“Knowing Our History Is A Must!”

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Knowing Our History Is a Must- 1Woodrow Wilson said:

“A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday, does not know what it is today, nor what it is trying to do.  We are trying to do a futile thing if we do not know where we came from or what we have been about…”

(1913. Robert Flood, The Rebirth of America (Philadelphia: The Arthur S. DeMoss Foundation, 1986), p. 12)

Where did earlier generations get the idea we are to know our history?  Why did our ancestors place so much emphasis on knowing our history?  Could our present decline be rooted in the “national amnesia” so prevalent across our land?

While it may be a shock to some; America’s Founders got the idea they must communicate to their children the story of where they came from—right out of the Bible.  It was the Pastors who taught the importance of remembering our history.  They pointed out such commands by God as the one in Deuteronomy 32:7, which states:

“Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.”

Those early American Pastors realized that if we knew history well, we would Continue reading →

“The Rock Of Nation Building”

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The Rock Of Nation Building--Pic 1During the Revolutionary War, some Delaware Indian Chiefs brought three young people to General George Washington, asking that they be taught in American schools.  General Washington responded:

“…You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ.  These will make you a greater and happier people than you are.  Congress will do everything they can to assist you in this wise intention.”

(May 12, 1779.  The Writings of George Washington from the Original Manuscript Sources: 1749-1799, “Address to Delaware Indian Chiefs”, (Bureau of National Literature and Art, 1907, ed., John C. Fitzpatrick)

This statement gives us great insight into the way Washington thought about several issues of our day:  And his thinking was typical of all our Founders.

The statement reveals that America’s Founders believed their way of living was better than the natives of America.  He reveals this when he says, “You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life…”   America’s Founders believed that their way of life, based on the teachings of the Bible, was the best the world had ever seen up unto that time.  They believed if Jesus Christ was the Creator of man, then his teachings would reveal the best way for man to live.  That didn’t mean they couldn’t learn even more from their Creator and make their country even better.  They most certainly believed that.  But they did believe that a culture based on Christianity would bring more liberty and prosperity to individuals within it than any other type culture.  Neither did it mean that they couldn’t learn certain things from the Indians. Continue reading →

“George Washington’s Christianity”

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George Washington's Christianity 1

© 2024 Don Pinson | [Download]
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Each year on February 22nd, we celebrate the birthday of the Father of our country, George Washington. There are some things about George Washington that my schooling never taught me. Things like what Rev. Henry Muhlenberg, Pastor of the Valley Forge Lutheran Church in 1777, said of him when our Continental Army spent the winter there. I quote Rev. Muhlenberg:

“I heard a fine example today, namely, that His Excellency General Washington rode around among his army yesterday and admonished each and every one to fear God…[and] to practice the Christian virtues. From all appearances, this gentleman does not belong to the so-called world of society, for he respects God’s Word, believes in the atonement through Christ, and bears himself in humility and gentleness. Therefore, the Lord God has also…marvelously preserved him from harm in the midst of countless perils, [ambushes] fatigues, etc., and has hitherto graciously held him in his hand as a chosen vessel.”

(The Notebook of a Colonial Clergyman, Theodore Tappert (Fortress Press, 1975), p.195)

Were you aware George Washington was Continue reading →