Today marks the 238th anniversary of the Continental Congress approving the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776. That fateful day not only sealed the future for those brave men who approved that document but that paper also established the principles by which America became the most successful nation of the past three centuries. Sorry to be politically incorrect but the 56 who signed were all white men. There were no Jews or Muslims or Hindus. There were not even any Mormons or Jehovah Witnesses. They were Christians. They may not have all been religiously so but there were at least culturally so. Sorry, but that’s the truth.
They were brave because by their signing they were declaring themselves to be rebels, some would say traitors. It was a tough thing to do. They had been English for generations and were generally loyal subjects of the crown, until now. They were starting a new thing. It was a bold and brave experiment and it worked. Those who started it knew why. Of the fifty-six men who signed this document, the last to pass away was Charles Carroll, who died at the age of 95. Before his passing, New York City asked him to inscribe his last thoughts on a copy of the Declaration. On it he wrote that he was “Grateful to Almighty God for the blessings which, through Jesus Christ Our Lord, He has conferred on my beloved country in her emancipation.” Significantly, this Founding Father, in looking back over what had occurred as a result of the Declaration, wanted to specifically thank Jesus for what had happened with America.
In 238 years the face of the experiment as changed. Today it is more colorful. It includes women and folks of many religions. The experiment worked not because it originally left out the poor and women and people of color and non-Christians. It worked because it was a new thing entrusted to God. It’s a vitally important point. God loves all those that the experiment now includes. The problem is not all still love and follow Him.
When you toast yourself at the beach or cook outside or just chill, think about that. The success of an experiment isn’t based on how it’s started but how it’s finished.
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