Dear Friends in Christ,

     While making preparations to celebrate the 4th of July and our Declaration of Independence, I spent some time re-reading the Federalist papers from a few years later written by Hamilton, Adams, and Jay; papers that go into greater depth about the foundational thinking behind the creation of these United States and their remarkable Constitution, and other comments by our "founding fathers."

     In the ongoing debate about the relationship between the founding of our country and religious faith, it is important to note that there was a very strong acknowledgment of Divine Presence that permeated all of our most significant founding documents. For example, the Declaration refers to the "laws of nature and of nature's God," that all persons are "endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights," and refers to the "Supreme Judge of the world" and "Divine Providence."

     Our Constitution guarantees the free expression of religion in its first amendment, not freedom from religious expression. However, the Supreme Court has ruled that the freedom of religious expression clause does not mean that any and every religious practice is permissible under law, examples of which would be polygamy (marriage with multiple partners) or human sacrifice. The State has a compelling interest in restricting these practices.

     And, of course, the debate goes on, interestingly much to the puzzlement of many other western nations. For you see, against improbable odds, and unlike in many other western nations, religious faith is a subject that is deeply important to the vast majority of Americans, regardless of their own particular religious beliefs. Against seemingly impossible odds, dialogue about Jesus, who he was and the significance of his life, continues to dominate the minds and imaginations of most Americans. And why? Because our national psyche revolves around the conviction that freedom has everything to do with our relationship with our Creator God. Ask the average person on the street to complete this statement: "You will know the truth and the truth will make you ..." and the response you'll get, I'll bet, will be "free!"

     As you celebrate the 4th of July this month, as you recall the Declaration of Independence, give thanks to God that against improbable odds, the revolution was successful and a nation was born that with all its faults and failings, its periods of darkness and sin, still bears within it the seeds of freedom, and still sees that freedom is the God-given birthright of all the people of the earth. Bear witness, too, in your daily living, that there is also a calling to a deeper kind of freedom ... attested to in the words of Jesus himself: "When the Son makes you free, [then] you will be free indeed." 

Yours in Christ,

Bob

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