During the American founding era, week after week, on Sunday mornings, the congregation members would arise and recite together The Apostles’ Creed, a historic statement of the Christian faith. Often it was written on the walls. Who participated regularly in such affirmation of their faith? George Washington, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and so […]

Thanksgiving is around the corner. That holiday is an annual reminder of our nation’s Christian roots, our godly heritage. Although Virginia rightfully proclaims that the first Thanksgiving was in Jamestown in 1619, not in Plymouth in 1621, the Plymouth one became the proto-type of our annual celebrations. President Lincoln was the first to declare Thanksgiving […]

250 years ago this month, the British chopped down an important symbol of American freedom—the Boston Liberty Tree. To add insult to injury, they ignominiously turned that once-stately elm into mere firewood. I knew virtually nothing about the Liberty Tree—until I was informed by Dr. Peter Lillback, the founding president of Providence Forum, for which […]

Soon, another Fourth of July will be upon us. What do we celebrate on the Fourth of July? Of course, it’s America’s birthday—dating back to 1776. That’s when 56 men agreed by voice vote for the final wording of our nation’s birth certificate….the Declaration of Independence. A month later they began to sign it. Samuel […]

The founding fathers aimed to ensure our liberty under law, in conformity with the “laws of Nature and of Nature’s God.” Natural law refers to the moral law the Creator has impressed upon the world. For example, Samuel Adams once wrote: “Thou shall do no injury to thy neighbor, is the voice of nature and […]

[Pictured: Dr. Peter Lillback and Dr. Jerry Newcombe, after a television interview] For years, Christian media has often been viewed as a backwater source—like something seen in a Saturday Night Live skit. A source for snickers, but not for sensible information. But, as Dr. Ted Baehr, the publisher of “Movieguide,” likes to say in effect, […]

For years, Christian media has often been viewed as a backwater source—like something seen in a Saturday Night Live skit. A source for snickers, but not for sensible information. But, as Dr. Ted Baehr, the publisher of “Movieguide,” likes to say in effect, “The good news is: The bad news is wrong.” Recently, the National […]

[Photo by Jerry Newcombe of the bridge in Concord, Massachusetts, where the Battle of Concord was fought on April 19, 1775] Quick question. How many towns or cities in America are named Lexington? Amazingly, the answer is 25. But the original Lexington, the one the others are named after, is the one in Massachusetts. It […]

This year happens to be the 250th anniversary of the beginning of the first Congress (then known as the Continental Congress). Its first session opened in prayer. And Congress has opened each session in prayer since then. But earlier this year, the prayer opening the 118th Congress caused quite a stir. Among other things, the […]

In 1629, the first American balloting for an election occurred in Salem, Massachusetts. The issue? Choosing a minister and choosing a Christian teacher for the colony. “Such is the origin of the use of the ballot on this continent; [Samuel] Skelton was chosen pastor and [Francis] Higginson teacher.”  So writes George Bancroft, an early American […]