It’s impossible to think of the life of our own country without the influence of His example and of His teachings.”

“Our miraculous founding, overcoming Civil War, abolishing slavery, defeating communism and fascism, reaching boundless heights of science and discovering so many incredible things,” said Trump.  

“Even right outside,” he continued, “the magnificent skyscrapers and the whole development that this beautiful church is a part of. So different. So beautiful, however, so beautiful. And the United States ultimately becoming a truly great nation and we’re going to keep it that way. We’re not going to let it go. We’re not going to let it go.”

“But none of this could’ve ever happened without Jesus Christ and His followers and His church,” said Trump, who was raised Presbyterian. “None of it. And we have to remember that Jesus Christ is the ultimate source of our strength and of our hope. And here and everywhere and for all time — Jesus Christ.”Jesus preaches His sermon on the Mount. (Screenshot, YouTube)

“Let us thank Almighty God for our nation, for our precious freedoms, and most of all — and I have to say this — for the gift of God‘s everlasting mercy and grace,” said the former president. “We ask God to bless our nation and our people with faith and hope and love and peace.”

Commenting on Trump’s remarks, Rev. Franklin Graham tweeted, “Do you miss him? I do.” George Washington at Prayer Statue, by sculptor Donald DeLue.

https://cnsnews.com/blog/michael-w-chapman/trump-americas-greatness-happened-because-jesus-christ-and-his-followers-and

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Related

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/12/23/canadian-imam-compares-wishing-merry-christmas-to-congratulating-murderers-pedophiles/

Little-known facts about George Washington’s Christmas faith

Exclusive: Chuck Norris shares fascinating stories on anniversary of 1st president’s death

Dec 13, 2021

This Tuesday, Dec. 14, marks a big date in America’s history. It was on that the day in 1799 that our first president and the commander in chief of the Continental Army departed to Heaven.

Unfortunately, America’s founders are being overlooked, distorted and trashed among public academia, so too few students are learning about the real person, power and place Washington had in our history. There’s no way we would have our republic without him.

Washington’s contributions were many, to say the least, but let me summarize just a few.

According to Encyclopedia Virginia and history.com, on Feb. 22, 1732, George Washington was born to a family of middling wealth in Westmoreland County, Virginia, the second son from the second marriage of a colonial plantation owner.

In 1752, at 20 years of age, Washington joined the British army and served as a lieutenant in the French and Indian War. History.com explained, “After the war’s fighting moved elsewhere, he resigned from his military post, returned to a planter’s life, and took a seat in Virginia’s House of Burgesses.”

In 1759, Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis, a wealthy widow, and adopted her two children (she had two other children, but they had passed).

In 1775, at 43 years old, Washington became the commander in chief of the Continental Army and, in 1783, led America to victory over the British after eight years of war.

As far as his political career, Washington served as a member of the House of Burgesses of Virginia from 1759–1774. He was also a member of the first and second Continental Congresses in 1774 and 1775. But while others were signing the Declaration of Independence, Washington was already on the battlefield fighting for independence. As the president of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, however, Washington was the first signer of the U.S. Constitution.

In 1789, Washington became the first president of the United States of America. He was unanimously elected by the 69 presidential electors to serve his first term from 1789 to 1793. He was then again unanimously elected for his second term from 1793 to 1797. He declined a third term.

What’s little known about George Washington is just how sincere his Christian faith and service were. Encyclopedias and internet sites, however, say virtually nothing about it. If comments are made, they are few and most relegate Washington to a deist, one who believed in a generic Divine Watchmaker who created the world then stepped back for it to take its natural course.

But the truth is there’s much more to his faith and practice than most know. In the midst of his military and political careers, he led a devoted Christian life through his service and attendance at five different churches, depending upon where he was at the time in the Colonies and the war.

If anyone knows about the real faith and practice of George Washington, it is the historians at his now national park of Mount Vernon, George Washington’s estate. In the museum and educational center there, one particular video display, which plays on a continuous loop for visitors, highlights some great points about his religious life and belief.

Mount Vernon’s official website describes the video display as “shown on the wall above the reconstructed church pew in the ‘Gentleman Planter Gallery,’ where visitors learn about the role religion played in Washington’s life and his encouragement of religious expression.”

