What Made America Great
The Foundations That Made America Great
There's a profound truth embedded in the ancient words of Proverbs 14:34: "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people." As we reflect on 250 years of American history, this verse serves as both a mirror and a compass—showing us where we've been and pointing toward where we need to go.
Living in what many consider the greatest nation in history is no small privilege. Yet greatness isn't maintained by accident. It requires intentionality, remembrance, and a willingness to return to the foundations that made that greatness possible in the first place. Like the prophet Jeremiah warned ancient Israel, there's always a danger of forgetting God and turning away from the ancient paths that led to blessing.
The question isn't merely about making something great again—it's about understanding what made it great in the first place. Only by looking back with honest eyes can we move forward with confident steps.
The Cornerstone of Faith
The Christian faith, grounded firmly in the Bible, formed the bedrock of America's founding beliefs. This isn't revisionist history or religious propaganda—it's documented fact, visible in the very documents that birthed this nation.
Consider the Mayflower Compact of 1620, where pilgrims declared their voyage was undertaken "for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith." Their dream wasn't merely economic prosperity or personal freedom—it was establishing a place where worship could flourish freely, where self-governance could operate under justice and equity for all people.
When researchers Lutz and Heinemann analyzed 15,000 documents from America's founding fathers—their letters, communications, and treatises—they discovered something remarkable. The single most cited source wasn't Enlightenment philosophy or Greek democracy. It was the Bible. More specifically, the book of Deuteronomy, the book of law and covenant, appeared most frequently.
This biblical foundation wasn't incidental. In 1782, one of Congress's first acts was recommending the printing of Bibles so every American family could have access to Scripture. All thirteen original colonies required a declaration of faith to hold office. Delaware's 1776 Constitution required officers to profess faith in God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, acknowledging "the holy scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration."
John Adams captured this reality perfectly: "Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
The foundation was never meant to support a secular society divorced from moral moorings. It was designed for a people grounded in biblical truth.
The Cornerstone of Family
From the very beginning, in the Garden of Eden, God established a pattern: male and female, created in His image, coming together in marriage to multiply and steward creation. This wasn't arbitrary—it was intentional design.
Family serves as God's primary vehicle for transmitting heritage, morality, language, values, ethics, and faith. Within the family structure, children learn who they are, where they come from, and how to live. This responsibility doesn't belong to the state or even primarily to the church—it belongs to parents and grandparents.
For generations, Americans understood marriage and family as the cornerstone—the foundation upon which everything else was built. Young people graduated, perhaps found work, but establishing a family was the priority. Marriage wasn't an afterthought or a capstone to be added after a decade of "living the dream." It was the dream itself.
Today, we face a crisis. Marriage is increasingly viewed as optional, something to consider after career establishment and personal fulfillment. Commitment has become negotiable. Children are seen as burdens rather than blessings. The fertility rate has plummeted to 1.6—well below the 2.4 needed to maintain population balance.
Some of this decline correlates with technological advancement. Since 2007—the year the iPhone launched—researchers attribute between 32-51% of fertility decline to increased screen usage. We've traded face-to-face relationships for digital connections, real intimacy for virtual substitutes.
The attack on family isn't accidental. Various ideologies—from Marxism to radical movements of different stripes—identify the family as an obstacle to their vision. To reshape society, they must first dismantle the family unit.
The biblical call remains clear: "Be fruitful and multiply." This isn't outdated—it's foundational. Strong families create strong societies. The cornerstone must remain a cornerstone, not be treated as a disposable skipping stone.
The Cornerstone of Freedom
America's 250 years of freedom represents rarefied air in human history. Free nations are rare; free nations lasting centuries are rarer still. This freedom didn't happen by accident, and it won't continue without effort.
The Declaration of Independence proclaims a revolutionary truth: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
This concept of unalienable rights flows directly from the biblical truth of imago Dei—that every person bears God's image. Human dignity isn't granted by government or earned through achievement. It's inherent, bestowed by the Creator Himself.
Interestingly, in earlier drafts of the Declaration, "creator" appeared with a lowercase "c." The final version changed it to uppercase—"Creator." That single editorial decision reveals volumes about the founders' understanding of God's role in human freedom.
But freedom comes with responsibility. True freedom isn't license to do whatever we want—it's the liberty to do what we ought. As Galatians 5:13 reminds us: "For you were called to freedom, brethren, only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."
Ordered freedom requires moral integrity and virtue. It's hard work, demanding investment and self-discipline. Without these qualities, freedom collapses into chaos, eventually giving way to authoritarianism.
Treating Cornerstones as Cornerstones
A skipping stone is picked up, thrown across water, creates a few ripples, then sinks and disappears. A cornerstone, however, bears the weight of an entire structure. It provides stability, alignment, and foundation.
Faith, family, and freedom—grounded in Scripture—are cornerstones, not skipping stones. They cannot be treated casually, discarded when inconvenient, or replaced with trendy alternatives.
The challenge before us is clear: Will we remember what made this nation great? Will we return to these foundational truths? Will we pass them faithfully to the next generation?
"In God We Trust" isn't merely a motto on currency—it's a declaration of dependence, an acknowledgment that our blessings flow from the Creator who endowed us with dignity and freedom.
Righteousness still exalts a nation. The ancient paths still lead to life. The cornerstones still hold—if we choose to build upon them.
