What Goes Around

    I was reminded recently of how things go in cycles. By some mysterious cause, things come into style and go out again only to reappear a generation later. Case in point is short skirts. After a delightful stretch of modest long skirts, suddenly hems rose  above the knees and modesty disappeared. But that is not what triggered my thoughts.

    A committee is currently working on translating the Martyrs' Mirror into a more readable English. It is slow and tedious work, not expected to be finished before 2029. It was originally written in the Dutch language and published in the Netherlands. In 1748, it was translated into German by Peter Miller and printed at the Ephrata Cloister for the Mennonites. The first English translation of the book was printed in 1837 in Lancaster.

    In 1780, a reprint of the German edition was made in Germany. Ten years ago, a committee in Germany began translating the German edition into more modern and readable German. When asked what German version they used as a basis in their translating, they said it was the 1748 translation. The new German edition is now complete. It has gone full circle from Europe to Pennsylvania and back to Europe. What goes around comes around.

Let True Freedom Ring

  This weekend the nation is celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of the United States of America. There are countless events, ways and means of recognizing the milestone. I am grateful to live in a land that allows us to worship and live according to conscience without fear of persecution. For reasons known only to God, the nation has enjoyed growth and prosperity for two and a half centuries. While I thank God for allowing me to live in this time and place, I can't get caught up in a patriotic spirit that almost worships the founders and veterans who "fought for our freedom."

   The Revolutionary War, also correctly called the War of Rebellion, was fueled by the Welsh and Scotch-Irish. That Welsh were instigators in the American Revolution should not be surprising. Wales fell to the English in 1282 during the reign of King Edward I and never gained independance. Facing persecution and discrimination by the English in their own country, the Welsh immigrated to America in large numbers from the very beginning of the colonies. Their long history of rebellion against the English explains the willingness of the founders of the United States to fight Great Britain. At least a third of the signers of the Declaration of Independence had Welsh ancestry, including Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin.
   The Scotch-Irish also harbored long-standing political and religious animosity against the British and were in sympathy with the Welsh. A Hessian captain wrote in 1778, “Call this war by whatever name you may, only call it not an American rebellion; it is nothing more or less than a Scotch-Irish Presbyterian rebellion.” The Revolutionary War was rooted in a long rebellion that the Welsh and Scotch-Irish people carried across the ocean with them.

   The idea that the United States was founded as a Christian nation is a stretch. Not all of the signers of the Declaration of Independance were professing Christians, including John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. The Declaration mentions God and the Creator but does not establish Christianity as the foundation of the nation. The Constitution has no references to God or Christianity. The Treaty of Tripoli in 1797 stated that "the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion." 

   While Christianity influenced the culture and moral perspectives of many of the Founding Fathers, the United States was not legally established as a Christian nation. The Founders sought to create a nation where individuals could practice their faith freely without government interference—whether that faith was Christian or not. This freedom of religion was drawn from William Penn's 1682 Frame of Government that made Pennsylvania one of the most religiously tolerant places in the world.

    In the 250 years since founding of the United States of America, there has been a downward spiral of Christian faith and practice which is continuing. The concept of freedom of religion is becoming freedom from religion. Churches are closing for lack of attendance. Morality has eroded. Things that were once shameful or unthinkable are considered normal. Government struggles to control lawlessness and proves that it is impossible to produce righteousness by legislation.This weekend the nation is celebrating 250 years of freedom while a large percentage of the population is enslaved by their passions and addictions.       

   The freedom I am celebrating far exceeds anything an earthly nation can offer. My freedom was found in Christ who said, "If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32). Freedom from sin and death.is true freedom. It does not come through the military or government, but by one Man who died on a cross and rose again. He offers true freedom to all who will turn to Him. Then He will forgive and heal the land. That is the only hope for a nation that has turned away from God. Let true freedom ring from sea to shining sea!