The short video presentation is flanked by displays of the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer on the walls right next to it. The footage explains the following, with the voice of an actor as George Washington every time quotations appear below. It opens with the words:

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.” [A quote from Washington’s farewell address as president]

Then there’s a slight pause with the words on the screen “George Washington and religion.” Then the narrator proceeds with the following paragraphs:

George Washington was raised in the Anglican Church, the official church of Virginia and the other southern colonies. As in other Virginian families of this period, he appears to have received his spiritual education from his mother using the family Bible and other religious works at the time.

He was a member and vestryman of Pohick Church and Christ’s Church in Virginia. When he married Martha Dandridge Custis in 1759, it was in a Christian ceremony. At Mt. Vernon, their family home, the couple was known to say grace at meal times, and they provided a religious education to Martha’s children and grandchildren.

As president, Washington acknowledged the presence of a Divine hand in the fate of the nation by promoting the celebration of a Day of Thanksgiving: “I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.”

During the Revolutionary War, General Washington encouraged the religious convictions of his troops and asked the Continental Congress to support payment for clergymen of many faiths [or Christian denominations] to tend to the spiritual needs of the men. “While we are contending for our own liberty, we should be very cautious of violating the rights of conscience in others, ever considering that God alone is the Judge of the hearts of men, and to him only in this case are they answerable.”

Washington believed that political and religious freedom went hand-in-hand, and he encouraged the new republic to embrace religious tolerance: “[For you, doubtless, remember that I have often expressed my sentiment, that] every man, conducting himself as a good citizen, and being accountable to God alone for his religious opinions, ought to be protected in worshiping the Deity according to the dictates of his own conscience.”

Washington tried to set an example by worshiping with different sects [mostly Christian denominations]: Presbyterian, Quakers, Roman Catholics, Methodists, Congregationalists and Baptists. In a famous letter to Touro Synagogue, he made it clear that religious tolerance in a new nation was not for Christians alone: “May the children of the stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants; while everyone shall sit [in safety] under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid.”

It is clear in Washington’s writings that he was a deeply spiritual man, with a strong belief that a benevolent power was acting in his life and in the founding of the United States: “Every step, by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation, seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency.”

Wow! Does all that sound like it could have come from a deist, who doesn’t believe God intervenes in the affairs of men? If only other presidents and government officials were as religiously devoted as Washington!

Though his leadership and placement in the Revolutionary War prompted sporadic attendance at times, one former pastor at his Pohick Church did state that “I never knew so constant an attendant at church as Washington.”

Dr. George Tsakiridis, Ph.D, professor of religion at South Dakota State University, wrote for Mount Vernon: “Washington is reported to have had regular private prayer sessions, and personal prayer was a large part of his life. One well-known report stated that Washington’s nephew witnessed him doing personal devotions with an open Bible while kneeling, in both the morning and evening.”
For Washington’s extensive use and quoting of the Bible, please see “Bible” by Dr. and Professor Daniel L. Dreisbach, D.Phil., J.D., at Mt. Vernon’s official website.

It’s no surprise that the Washingtons celebrated Christmas and the birth of Jesus Christ.

Mount Vernon’s website describes: “Religion played a significant part in the observance of the holiday at Mount Vernon as the Washingtons frequently attended church on Christmas Day. In 1770, for example, Christmas fell on a Tuesday. After going to nearby Pohick Church in the morning, the family returned to Mount Vernon for dinner. Similar patterns were followed in 1771 and 1772, when Dec. 25 fell on a Wednesday and Friday. … [Christmas] was an important celebratory and religious event at the Mount Vernon Estate.”

I am certain those precious Christmas memories were a great and personal encouragement to Washington during the years he was away from Mount Vernon fighting the Revolutionary War, and especially was the case during the battle for Trenton and the bitter-cold Christmas at Valley Forge.

No man is perfect, and that included George Washington. He himself confessed: “We must take human nature as we find it. Perfection falls not to the share of mortals.” Remembering that was likely the key to his humility, service and mercy to others. Maybe his own struggle to receive the Eucharist (Communion) after the war when he attended the Anglican Church was born from his wrestling with his own humanity and possibly even the human toll that incurred when sending men into countless battles.

In 1797, after winning the Revolutionary War and serving two presidential terms in office, Washington finally retired to Mount Vernon at 65 years of age, but he would only enjoy his rest for two years.