In Christ's strength,
There's a profound truth embedded in the ancient words of Proverbs 14:34: "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people." As we reflect on 250 years of American history, this verse serves as both a mirror and a compass—showing us where we've been and pointing toward where we need to go.
Living in what many consider the greatest nation in history is no small privilege. Yet greatness isn't maintained by accident. It requires intentionality, remembrance, and a willingness to return to the foundations that made that greatness possible in the first place. Like the prophet Jeremiah warned ancient Israel, there's always a danger of forgetting God and turning away from the ancient paths that led to blessing.
The question isn't merely about making something great again—it's about understanding what made it great in the first place. Only by looking back with honest eyes can we move forward with confident steps.
The Cornerstone of Faith
The Christian faith, grounded firmly in the Bible, formed the bedrock of America's founding beliefs. This isn't revisionist history or religious propaganda—it's documented fact, visible in the very documents that birthed this nation.
Consider the Mayflower Compact of 1620, where pilgrims declared their voyage was undertaken "for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith." Their dream wasn't merely economic prosperity or personal freedom—it was establishing a place where worship could flourish freely, where self-governance could operate under justice and equity for all people.
When researchers Lutz and Heinemann analyzed 15,000 documents from America's founding fathers—their letters, communications, and treatises—they discovered something remarkable. The single most cited source wasn't Enlightenment philosophy or Greek democracy. It was the Bible. More specifically, the book of Deuteronomy, the book of law and covenant, appeared most frequently.
This biblical foundation wasn't incidental. In 1782, one of Congress's first acts was recommending the printing of Bibles so every American family could have access to Scripture. All thirteen original colonies required a declaration of faith to hold office. Delaware's 1776 Constitution required officers to profess faith in God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, acknowledging "the holy scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be given by divine inspiration."
John Adams captured this reality perfectly: "Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
The foundation was never meant to support a secular society divorced from moral moorings. It was designed for a people grounded in biblical truth.
The Cornerstone of Family
From the very beginning, in the Garden of Eden, God established a pattern: male and female, created in His image, coming together in marriage to multiply and steward creation. This wasn't arbitrary—it was intentional design.
Family serves as God's primary vehicle for transmitting heritage, morality, language, values, ethics, and faith. Within the family structure, children learn who they are, where they come from, and how to live. This responsibility doesn't belong to the state or even primarily to the church—it belongs to parents and grandparents.
For generations, Americans understood marriage and family as the cornerstone—the foundation upon which everything else was built. Young people graduated, perhaps found work, but establishing a family was the priority. Marriage wasn't an afterthought or a capstone to be added after a decade of "living the dream." It was the dream itself.
Today, we face a crisis. Marriage is increasingly viewed as optional, something to consider after career establishment and personal fulfillment. Commitment has become negotiable. Children are seen as burdens rather than blessings. The fertility rate has plummeted to 1.6—well below the 2.4 needed to maintain population balance.
Some of this decline correlates with technological advancement. Since 2007—the year the iPhone launched—researchers attribute between 32-51% of fertility decline to increased screen usage. We've traded face-to-face relationships for digital connections, real intimacy for virtual substitutes.
The attack on family isn't accidental. Various ideologies—from Marxism to radical movements of different stripes—identify the family as an obstacle to their vision. To reshape society, they must first dismantle the family unit.
The biblical call remains clear: "Be fruitful and multiply." This isn't outdated—it's foundational. Strong families create strong societies. The cornerstone must remain a cornerstone, not be treated as a disposable skipping stone.
The Cornerstone of Freedom
America's 250 years of freedom represents rarefied air in human history. Free nations are rare; free nations lasting centuries are rarer still. This freedom didn't happen by accident, and it won't continue without effort.
The Declaration of Independence proclaims a revolutionary truth: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
This concept of unalienable rights flows directly from the biblical truth of imago Dei—that every person bears God's image. Human dignity isn't granted by government or earned through achievement. It's inherent, bestowed by the Creator Himself.
Interestingly, in earlier drafts of the Declaration, "creator" appeared with a lowercase "c." The final version changed it to uppercase—"Creator." That single editorial decision reveals volumes about the founders' understanding of God's role in human freedom.
But freedom comes with responsibility. True freedom isn't license to do whatever we want—it's the liberty to do what we ought. As Galatians 5:13 reminds us: "For you were called to freedom, brethren, only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."
Ordered freedom requires moral integrity and virtue. It's hard work, demanding investment and self-discipline. Without these qualities, freedom collapses into chaos, eventually giving way to authoritarianism.
Treating Cornerstones as Cornerstones
A skipping stone is picked up, thrown across water, creates a few ripples, then sinks and disappears. A cornerstone, however, bears the weight of an entire structure. It provides stability, alignment, and foundation.
Faith, family, and freedom—grounded in Scripture—are cornerstones, not skipping stones. They cannot be treated casually, discarded when inconvenient, or replaced with trendy alternatives.
The challenge before us is clear: Will we remember what made this nation great? Will we return to these foundational truths? Will we pass them faithfully to the next generation?
"In God We Trust" isn't merely a motto on currency—it's a declaration of dependence, an acknowledgment that our blessings flow from the Creator who endowed us with dignity and freedom.
Righteousness still exalts a nation. The ancient paths still lead to life. The cornerstones still hold—if we choose to build upon them.
In Christ's strength,
Pastor Kirk Flaa
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