The Christ in Prophecy Journal

Founding Fathers and the Fallen Nature

Peter Marshall

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Did America’s Founding Fathers actually set up a government wary of mankind’s fallen nature?

In a Christ in Prophecy series titled “America’s Christian Heritage,” Dr. David Reagan interviews a historian who has some startling insights into why the United States’ government has so many checks and balances.

For over forty years the Rev. Peter Marshall has gained national recognition as a teacher and writer on America’s Christian heritage. Because he believes that our nation is in moral and spiritual crisis and that the only hope for restoration is revival, his increasingly prophetic ministry focuses on two major themes โ€” recovering the original American vision with the truth about our Christian heritage, and putting 2 Chronicles 7:14 on national repentance into practice.

Son of the famous Senate chaplain Dr. Peter Marshall and author Catherine Marshall, Rev. Marshall has devoted himself to a continent-wide ministry of preaching, teaching and writing. He has co-authored three best-selling books about God’s call on America and His hand on our history โ€” The Light and The Glory, From Sea to Shining Sea, and Sounding Forth the Trumpet. His ministry is called Peter Marshall Ministries.

The Orthodox Christian Founding Fathers

Dr. Reagan: How many of the Founding Fathers were true Orthodox Christians? Do you want to mention some other names?

Rev. Marshall: Well, Patrick Henry, I mean good heavens, Patrick Henry was a strong Evangelical Christian. These guys, many of them were not just Christian believers, but they were Evangelicals in modern terminology.

Dr. Reagan: So, they were interested in bringing people to Christ?

Rev. Marshall: Oh, yes, heavens yes! Roger Sherman of Connecticut wrote the Creed for his local church in New Haven. He was a Calvinist Theologian who loved to write theology tracks. In the new edition of The Light and the Glory, I have an appendix in the back where I talk about the Christian faith of other Founding Fathers. I just randomly picked 15 or 16 of these guys. One of them was a hymn composer.

These guys preached. There are many, many, many sermons from Founding Fathers. They were busy preaching on Sunday mornings.

Dr. Reagan: So, the argument that the Founding Fathers were not Orthodox Christians is simply a lie?

Rev. Marshall: It is ridiculous. It is simply, flatly untrue.

Belief in the Innate Evil of Man

Dr. Reagan: I have always believed that one of the fundamental differences between a Liberal and a Conservative is their view of the nature of man. The Liberal believes man is basically good and capable of perfection, and the Conservative says, “No, he is innately evil and fallen and we must face that reality.” Our Founding Fathers faced that reality, didn’t they?

Rev. Marshall: Because they were believers in the Word of God, they knew their Bibles. The Bible is clear about the fact that the nature of man is sinful and fallen, that is why we need a Savior. That is why Jesus had to come and die on Calvary’s cross. To that point they set up a government with checks and balances to create a balance of power.

Dr. Reagan: They didn’t even trust themselves.

Rev. Marshall: Right! No single human being can be entrusted with absolute authority because of that person’s sinfulness. They would use it wrongly sooner or later. That is why the Founding Fathers rejected monarchy and that is why America does not have kings and queens or oligarchy. We have a system of checks and balances.

Montesquieu of France, whom they relied on a great deal, was a Christian philosopher of civil government. He was well aware of the sinfulness of man, which is why he wrote about the balance of powers, which is what they put into practice.

Resource

America's Christian Heritage

America’s Christian Heritage DVD

Explore America’s Christian heritage!
America’s Christian Heritage is a 70-minute interview of the Reverend Peter Marshall, historian and author of the book The Light and the Glory and son of the famous Senate chaplain Dr. Peter Marshall and Catherine Marshall, author of the Christy novels.

Order your copy today!

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ABOUT AUTHOR View all posts Author Website

Dr. Nathan E. Jones

As the Internet Evangelist at Lamb & Lion Ministries, Nathan reaches out to the over 4.5 billion people accessible over the Internet with the Good News of Jesus Christ. He also co-hosts the ministry's television program Christ in Prophecy and podcast The Truth Will Set You Free.

