Winthrop and Robert Winthrop. But our current notion of
“liberty” idolizes the self-government part, while the under
God part is under the bus.
The greatest deterrent to human liberty is independence
itself. Independence from God, that is. As we move further
away from individual recognition of Higher Law, and
personal accountability to the Higher Judge, the less liberty
we all have. That’s because the more citizens there are who
lack internal control under God, the more calls there will be
for external controls—under man. And this is not a pleasant
prospect. For who will govern our controllers? What will
guide their minds and hearts? The Bible?
As external controls increase in number, no amount of
legislation will solve the root problem. That’s because the
real problem is internal. Yes, we do need God-honoring
legislation. But genuine liberty within the halls of power, in
the public square, the marketplace, and the home, must be
voluntarily carried into these places by individual players who
are controlled by a power within them. We need politicians,
plumbers, and parents today who willingly (and gladly)
carry their respect for God and His authority within them
wherever they go. This is the kind of liberty John and Robert
Winthrop had in mind.
Both Presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan
invoked John Winthrop in political speeches, when they
quoted Winthrop’s famous line: “...We shall be as a city upon
a hill—the eyes of all people are upon us.” But neither Kennedy
nor Reagan told the American people what Winthrop said
next in that very same message: “So that if we shall deal
falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so
cause Him to withdraw His present help from us, we shall be
made a story and a by-word through the world. We shall open
the mouths of enemies to speak evil of the ways of God, and all
professors for God’s sake.”
It pains me to write this, but to a large degree, Winthrop’s
prophetic words have come to pass. If there ever was a time
to renew a nation, it’s now. But this renewal can only come
with a renewed understanding of the kind of liberty John
and Robert Winthrop had in mind: self-government under
God.
Dr. Christian Overman is the Founding Director of Worldview
Matters (worldviewmatters.com). He is the author of Assump-
tions That Affect Our Lives, God’s Pleasure At Work, and The
Difference One Life Can Make. Dr. Overman has taught on the
topic of biblical worldview across America, as well as in Central
America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. He and his wife, Kathy, have
four adult children and ten grandchildren. Contact Dr. Overman
at: [email protected], or call 877-624-0230.
Vision
To see culture transformed by giving millions
of children a Christian worldview education.
Mission
Renewanation serves to promote the cause of
Christian worldview education by supporting
and expanding Christian schools, homeschools
and ministries reaching students in
non-Christian schools.
Next
Steps
1. Influence the parents and pastors of 10,000
students to enroll their children in Christian
worldview education programs.
2. Provide 1,000 children with scholarships to
receive Christian worldview education.
3. Help start 50 new Christian education ministries:
Christian schools, Christian homeschools, and
ministries reaching public school students.
Visit renewanation.org
to learn more.
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