The nearing of America's Semiquincentennial

The United States of America will turn 250 years old this year! Wow! Can you believe it’s almost Semiquincentennial time … or maybe you prefer Sestercentennial or Quarter Millennium?

Whatever name you give it, I can hardly wait for this year’s celebration at my brother’s annual Fourth of July pool party, when four generations of our family will gather to celebrate our great nation’s founding. The first generation may need a little assistance by the pool. We don’t want anyone falling in while the fourth generation is doing cannonballs!

A family tradition

On Independence Day each year, my brother Mark and his wife Virginia always decorate their pool area in red, white, and blue – a major patriotic vibe … and lots of work. Why do they go to all the trouble? Because our family loves the abiding story of America and – to borrow from singer Lee Greenwood – “We are proud to be Americans.”

As mid-year approaches, there will be celebrations and commemorations across our land. At AFA, we plan to seize the opportunity to tell the true story of how our great country was founded and what we must do if we are to remain the “Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave.”

Despite the many problems we face, the USA remains the envy of the world due to our personal freedoms – including religious freedom, educational and financial opportunities, and a standard of living that few in history have experienced. Look around the globe. Tyranny, brutal dictatorships, and dire living conditions are widespread. It’s a tremendous understatement to say that we Americans are truly blessed.

A founder’s truth

A name we should all revere in American history is George Washington – the Father of Our Country. After serving two terms as president, he chose not to run again and instead retired to his beloved Mount Vernon estate. To inform his fellow countrymen of his decision, he published a Farewell Address in Claypoole’s American Daily Advertiser on September 19, 1796. His parting words to America included:

Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness – these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked, Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths, which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.

Washington’s eloquent words express the undeniable truth that “religion” – he specifically meant the teachings of the Bible and its moral principles – serve as the foundation for a fulfilling life and an enduring nation.

As American Christians celebrate the Semiquincentennial, let us remember Washington’s words and our responsibility to model and uphold the values that our first great president shared with his beloved country.