On Dec. 14, 1799, George Washington died of a severe respiratory sickness. His beloved Martha died only three years later, on May 22, 1802. They were married for roughly 40 years. Just prior to her own death, Martha destroyed nearly all of Washington’s letters to her, though three did survive.

In his will, he humbly and simply referred to himself as “George Washington of Mount Vernon, a citizen of the United States, and late President of the same.”

At first, the Washingtons were laid to rest in an inconspicuous unmarked brick tomb at Mount Vernon. But their final resting place is in a crypt there that bears the title of him whom refused to be king. The engraved words over the tomb make known the title by which people knew Washington best back then – not as president but general.

The inscription reads: “Within this enclosure rest the remains of Gen. George Washington.” And over the door of the inner tomb is inscribed these large words from Jesus Himself in the Gospel of John (11:25): “I am the Resurrection and the Life, sayeth the Lord. He that believeth in Me, though he were dead yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die.”

Washington’s good friend Henry Lee probably summarized his life, leadership and legacy best in the eulogy for the father of the United States: “First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.”

And so he remains, or should remain, always. God rest and bless his soul.

(For more on the monumental figure of George Washington, I recommend the amazing book, “Sacred Fire,” by Peter Lillback and Jerry Newcombe)

Little-known facts about George Washington’s Christmas faith

Thanksgiving Proclamation, 3 October 1789

Thanksgiving Proclamation

[New York, 3 October 1789]

By the President of the United States of America. a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation—for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war—for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed—for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted—for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually—to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed—to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord—To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New-York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

Go: Washington

DS, CStbK; DS, DLC:GW; copy, sold by Christie, Manson, & Woods, International, 21 Oct. 1977. The proclamation was also printed as a broadside. Copies of the broadside are at Harvard University, Yale University, and the Pierpont Morgan Library. Other copies are owned (1992) by Marshall B. Coyne, Washington, D.C., and Ralph Geoffrey Newman, Inc., Chicago.

For background to this document, see Circular Letter to the Governors of the States, 3 Oct. 1789, n.1.

https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Washington/05-04-02-0091

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American History Down the Memory Hole?

by Jerry Newcombe, D.Min.

12/1/20

Last week we celebrated Thanksgiving, but is this holiday becoming so politically incorrect that one day it will be doomed to be sent down the “memory hole”?

There is a war on American history. Over the Thanksgiving weekend, Antifa and other leftwing groups toppled more historical statues. Tyler O’Neil of PJ Media (11/28/20) describes the extent of this vandalism, which included the spray-painting of anti-Thanksgiving messages and statues torn down in Chicago, Minneapolis, Portland, and Spokane.

Statues that were toppled or defaced included George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and William McKinley.

It is interesting to note, during these anti-Thanksgiving melees, that George Washington was the first president to declare Thanksgiving as a holiday—a time for the nation to thank God for us having been able to create the Constitution. And Lincoln was the first president to make Thanksgiving an annual holiday.

This weekend’s vandalism, of course, comes a few months after the toppling of all sorts of American historical statues, including Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Ulysses S. Grant, and even abolitionist Frederick Douglas. The war on America as founded continues unabated.

One of the emphases on last week’s new spate of American history-bashing seemed to focus on a grievance of some Native Americans. There was a push for what they called “a national decolonial day of action” and what they called “land back.”

O’Neil explains: “’Land back’ seemingly refers to The LANDBACK campaign, a Native American movement supposedly fighting ‘white supremacy.’ The campaign calls for the dismantling of the ‘white supremacy structures’ supposedly responsible for removing Native Americans from their lands.”

America has never been perfect. Injustices have been done. On the other hand, we have made great strides to address many of these past sins. Meanwhile, notes O’Neil, “the nefarious message of Marxist critical race theory suggests we should upend society in order to satisfy historical grievances in the name of racial justice. This toxic vision undermines the very real progress America has made in terms of establishing civil rights regardless of race and in terms of securing broad prosperity through a free market economy.”

Recently, I spoke with a Native American pastor to get his thoughts on the Pilgrims and American history for a television documentary. Rev. Billy Falling, author of My Cherokee Roots, does not agree with those who denigrate the founding of America for all the bad things that did indeed happen—later—to Native Americans.

