America has historically achieved what is called exceptionalism because it was founded upon biblical social architecture. America's exceptionalism does not mean that America is in a place to be proud and arrogant, but rather that we are to be stewards of the social model that led to our greatness. The foundations upon which our nation was built led to great prosperity, ingenuity and influence around the world. I have had the privilege of visiting other nations, and one thing that I am told is that America is the leader which many other nations follow. This is a great responsibility which has the potential for great good or evil in the world.
In many places I have heard stories of America's generosity for which people are still grateful today. People in South Korea pray for America daily because they are still grateful for the sacrifice of Americans' lives in their fight for freedom. Even today, when nations face calamities, Americans often reach into their pockets to help. Charity is integrated into the values of our people, and is made possible because of the prosperity which has been achieved as a result of the foundations which our founding fathers laid.
America's exceptionalism is a phenomenon which was acknowledged internationally by other countries including France. In the 1830s Alexis to Tocqueville came to America to study our success. America was already decades-old, and had only gone through one revolution whereas France had already gone through several. After studying the social architecture of America, Alexis to Tocqueville credited our success to the influence of biblical religion upon the nation. He went so far as to say that Christianity was the chief political force in America. He went back to France and told them that the influence of biblical faith is what made America great.
It is not hard to understand why the influence of true Christian religion upon the nation was able to assert such a benign influence upon society. Those believers took their faith seriously, and believed that every vocation in life was an act of service to Almighty God which they would be held accountable for on judgment day. They saw it as their moral responsibility to integrate all of their lives for the service of God and the benefit of men. Even riches were meant to be used in ways which were responsible, and therefore were put to uses which are good and noble rather than corrupt. In those days the common religious consciousness was convinced that religion was to assert influence over all of our lives and not be relegated to a divine insurance policy which only takes effect in the afterlife. They believed such revolutionary ideas such as speaking the truth in love, protecting and defending other's liberty and living just and moral lives was essential to true religion. All of these values and foundations naturally lead to prosperity and blessing, and were the foundation upon which this nation was built.
Not only were individual moral and religious values essential in America's founding, but biblical social structures were integrated into the very systems of the nation itself. The founding fathers structured America politically, socially and economically according to the wisdom which is revealed in the Bible. Biblical models were used in designing the three branches of government, the free market economy and the educational system. Our founding fathers believed that all of the troubles that plagued other societies were a result of man's ignorance of Holy Scripture, and therefore they promoted literacy with the intention that future generations would know the truths of God's word. They were convinced that tyranny and oppression flourished whenever people do not hold leaders accountable according to the scriptural boundaries placed upon national governments. They believed that if people understood the social architecture which is revealed in the Bible, that they would be able to use that wisdom to destroy tyranny and oppression and bring forth prosperity and blessing.
Today the very thing which our forefathers feared has become a reality. Not only is the average citizen unaware of the Biblical models of social architecture, but many believers and even religious leaders are also ignorant of such truth. It is no wonder then that America has been experiencing great social moral and economic troubles since we have forsaken the very foundations which made us great.
We find similar situations recorded in the Bible. In ancient Israel during the reign of King Ahab, the nation radically forsook their foundations and began implementing other values and place of those which they had inherited. It was during that dark time in the nation's history that a prophet appeared out of the wilderness and turned the hearts of the fathers to the sons, and of the sons to the fathers. This is exactly what is taking place in America right now. Many voices are calling for our generation to return to the foundations which were laid by our founding fathers. These voices are making clear the vision for America to be restored to a place of prosperity and blessing which so many are longing for.
I'm not arguing that America's founding fathers had everything exactly right, nor that biblical religion was the only influence in early America, but that our leaders founded this nation upon biblical values. They had a vision for something which was revolutionary, but it was still very much in its infancy. As humans, they naturally made many mistakes, but they had the courage to initiate something which had never been done before. They set us on a course which, if maintained leads to great prosperity, blessing and good in the Earth. We were set on the trajectory to be a powerful force against tyranny and for liberty in the world. Unfortunately, through ignorance of the truths of God's word we have failed to maintain that direction, and set out on a course that leads to a different destiny than our founding fathers desired for their posterity. Today we stand at a crossroads and have to choose a destiny for our society which will influence our posterity. We can choose to forsake a biblical social architecture which will lead to more corruption and injustice, or we can return to the values which made America great and leave for our children's children a society founded upon justice and liberty.
William Brannan is an accomplished pastor, author, and speaker. He is the founding pastor of King's Way Church in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He has written three books, Spiritual DNA and The Law & Gospel, and The Word on Prayer. Please visit William's website at http://www.missionharvest.org to find out more.
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