Is America Still Under God?

Are we a nation under God or aren’t we?

Listen to these words that shaped our nation, that prove that the U. S. A. was, indeed, created and designed to be a nation under God!

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” – The Declaration of Independence, 1776

“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.” – George Washington, 1789

“We have staked the whole future of American civilization . . . on the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, and to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God." – President James Madison, 1813

“It is the duty of nations . . . to recognize the sublime truth . . . that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.” – President Abraham Lincoln, 1863

“It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work . . . that this nation under God shall have a new birth . . .” – President Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address, 1863

The fourth verse of our national anthem, written by Francis Scott Key in 1814, includes the words, “May the heaven-rescued land praise the Power that hath made and preserved us . . . and this be our motto: ‘In God is our trust’.”

Because of this undeniable history, Congress voted in 1954 to add the phrase “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance, “thus reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future.” – President Dwight Eisenhower, June 14, 1954.

The fact that a few people are offended by those two words doesn’t change our history; nor must it be allowed to change our future! “America’s heritage,” as President Eisenhower put it, is undeniably tied to the God of the Bible. America’s future will grow ever more grim if that Godly heritage is stripped away.

Wednesday morning, I began my celebration of Independence Day in a prayer meeting at the church I pastor. We prayed that the church in America would repent of its passivity and once again grow strong to take a leading role in the shaping of American culture. Though we can never return to the past – nor should we ever desire to do so! – God is certainly calling us to turn from the sins of our past and turn to the future He has planned for us.

If America is ever to live up to its founders’ intention to be a nation under God, it will take churches under God. And that means Christians under God, serving Him with earnest love and complete obedience in every detail of their lives.

Is America still under God? I guess the answer depends upon how you live your life.