America is a Christian Nation | Part 1

Has our identity as a nation gotten so lost in political correctness that our founding fathers would not even recognize us? If we are going to survive – much less thrive – as a nation, we must peel back the false ideologies that have hijacked the United States of America and re-examine those things that are truly important.  
 
Do we even know what America is anymore? America is not just a geographical location; it exists within the heart of true Americans.  
 
America is not a political system; it is built on the freedoms acknowledged by the Declaration of Independence and protected by the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.   
 
America is not an economic philosophy; it is run by the engine of hope for the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. 
 
A true patriot can proudly proclaim, “I don’t just live in America, America lives in me.”  So then, when we recite the pledge of allegiance to the flag, what exactly are we pledging allegiance to?   
 
Are we pledging our allegiance to a piece of colored cloth? Are we pledging allegiance to a set of political policies? Are we pledging allegiance to a geographical piece of ground? Are we pledging allegiance to an economic system? 
 
Or, more importantly, are we pledging our allegiance to the principles, values, and ideologies that guided our founding fathers? 
 
In other words, it’s not the flag, but rather, it’s what the flag stands for that is worthy of honor. It’s not the flag, but those who died defending it that deserve our respect. 
 
We stand for our national anthem because it has stood for us. We salute the flag because of those who saluted it while fighting for our freedom. And we recite the pledge of allegiance to the flag because we pledge to defend our freedoms and pass them on to the next generation. 
 
Our founding fathers were first and foremost, Christians. The main reason America is a Christian nation is that Christians founded it for the purpose of the advancing the Christian faith. 
 
Before disembarking on our domestic soil for the first time in November of 1620, the Pilgrims crafted a strategic document to define and direct their actions. It was called the Mayflower Compact. They knew that even before they landed in the New World, it was essential they understood the purpose and direction of this nation. Here are some key lines in that document: 
 
“In the Name of God Almighty, we whose names are underwritten . . . having undertaken for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian faith, . . . a voyage to plan the first colony ... do by these present, solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil governing body . . .” 
 
I’ll unpack the meaning of the Mayflower Compact in the next few weeks. Get ready to discover some powerful patriotic principles.

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This blog is written by Pastor John Raymond, pastor of New Horizon Church in Slidell, Louisiana.