CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – I hope you will hear a sermon this Sunday about the greatness of America.
Our founding is based on the blessings of Almighty God. The Declaration of Independence states that we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That was a truly radical idea. The rest of the world thought that rights came from your sovereign. Rights were no more or no less than what your king or ruler allowed. Our founding fathers boldly stated that rights come from God, and that we form governments to secure those rights – not to grant them or take them away.
Your Pastor ought to cherish serving God in the United States of America. The right to assemble, the right to worship, and the right to speak freely are the rights that allow our churches to exist. And they are enshrined in our highest law. Consider running a church in China, where organized religions are classified as “state patriotic organizations;” the supremacy of the government is required to be preached. Ministers in Africa or South America who preach against government abuses might hear a knock on their door in the middle of the night. Even in Canada, churches that speak biblical truths can be on the wrong side of federal government speech codes.
Our church practices are the way they are because we live in a land of religious liberty like none other.
“God Bless The U.S.A.” He already has, in ways we take for granted. And it’s entirely appropriate on this Independence Day to thank God for it.
I’m Chris Conley
Comments