For example, Rev. Falling said of the Pilgrims, in whose honor we celebrate Thanksgiving: “The Pilgrims did have good relations with the Indians. The Pilgrims were kind to the Indians. They showed them love. They showed them compassion. They showed them the godly way to live.”

Falling added, “As a Native American, I thank God for the Europeans that brought us the Gospel and brought us Western Civilization.” He said that the Indians need the Gospel as much as any group of people: “We owe everything to those who brought us civilization and brought us out of the cannibalism and out of all of the sins of the flesh that were practiced in the day just like the heathen of the world. It’s hard today to find a ‘sweat’ where you can go as a Native American and go inside and ‘smoke out your sins,’ but it’s easy to find Native Americans in any congregation in the United States, worshiping the Lord Jesus Christ because of the Europeans.  And I thank God for that.”

The war on American history does not bode well for our future. Tens of millions of young Americans are brainwashed into thinking America is evil and always was evil.

In his nightmare vision of a totalitarian future, “1984,” novelist George Orwell speaks of history constantly being rewritten by the state in order to satisfy those in charge. That history which was no longer acceptable to the Party was sent down the “memory holes” where it was to be burned away in “the enormous furnaces which were hidden somewhere in the recesses of the building.”

Orwell adds, “And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became truth. ‘Who controls the past,’ ran the Party slogan, ‘controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.’”

Golda Meir, former prime minister of Israel, once noted, “One cannot and must not try to erase the past merely because it does not fit the present.”

Those of us who appreciate what God has done in the creation of America have a lot of work on our hands to try and convince a lot of young Americans who have been brainwashed by Marxist assaults on American history in our schools that our history, flawed as it is, is worth preserving. Abolish Thanksgiving? No thanks.

https://www.djameskennedy.org/article-detail/american-history-down-the-memory-hole

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A Thanksgiving Proclamation by President George Washington

By Michael W. Chapman | November 21, 2018

On Oct. 3, 1789, America’s first president, George Washington, issued a proclamation declaring Nov. 26, 1789 as “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God….”

Below is the complete text of that proclamation:

 

By the President of the United States of America. a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor—and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

President Ronald Reagan, first lady Nancy Reagan, and their

daughter Marueen Reagan celebrate Thanksgiving

in 1981. (Photo: Pinterest.) 

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be—That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks—for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation—for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war—for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed—for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted—for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions—to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually—to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed—to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord—To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us—and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New-York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

[signed] G. Washington

https://cnsnews.com/blog/michael-w-chapman/thanksgiving-proclamation-president-george-washington

 

AUDIO Bringing America Back to God

By Rev Bill Woods

Judges 1-2

Judges covers Israel’s history for 305 years after Joshua died… 

    – Israel declined, backslid, and walked away from God. 

      – It’s frightening to see the parallels between Israel then and America today.

God established Israel, and gave Himself to them. 

    – He gave them the Law — the 10 commandments and the covenant. 

      – He gave them Canaan — the best land on earth.  .

All God asked for was their love and obedience.   

    – What’d Israel do? 

      – They denied God, defied His law, and defiled the land.  God had to judge them.

The parallel with America is alarming. 

    – No nation’s had a Christian beginning like the USA. 

      – We’re also given the Lord, the law, and a land — we’ve denied Him, defied Him, and defiled our land.

1.  America’s Denied God!

God’s been expelled from nearly every public venue. 

    – It started back in the ‘60’s in public schools, when Madelyn Murray O’Hair filed a suit  because she didn’t want her son, William, to be exposed to prayers of religious people praying to a God she didn’t believe in.

Since then it’s gone to public places — Assemblies, stadiums, court houses, coins, our Pledge of Allegiance — today we’re even fighting battles about what can be preached in church! 

• This pandemic has locked our nation down and people have lost their motivation.
• Churches have been denied the privilege of worship which has caused further deterioration.

It’s not separation of church and state — it’s separation of America from God Who’s blessed us!

• Currently there is a battle raging in America over who will be President of the United States.  Donald Trump has tried to lead this Nation back to a conservative base which recognizes God’s Standards.
• Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are Liberals wanting to defy God’s Standards and put in place abortion, gay marriages, drugs, and Marxism.

