How was USA built? Very good comment,

____________________

By Rev. Mack Morris

It is that time of year when politics is taking center stage in American life.  Will we have a new governor in Alabama?  Will the Republicans or Democrats control Congress? It is a cycle repeated every two, four and in some cases six years.

Every time there are elections or events in public life, the question inevitably comes up about the role Christians should or should not play in this process.  Perhaps a bit of history will help.

In the early days of our country when there were only colonies, churches and pastors played an important role in the forming of convictions about what a new nation would look like.  Pastors preached with fervor about values, which ultimately became the cornerstone of this nation.  When the Revolutionary War began, they put on their uniforms and joined others in the battlefield.

When Paul Revere made his famous ride, he was actually headed to the home of Pastor Jonas Clark.  He was going there because Samuel Adams and John Hancock were staying in his home.  Pastor Clark was instrumental in writing the resolution of separation of Massachusetts from England.  When Revere announced the British were coming, Clark rang the church bell, and 150 of his members showed up in their uniforms.

Did you know there was another rider that night?  He was a black man named Wentworth Cheswell.  He was a teacher and would go on to become the first African-American elected to office.  Revere rode west to sound the alarm, and Cheswell rode north.  When the British returned to Boston, they met thousands who were waiting for them.  Most of these were church members who were led into battle by their pastors.

The second president of the United States, John Adams, said, "Pastors, in particular, and Christians, in general, were so influential in our move for independence."

In the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol, there is a statue of Rev. John Peter Muhlenberg.  He was a pastor in Virginia who also served as a member of the Virginia Legislature.  The British were threatening Williamsburg.  On January 24, 1776, Muhlenberg preached from the Book of Ecclesiastes, which spoke about a time of peace and war.  When he finished, he removed his clerical robe and called on his church to stand against what he called "the tyrants."  He assembled 300 men from his church who became the 8th Virginia Regiment.  When the war was over, he held the rank of major general.

Pastor Muhlenberg's brother was Frederick Muhlenberg. He also became involved in the war by leading his church to fight.  You will find his portrait hanging in the U.S. Capitol because he went on to become the first Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Rev. James Caldwell was a pastor who became known as "The Fighting Parson."  He would preach from his pulpit, take off his clerical robe, strap on his sword and lead his church members into battle.  One such battle took place outside his church.  The Americans ran out of wadding for their muskets.  Without wadding, the muskets would not fire.  He went into his church and brought out hymn books written by Isaac Watts.  He tore the pages out and gave them to the soldiers for wadding, whereupon they won the battle.

One of the most misunderstood doctrines in America is that of separation of church and state.  Thomas Jefferson was asked by a group of Baptists to explain if there was such an idea.  His explanation became the precedent for the use of that expression.  Separation of church and state was primarily used to explain how government has no right to intrude in matters of faith and religion.  It was never intended to suggest that people of faith have no right to participate in matters of government.  Had that been true, there may never have been a United States of America!

During the Revolutionary War, there was a group of pastors who were known as The Black Robe Regiment.  They would wear their robes to preach, and upon completing their sermon, they would disrobe revealing their soldier uniform underneath.  These bold preachers proclaimed the principles of freedom and liberty, which became the cornerstone of a brand new nation.

It is the responsibility of every American citizen to participate in the process of government handed down to us by the blood sacrifice of millions of men and women.  That responsibility includes men and women of faith.