Monday, September 19, 2011

Is America a Christian Nation, Part XVI, Authority Flows to the Constitution

In the last installment of our series, Is America A Christian Nation, within the expressions of the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union we discovered in America's first constitution how boldly the representatives of the states comprising the United States of America proclaimed America to be a Christian nation.  In that document, the American people, via their authorized representatives, agreed and proclaimed that
  • God governs the world;
  • God 'inclined the hearts' of the representatives to approve the Articles of Confederation;
  • God authorized the representatives of the people of the United States to approve and ratify the Articles of Confederation;
  • The representatives of the American people proposed this agreement for ratification by the states in the year 1778, that year referenced directly as 'in the year of our Lord,' indicating that Jesus Christ is the Lord over the nation about which this agreement was drawn, approved, and subsequently ratified.
Five undeniable conclusions are certified from these statements.  According to the representatives of the American people:
  1. Because God governs the World, God governs all nations of the World, including the United States of America.  Therefore, the American people submit to the authority of God.  America is one nation under God;
  2. God is no deist god, no other god except God of the Bible including the New Testament, referencing the date of the agreement to the birth of Jesus Christ.
  3. Because in this document, the 'Great Governor of the World' is God of the Bible including the New Testament, the representatives of the people directly imply to be influenced by the Holy Spirit, which 'inclined their hearts' to approve and ratify the agreement.  That conclusion is directly implied because, according to the scriptures, the Holy Spirit is sent to to indwell in the hearts of believers in Jesus Christ.  That Spirit works to 'incline the heart' of the believer to fulfill God's will on earth.   Therefore the American people, via their representatives, are believers in Jesus Christ, endeavoring to fulfill God's will on earth by their actions approving and ratifying this agreement.
  4. America is a Christian nation, one that submits to Jesus Christ, the Great Governor of the World, Who according to the scriptures owns all authority on earth.
  5. And stated as its own conclusion, as a Christian nation, America's primary purpose is to fulfill God's will on earth.
But one last conclusion is also noticeable, and that is the importance the American people, through their representatives, ascribe to pleasing God.  According to the AoC, it 'pleased the Great Governor of the World to incline the hearts of the legislatures.' As we venture still deeper into this discussion, the meaning behind the importance these men attached to pleasing God will become apparent.

But for now we have one final step to take to finish our proof of sorts, that America is truly a Christian Nation, as I have defined that term, and that is to look directly at the Constitution and determine if by its terms, it either follows through, citing itself as a the Supreme Law for a Christian nation, or whether it abandons that truth, or even disputes that truth.

To make that determination, we will start in the Preamble, which begins with the following familiar terms
We the People of the United States...do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Notice that the Constitution does not define the 'United States of America.'  It makes no declaration establishing a nation.  That is for a good reason.  The nation for which it applies was already established, with an identifiable source of sovereign authority, and therefore that agreement did not have to state any of that again. And at the time that the Constitution was proposed, those who did so acted solely under the authority that flowed to them from the Articles of Confederation, which was the supreme law in force during the proceedings at the Constitutional Convention. The Articles of Confederation defines the nation to which it applies as the 'United States of America,' no coincidence the same name referred in the Constitution.  And previous to the AoC, the Declaration of Independence declared the basis under which that same nation, the United States of America would become authorized. And so because the only basis of authority in existence during the time the Constitution was that reasoned to exist under the Declaration of Independence, which authority also served to underwrite the Articles of Confederation, and because the Constitution's terms do not terminate either previous agreement, which agreements otherwise survive in perpetuity, then unless there are two earthly nations known as the 'United States of America,' the Constitution refers directly to the same nation that existed under the Articles and Declaration of Independence.

The Constitution's Article VII certifies the previous conclusion, and declares it to be the Supreme Law of the Land, stating that the date the Constitution was proposed for ratification, which proposal could only have been authorized under the Articles of Confederation, occurred 'in the 12th year of the independence of the United States of America.'