How will it end?  We will get what we need or what we deserve?

What’s happened that our “Christian” Nation has come to this?  Why have we deteriorated so quickly?

2.  America’s Defied God’s Law!

The Supreme Court ruled the 10 Commandments can’t be displayed in public places.

    – People might ponder them, maybe obey them — that’d violate separation of Church and State! 

America’s trailing the same path that Israel did. 

    – The official position of our government — the 10 commandments are dangerous! 

      – Kids shouldn’t see ‘thou shalt not kill’ because what if they obeyed it!

Ladies, if you broke down in the roughest part of town, and had to walk for help. 

    – Four men come out of a house and walk just behind you………..you’d be terrified! 

 Then you hear them talking about God, they’ve just left a Bible study. 

     – They’re carrying Bibles.  How do you feel now?  (PHEW!) 

The direction our Nation’s going is foolish, and defies common sense.

    – God’s promised to Bless and prosper us doesn’t it seem dumb to “bite the hand that’s feeding us?”    

    – We’re so afraid we’ll force our beliefs on other people and violate their beliefs that we’ve let the world destroy our core of morality.

    – Islam and other pagan, God denying cults aren’t afraid to force their beliefs.

    – The Communists weren’t afraid to force their beliefs.

    – Just Christians are holding the Truth, but so anemic they’ve no backbone to share it!

Like Israel, we’ve denied God, we’ve defied His Law and

3.  America’s Defiled the Land

We’ve done this in many ways — one primary way is the spilled blood of aborted babies.

    – There have been over 57 million abortions since the Supreme Court handed

    down its Roe vs. Wade decision in 1973, allowing virtually unlimited abortions.

If you listened to the Democratic Convention you heard one of their planks is “Women’s Rights.”

    – Giving women a right to control their own body (mostly meaning abortion on demand).

You might not realize it, but the Democratic Party’s never recognized the sanctity of life.

The burning issue that led to the Civil War was the debate over the future of slavery.

The Democrats wanted to keep slaves for economic reasons and even made speeches proclaiming that to rid the country of slavery would destroy the wealth and happiness. – To them, slaves were property like cattle or sheep, not human beings!

The large plantations in the South utilized slaves to tend their agriculture and perform other menial duties.

The Republicans, under Abraham Lincoln, wanted to free the slaves because they recognized Blacks as human beings.

On the eve of the Civil War, some four million Africans and their descendants toiled as slave laborers in the South.

Slavery was interwoven into the Southern economy even though only a relatively small portion of the population actually owned slaves. – Slaves could be rented or traded or sold to pay debts, or even killed with no consequence,     because they were only property to be owned.                                                                                                                                   

Ownership of more than a handful of slaves demanded respect and contributed to social position slaves were just property of individuals and businesses, represented the largest portion of the region’s personal and corporate wealth, as cotton and land prices declined and the price of slaves soared.

The Northern states, one by one gradually abolished slavery.

When Congress established a law against slavery, Southern Democrats rebelled and that dispute led to secession, and secession brought about war in which the Northern and Western states and territories fought to preserve the Union, and the South fought to establish Southern independence as a new confederation of states under its own constitution.

The US Civil War lasted from 1861 to 1865 and led to over 618,000 casualties.

Again, life was and still is cheap to the Democratic Party.

God removed His glory from Israel for sacrificing their children to Molech. 

    – Today He’s removing Himself from the USA. 

      – We need a national revival, a moral and spiritual awakening. 

        – What’ll it take?  If 9/11 and all the recent terrorist attacks isn’t enough, what will be enough?

• All these natural disasters are God’s efforts to wake us up.  Soon He’ll send Judgment!

God raised 13 Judges to deliver Israel from backsliding and bring national revival.

To understand imagine ‘the family fortune.’ 

    – When a family becomes rich there are 3 stages which usually occur:

           – 1^st generation generates the fortune.

·            – 2^nd generation speculates their fortune, through compromises and foolish decisions.

               – 3^rd generation dissipates the fortune and it’s gone.

That’s how it works with nations. (And churches) 

    – 1^st generation generates freedom, 2^nd generation speculates it away, 3^rd generation dissipates it until its gone.. 

      – Look at those nations that have forgotten God in history.

Generate

What do we know about the Israelites who entered the Promised Land? 