13 CommentsLeave a Comment

  • Hello Nathan
    I am too nervous to try face book, so please excuse this detour from the article; I wondered if you have โ€œFootsteps โ€ฆโ€ yet?

  • EI,

    I felt the same way about blogging. I suppose it's like swimming. It's always tough to take that first plunge in the water. There are a few privacy issues with facebook that I'm not entirely comfortable with. But as long as you're careful it should be a painless experience.

    rg

  • I imagine a vast majority of our Founding Fathers embraced a Christian heritage and endorsed these principals in the founding of our nation. This is a historical fact, however things changed dramatically once a currency or monetary exchange was created. The trading of men under forced labor and agricultural resources was not enough to quench the greed of many.

    Once a banking structure was created, gold and/or currency was established corruption and greed entered into the arena. Today we have an America that exists full of debt and excessive taxation. The citizenry has been placed in chains rowing the boats as the wealthy class beats the drum. An all powerful government catering to the desire of corporate interests.

    Today the modern Church wishes to join with this corrupt system seeking to create a theocracy, yet even our corrupt leaders are not foolish enough to allow this. An all powerful Church to rival the government is out of the question. They will exploit the monetary gains of this corrupt Church yet when it is no longer profitable for them, they will destroy it.

    The political system we have today is filled with corruption and the Church would be wise to stay out of it, lest they also be partakers in their sins and be judged by God accordingly. Some Christian leaders today believe they can produce a favorable atmosphere by joining in the political process yet, this only serves to increase apostacy that much further and adds to the already unbearable stench coming from the pulpits in America today.

  • Nathan
    Please watch out for 'Footprints'…' they were heading for your address and should have got there by now?

    I dare not try anything adventurous, my little grey cells are revolting – its not pretty!

    rg
    John Chingford did a great post about Romans 11 and the Olive Tree on Watchman and on Bob M's site.

    I tired, I go! ๐Ÿ™‚

  • Pastor Nathan Jones
    C/O Lamb and Lion Ministries
    P.O. Box 919,
    McKinney,
    TX 75070
    U.S.A.

    Roughly three to four weeks direct from Ariel. My friend did it for me and she has had both an email and a snail mail receipt.
    I shall give it a few more days then check again with Ariel; they are usually reliable – I'm sorry to spoil the surprise. ๐Ÿ™
    Sue

  • "…three to four weeks"?? Way too long!!!

    Nathan digs furiously through the dumpster, bag after bag of un-read "junk" mail, hoping against hope… looking for any covert MI5 "Advertisements" with markings from the "UK" on it… [carefully avoiding anything that starts with 'P' and ends, drippingly, with 'e'…]

    Mind racing ahead; Wait! Didn't she address this to that fictitious "TX 75070" 'Federal Zone', instead of the Indomitable "Republic of Texas"?!? No wonder!

    Suddenly he spies a bag way out in the field… "Did one of those semi-literates in the Federal "Postal Zone" misunderstand "Pastor" as "Pasture" and deliver it out there?

    What will Nathan discover in the "Field of Not-so-Dreams", as he carefully watches his step?
    2BCont'd…
    ;-D

  • My office actually looks out onto a pasture with horses, so not too far off.

    Sorry, E.I., I checked the mail room and they don't report getting anything from the U.K. so far. ๐Ÿ™

    Email via our contact us page with your email address and I'll notify you soon as I see it. Again, thanks!

  • I'd have patience regarding the delivery of Footsteps. When I ordered my copy it took so long that I thought the order was lost. I enquired and they sent another copy via special delivery. The original copy eventually turned up. I sent them money for both and gave the extra copy away.

    EI, it'll eventually get there.

    rg

  • rg
    Thanks for the reassurance. I have been away so havent been able to chase it up.

    Nathan
    It isn't coming from the UK, it is coming direct from the Ariel U.S.A office to you. I'll see what I can do.

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