But Article VII also offers us one more item to consider, and that is that the 12th year of the independence of the United States of America, was also
the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven
That date stamp directly references the birth of Jesus Christ and therefore declares and certifies that Jesus Christ is Lord.  And that statement therefore certifies that Lord over 'We the People of the United States,' is also none other than Jesus Christ.  And for this reason, we can now ultimately conclude, without reservation, that the United States of America is a Christian Nation, as defined as a nation which draws its authority from God of the Bible including the New Testament, which scriptures require that America's authority flows directly from Jesus Christ, Who according to those scriptures owns all authority in Heaven and earth.  What else need we say?  It is finished, the proof.

But now that we have fully established that America is A Christian nation under the terms we have defined, in the next installment we will begin to understand just exactly what that really means. So stand by and come back.  

All that has been written heretofore is prologue... 

8 comments:

  1. Hey, I found your blog through Blogplicity and I am curious as to why you don't identify the United States for what it is, as a country wherein a large number of persons identify themselves as Christian. To say anything more would risk overlooking evidence to the contrary.

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  2. Hi Kelly,

    Thanks very much for the response. I can only imagine that you have not yet read the series of articles I have produced. I say that because your comment indicates to me that you misunderstand how I define 'a Christian Nation.' In this series I define 'a Christian Nation' as one that draws its sovereign authority from God of the Bible including the New Testament. And because America draws its authority from that source, holding that source as truth, and because according to the New Testament Jesus Christ owns all authority in Heaven and earth, then America draws its national authority from Jesus Christ Himself. And in that respect, America is a Christian nation.

    I make no statement regarding whether Christianity is some sort of state established religion. It is not. And to do so would be unconstitutional. No, there is a distinction that if you continue to read, you will understand.

    And I make no statement whether being a Christian nation is necessarily good, or bad, or indifferent, only that it is. That, as you point out, the USA is a country wherein a large number of persons identify themselves as Christian, is not relevant to the point at hand. It would not matter if NO Americans identify themselves as Christians, under the definition I have offered, America would still be a Christian nation, one that draws its authority directly from the New Testament scriptures, and therefore Jesus Christ.

    In short, whether any of us recognize the truth, that does not change the truth. The truth exists whether anyone believes it, or understands it, or prefers it, or prefers against it. I cannot change the truth and neither can you. It is what it is regardless of our own personal preferences.

    I hope that you will begin with the first article in the series, and read them through. And if after doing so you do not agree with me, then you should be able to trace your disagreement back to a point in the discussion where your understanding of the truth, and mine, diverge. And then we can analyze that point. That is how I have written this piece. If you disagree with the conclusion, you will find fault with a certain element on which that conclusion is built. That would be a point of contention that can be resolved.

    Thanks again for your comment. I will look forward to hearing from you once you have digested the material I have presented.

    Hank

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  3. I don't read blog series' let alone ones that have 15 previous articles. That detail might indicate to you that conversing with me would not serve your purposes.

    What, in your opinion, is a tangible consequence of the United States being a Christian country.

    Further, my statement about the USA being "a country wherein a large number of persons identify themselves as Christian," is relevant to the point at hand insofar as it serves as an accurate statement and one which would not experience dispute.

    In contrast, as I said, your statement risks overlooking evidence to the contrary.

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  4. Once again, Hank, extremely informative and enlightening to say the least. You have proven masterfully to this point that America has undeniable Judeo-Christian roots.
    I especially liked "endeavoring to fulfill God's will on earth"; the shining city on the hill!

    Blessings, my friend!

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  5. Unfortunately, Kelly, if you truly desire to understand the answer to your question, which is to understand the tangible consequence of the United States being a Christian nation, you will have to break what I understand is a cardinal rule for you, and you will have to read the series. Your question will be answered forthwith.

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  6. Martha, Thank you very much, again.

    Regarding America endeavoring to fulfill God's will on earth, stay tuned. That will be a subject of its own as the series continues forth.

    Yes, blessings in return, dear lady.

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  7. You ever thought of putting this in a book...or even an ebook, Hank? Just a thought.

    God bless you and yours.

    Bernie

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  8. Thank you, Bernie. Some of it I did write in a book several years ago. Since then, I have learned so much more. What you get here is a portion of what the book was about. This is better though, in my opinion. I have had a fair amount of practice in writing since the book. But if you are interested, the book is listed on Amazon and other outlets. Click on my profile to get the title. Thanks for the suggestion. I may have another book in me somewhere.

    ReplyDelete

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