    – Under Joshua God gave Israel one victory after another. 

      – Walls tumbled down — kings were subdued. 

        – They’d never have won such victories without the Power of God.

That’s a picture of America! 

    – The Revolutionary War — Britain had more men, money, better machinery….it was David and

       Goliath but God was on our side — we won!

Patrick Henry’s speech sparked the revolution in 1775: 

    – “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains or slavery?

      Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take but as for me; give me

      Liberty or give me death!”

George Washington — 1^st President. 

    – He took office putting his hand on the Bible.  He finished the oath and kissed the Bible. 

      – His 1^st official act was to lead Congress in 2 hours of worship.  

        – What would’ve the ACLU said about that.

In his inaugural address he said, “No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency.” 

    – In plain English — God got us here, and we’d better not forget it!

Our founding fathers were clear this land was founded on God and the Bible. (Today, liberals are trying to discredit them)    

    – The Bible was the 1^st book used in public schools — until the 1940’s.

Speculate.

    – Succeeding generations in Israel began to squander it all away.

Judges 2:1-2 — God said, “Look at all I’ve done for you.” 

    – I delivered you from slavery, fed you manna, guided and guarded you into the Promised Land   

      – Now look at you…why have you done this?!

Judges 2:7 — Joshua’s generation saw 1st hand the great works of God.

Judges 2:10: And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.  — How sad!  Joshua’s generation failed to pass their values on to their children. 

    – America in the 1960’s — look where we are today. 

Americans are brainwashed by humanism, situational ethics, and relativism. 

    – We don’t understand the moral foundations and spiritual principles of our heritage. 

      – We’re trying to rewrite history and remove God.  (Losing Nation for Political Correctness)

        – One publisher said he wouldn’t publish any history before 1840.

Judges 21:25 is saddest verse: Judges 21:25:  In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.   

    – They became people with no absolutes…no standard to live by. 

    – That’s our Nation!  How frightening!

Barna Research found 67% of Americans say there’s no such thing as absolute truth.  That right and wrong aren’t clear…what’s wrong for you isn’t necessarily wrong for me. 

    – Even more frightening — they did the same survey in evangelical churches — 52% said the same thing! 

     – Imagine, Christians saying there’s no right or wrong!

How’d Israel get to this point?  Through compromises.

Judges 2:1-2 — God said drive the enemy out — have nothing to do with them. 

    – They were to separate themselves from sin, as we’re supposed to do.

They Feared the Canaanites — Judges 1:19

    – If they had trusted God they would’ve won — they were afraid to try. 

      – They said, we can’t conquer these people.  We’d better accommodate them, surrender to them — compromise with them.

Are there Canaanites we fear today?

       – Many of our leaders want to surrender in the war on terror. 

          – They say we’re losing — we should quit trying to win. 

        – We should negotiate with the terrorists — stop trying to police the world.                    

            – By doing that we’re just inviting them to come to us.

Many politicians are calling for an end to the war on drugs saying we’ve lost — we should surrender and legalize it — if we legalize it we can control it — marijuana

    – Just like we’ve controlled alcohol! 

     – Trying to control drugs by legalizing them is like trying to control a fire with gasoline.

Parents are surrendering to sexual promiscuity. 

    – “You’re not going to be good, so be careful. — Wear protection.” 

        – What message does that give kids?

We’re putting ambulances at the bottom of the cliff when we’re supposed to put fences at the edge of the cliff!

It’s time to speak up! — God’s Word. 

    – People, God wants you pure and chaste. 

      – He wants you to be a virgin when you marry, not be passed around like a bottle of Gatorade  in a football huddle! 

We’re afraid of confrontation — we might offend someone. 

    – Whom shall I offend?  Man or God? 

      – Truth usually is offensive, but it’s our only hope — John 8:32:  And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

We’re so politically correct about homosexuality that we’re afraid to say anything about it. 

    – Leave it as a personal decision in spite of what God says and in spite of what happens to a society when they go that route.   

Now America’s turning to Socialism. 

    – Ignoring lessons from countries who’ve tried it, we’re speeding down a dead end street that

      leads from Capitalism (which made us strong) to socialism, communism — we’ll soon be a nation with no wealth, no freedom, and no reason to work!

      – We’re at the tail end of the speculation generation — it’s getting scary!

