The foundation of political freedom is the Ten Commandments and the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is why democratic governance found root first in the fertile soil of the Protestant Reformation. As George Washington said, freedom cannot exist without morality, and morality cannot exist without religion. And, of course, he was referring to the Christian religion, as were all the American founders when they used the word "religion."

It has been said that those who will not be governed by God will be ruled by men, and it is true. As we have witnessed the waning of our spiritual strength, men have risen to fill the gap with their own dreams and visions, along with a thirst for the political power necessary to force their own "heavenly" visions upon us all. Sadly, those most to blame for this state of affairs are Christians -- the Church of the Living God. We have allowed the gap to grow rather than fill it ourselves.

Thomas Jefferson wrote and the American Republic's founders signed the following: "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" (U.S. Declaration of Independence).

From the outset, as can be seen in the words of our founding document, the source of all political rights is acknowledged to be our Creator, not man and his government. The Founders did not trust human sources of government because of the sinfulness of the human heart. Rather, they looked to God and the Bible as the fountain of wisdom necessary to govern.

Their distrust of man and their declaration that all political rights proceed from God had a profound effect on the structure of government in the United States. For one, power was distributed among the branches of government. No single branch of government held power over the others. Also, states were looked upon as semi-autonomous regions that came under federal control only in those areas where they were unable to carry out the desires of the nation as a whole, such as war, interstate commerce, and foreign trade and tariffs. As the U.S. Constitution declares, those rights not specifically enumerated to the federal government in our Constitution are reserved to the states.

There is one area of governance that has been all but lost to the people. That is the right for the Church of Jesus Christ to exist without interference from the Government. The understanding of the Founders' intentions regarding the Church is terribly important, yet there is little recognition among Church pastors, theologians, or members of the rights that the Founders sought to guarantee in the U.S. Constitution that would promise the perpetual independence of the people of God from governmental control. The Founders believed that the gospel of Christ should be unfettered in this great land. That is why even today, churches are exempt from taxes. Taxes belong to the work of Caesar and cannot be imposed on the Work of God. The power to tax is the power to coerce, and so long as government is restrained from imposing taxes on the Church, it is also restrained from coercing the message of Christ. When the Bill of Rights was added to the U.S. Constitution, the guarantee of religious freedom was deliberately placed in first position. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances" (First Amendment).

The government of the United States was established so that Christians would be encouraged to participate in the offices and processes of government. It has been a source of sadness for me to see so many Christians who know our history label this nation and its various levels of government as Babylon, a nation ruled by Satan. It can only be that if Christians abandon the halls of government and hand the reigns of power over to the ungodly to do with as they wish. Yet that is exactly what we have done over the past 150 years. In spite of the fact that many Christians are frustrated with the direction our courts and legislatures have taken us, they continue to allow ungodly men and women to dictate the moral climate of our nation. If you wish to continue to live your Christian life in peace in this great land, which was a gift to us from our Creator, never forget George Washington's words: Freedom cannot exist without morality, and morality cannot exist without religion. Then go do something to guarantee that same freedom for your children and grandchildren.    --Kenneth Ryland