America’s Godly Heritage with David Barton

Americas_Godly_Heritage

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Dean Welty, Director of the Valley Family Forum, brings David Barton on his a weekly television program entitled “Valley Faith in Action”.  David Barton of Wallbuilders is his guest and he expounds on America’s Godly Heritage.

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lend 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.” George Washington, 1796

Why are we putting so much emphasis on our Heritage? Is it because we see the Obama administration violating clear Constitutional principles, attacking our Judeo-Christian values, and limiting our “inalienable” rights to life and to liberty? Is it because of growing efforts to silence the church and to expel God from our public schools and from the public square?

Americas_Godly_HeritageMight there be a connection between these attacks on our Judeo-Christian heritage and the moral decline in our culture — including crime, abortions, broken homes, rampant pornography, and government corruption? Is it possible for America, or any nation, to prosper apart from obedience to God’s principles in our daily lives and in the public square?

What did our Founding Fathers believe about the relationship between religion, morality and the national well-being? Should pastors and their churches get involved in government? What can we do now to rebuild America on the Biblical values and enduring principles of our founding – and why does it matter anyway?


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These are some of the questions David Barton will address to support the claim that America has had an exceptional beginning as a Christian nation, and that it is up to each of us to keep that flame of faith and freedom alive.

Were the Founding Fathers Christians?
It can be easily demonstrated that a very high percentage – in fact, the overwhelming majority – of Founding Fathers were Christians, but certainly not all of them were. Today, citizens are regularly told about the lesser religious Founders (such as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Paine), but hear nothing about the prominent Christians among the Founders (for example, 29 of the 56 signers of the Declaration held what are today considered seminary or Bible school degrees, and many others of the signers were bold and outspoken in their personal Christian faith). Significantly, not one of the Founding Fathers was secular in his orientation; even Thomas Paine (certainly the least religious of the Founders) openly acknowledged God and announced his belief in his personal accountability to God, and he also directly advocated teaching creationism in the public school classroom (see “Thomas Paine Criticizes the Current Public School Science Curriculum”). Over 250 individuals are historically considered Founding Fathers (e.g., the signers of the Declaration, the signers of the Constitution, the framers of the Bill of Rights, leading state governors and generals in the Revolution, etc.), but typically critics list only the handful of the least religious from among the 250 to claim that all the Founders were deists or secular.  For some resources on this issue, see the List on Wallbuilders

America’s Godly Heritage Part 1

VFIA 161: America’s Godly Heritage Pt.1 from Dean Welty on Vimeo.

America’s Godly Heritage Part 2

VFIA 162: America’s Godly Heritage Pt.2 from Dean Welty on Vimeo.

Dean_Welty_and_David_BartonAbout Valley Faith in Action: Valley Faith in Action airs on WAZT-TV at 8:00 p.m., Friday, 8:30 p.m. Sunday, and Wednesday midnight. It is available on Comcast Channel 13 in Harrisonburg and parts of Rockingham and on Channel 10 in Shenandoah County, but it varies in other areas. However, you can also watch this and other programs online HERE.Please also save the date for the 10-week American Heritage Seminar that will be held at Lake Shenandoah each Tuesday evening beginning Oct. 9, as well as the Heritage Tour of Washington DC on Saturday, Nov. 10. Stay tuned for details.

 

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views the Virginia Christian Alliance

About the Author

Dean Welty
Dean Welty is Founder and Director of the Valley Family Forum, a network of families in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia that works to defend and advance issues of Life, Faith, Family, and Freedom in the culture and in the public square. He has developed and led numerous seminars on “America’s Godly Heritage” and “Capstone: The Christian’s Role in Culture and Public Policy”, hosted a weekly television program entitled “Valley Faith in Action”, and is co-host of a weekly radio program entitled “Crossroads: Where Faith and Culture Meet”. He is a former public school teacher, overseas missionary, and senior diplomat with assignments in Asia, Washington, New York with the U.S. Mission to the UN, and as a Congressional Fellow on Capitol Hill. Dean and his wife Janet live in Harrisonburg, VA.