Israel didn’t get rid of The Canaanites

Judges 1:28 — When the Israelites grew stronger, they forced the Canaanites to work as slaves, but they never did drive them completely out of the land.

They said we can use these people. 

  – They used them — God said have nothing to do with them!                                                                      

    – Sure they’re wicked, but some good can come out of them.

See America today!  Legalized gambling, the lottery, marijuana and such things. 

    – “Look at the good — we’ll build roads and schools, and generate tax dollars! 

      – Look at the revenue we can generate!”

It’s time to stop saying look at what we can gain and ask, what are we losing?

Now we’ve turned to borrowing, not just from banks, but from the world, especially China, who now owns us. 

    – We’re borrowing our children’s future — they’ll never pay it back…but hey, that’s their problem!

Just like Israel, we favor the world over God.  We have a President who wants to “Make America Great Again,” and honor God’s Standards and the populace wants to get rid of him?

They Fellowshipped With The Canaanites — Judges 1:32 — Instead, the people of Asher moved in among the Canaanites, who controlled the land, for they failed to drive them out.

    –  Hey, they aren’t such bad people! — They worship different gods — they’re good neighbors! 

Israel learned their wicked ways, indulged in their idolatry, sacrificed their children to Molech.

Today’s cry is, there’s nothing wrong with the Gay lifestyle.  What they do is their business.   

    – They should have rights; after all, they’re good neighbors…why can’t we just get along?! 

God says that lifestyle’s an abomination — it’ll be our downfall — breaks down the family, makes a mockery out of marriage…… 

        – If we adopt it we’re begging for His judgment — God’s done it before — He’ll do it again! 

Don’t misunderstand, God loves homosexuals and so should we. 

    – But we love them, not by accepting their sin, but by confronting it with God’s truth, offering the antidote which is their only hope and ours as well!

Israel ended where every man did what was right in his own eyes…and God had to judge. 

    – The parallels today are paralyzing.

Dissipation

Judges 2:3 — So now I declare that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you.”

    – Thorns and snares………….. 

Judges 2:4 —When the angel of the LORD finished speaking to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly.  

They wept because God was lifting His hand of protection off of them.

On 9/11 terrorists turned planes into missiles. 

    – Jerry Falwell said, “We’d better realize God is removing His protective hand from this nation.” 

He cited our national sins of abortion and homosexuality.  The liberal press crucified him.   

    – He was right.  God’s using our current administration to give us what we’ve asked for. 

      – It’s change, we’re finding out it isn’t change we can believe in.

Revelation describes the downfall of a world power.  It’s an economic disaster.  Is that us?

    Some ask, “Would a loving God allow that?” — If we ask for it! 

“Where was God at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, in December, 2012 when 28 people were killed including 20 children?”– We expelled Him in 1962!  We threw out His Bible and prayer and told God, you’re not welcome!

Now we’re in a godless generation — Is this the final generation in America?

We’re facing a very critical election……..Will we get what we need or what we deserve?

Our forefathers generated so much, our parents speculated it away. 

Will this generation dissipate it until it’s completely gone? 

    – We’re one generation away from losing our country. 

Is there any hope?  Where there’s God, there’s still hope!

Judges 2:16 — Then the LORD raised up judges to rescue the Israelites from their attackers.

God would always rather forgive than to judge…but if we insist, we should be afraid.

During the civil war a benevolent gentleman saw a young black lady being auctioned as a slave. 

    – He bid just above every bid he heard and finally won the auction, paying a very high price. 

      – After winning he started to walk away — she followed him. 

        – He said, “Young lady, I didn’t buy you to own you, but to set you free.” 

          – “Free?”  she asked. 

“Yes, free to do whatever you want.” 

    – She replied, “Then I choose to go with you.”

After all God’s done for America, how can we spit in His face? 

    – We need to pray for national revival!

If you’re not saved, consider all God’s done for you…the high price His Son Jesus paid for you.     

    – Will you choose to be His servant and serve Him?

Many soldiers died so you’d have freedom to make that choice.

Christ died so you could make it!

THERE ARE ONLY TWO DEFINING FORCES WHO HAVE EVER OFFERED TO DIE FOR YOU. 

ONE IS JESUS CHRIST AND THE OTHER THE AMERICAN SOLDIER. 

ONE DIED FOR YOUR SINS AND THE OTHER FOR YOUR FREEDOM!

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PODCAST: BRINGING AMERICA BACK TO GOD

https://www.buzzsprout.com/824359/6266302

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VIDEO It’s the Morality – Are We in the End Times?

August 4, 2019

 

Everyone is scratching their heads trying to figure out what has gone wrong when disturbing stories break of more attacks by young men killing strangers at random. We are reeling as a nation in the wake of these mass shootings and wondering what has gone wrong.

Our cultural elites have led us down a path of unbelief, and now we are reaping the consequences.

I’m reminded of the story about Voltaire, the famous French skeptic, who helped grease the skids for the bloody French Revolution. When one of his skeptical guests was talking loudly at his home, Voltaire asked him to lower his voice. He didn’t want the servants to hear their godless philosophy, lest they steal the silverware.

It’s the morality, stupid. Of course, this phrase piggybacks on the unofficial campaign slogan of Bill Clinton  in 1992: “It’s the economy, stupid!” This simple phrase kept them focused, eventually on to victory.

In today’s crisis, which is not something brand new, it’s been brewing for decades in America: It’s the morality, stupid And what’s the cause of this morality? We have driven God out of the public arena.

Unbelief assumes there is no divine accountability. When there is no fear of God in the land, then people do whatever they feel like doing—even if it inflicts mayhem on others. As an atheist character in Dostoyevsky’s Brothers Karamazov put it: “…since there is no infinite God, there’s no such thing as virtue either and there’s no need for it at all.”

America is ultimately an experiment in self-government. After the founding fathers hammered out the Constitution in the convention in 1787 in Philadelphia, a Mrs. Powell of that city asked Benjamin Franklin what kind of government they gave us. His answer was classic: “A republic, Madam, if you can keep it.”

The founders knew that the only way we could sustain this self-government was by the people being virtuous, acting in a moral way. And how would that morality be sustained? Answer: through voluntary religion.

The man who spoke more than any other at the Constitutional Convention was Gouverneur Morris of Pennsylvania. He is credited with writing some of the Constitution, including the preamble (“We the people”). He noted that religion is necessary for morality: “Religion is the only solid basis of good morals; therefore education should teach the precepts of religion, and the duties of man toward God.”

George Washington said in his Farewell Address that it is religion that sustains morality. If you undermine religion, you’ll undermine morality.

That is precisely what has happened to America. Beginning with a whole series of misguided Supreme Court decisions, religious influence—frankly Christian influence—in society was restricted more and more. By the 1960s, God was effectively kicked out of the public schools.

When he was 14 years old, William J. Murray was the plaintiff in one of the key anti-school prayer cases on behalf of his atheist mother, Madalyn Murray O’Hair. Today, Murray is a born- again Christian, ruing the terrible decision and its consequences.

He once told me, “I would like people to take a look at the Baltimore public schools today versus what they were when I went to those schools in 1963 and my mother took prayer out of the schools. We didn’t have armed guards in the hallways then when we had God in the classroom. But I’ll guarantee you there are armed guards [now]. In fact, the city school system of Baltimore now has its own armed police force.”

We lack a fear of God in our land. Young people have no idea that after they die, they will have to give an account to Jesus, whom the founders called in the Declaration of Independence, “the Supreme Judge of the World.”

In the mid-19^th century, one of the Speakers of the House of Representatives was Robert Charles   Winthrop, a descendant of John (“a City on a Hill”) Winthrop, the Puritan founder of Boston.

Robert Winthrop gave an address in 1849 at the Massachusetts Bible Society, in which he noted, in effect, our choice is clear: Christianity or violence?

Here’s what Winthrop said: “All societies of men must be governed in some way or other. The less they have of stringent State Government, the more they must have of individual self-government. The less they rely on public law or physical force, the more they must rely on private moral restraint.

“Men, in a word, must necessarily be controlled either by a power within them, or a power without them; either by the word of God, or by the strong arm of man; either by the Bible or by the bayonet.”

Would that we choose the Bible today, as the settlers and the founders of our nation chose to do.

http://www.jerrynewcombe.com/its-the-morality-stupid/

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Are We in the End Times? | Jonathan Cahn | Special Guest