What's So Great About America?
America is the greatest country in the history of the world. It is truly exceptional. I don't believe that because this just happens to be where I was born and raised. America is exceptional because it was founded upon timeless truths -- self-evident truths. Reflecting on these "first principles" will give you a reason to celebrate this Independence Day, thanking God for blessing the entire world with the United States of America.
First, America was founded on the truth that all men are created equal. Everyone deserves to be treated equally under the law.
Second, equality leads to the principle of consent. Since all men are created equal, no man has the right to rule over another man without his consent. A government is only legitimate if it has derived its powers from the consent of the governed. Thus, America is a representative democracy.
A third timeless truth is that people are created with unalienable rights, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Unalienable means they cannot be taken away. Why? Rights are given by God, not the government. Since the government does not give rights, it cannot take them away. To do so would be immoral.
Because of the truth of unalienable rights, the only reason that people would consent to establish a government over them is for the purpose of securing their rights. The government is not more important than the individual. Rather, the government exists to secure the rights of the individual. When the government fails to secure unalienable rights it is dysfunctional.
To ensure that the government does not restrict or limit personal freedom, America is also founded upon the principle of limited government. In the words of Thoreau, "That government is best which governs least." To ensure limited government, the founders set up several boundaries to keep the government in check. The boundary of separation of powers divides the three functions of government into three different branches -- the legislative, executive, and judicial branches -- so that no one branch becomes too powerful. The boundary of federalism divides sovereignty between the national government and the state governments, so that the federal government only has a few, enumerated powers, and all other powers are left to the states. The boundary of a written Constitution subjects the government to the rule of law to prevent the powerful from dominating the weak. Thus the government cannot do whatever it wants, but must work within the limits of the law.
Finally, America is founded upon the truth that freedom requires virtue, and virtue requires faith. As Eric Metaxas has recently written on Breakpoint, "If citizens do not voluntarily practice virtue, the authorities have no choice but to attempt to enforce it." The founders understood that the best way to foster virtue is through the Christian church. Thus, not only is religious freedom an unalienable right, but it is expressly protected in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights to ensure that faith has the opportunity to flourish.
America is not perfect. But no nation has ever been perfect. At the same time, no nation has ever been as good as America. Because of the timeless truths that form our nation's foundation, America is exceptional. As Christians we can heartily join in the celebration on July Fourth. And we can pray with sincerity, "God bless the USA!"
First, America was founded on the truth that all men are created equal. Everyone deserves to be treated equally under the law.
Second, equality leads to the principle of consent. Since all men are created equal, no man has the right to rule over another man without his consent. A government is only legitimate if it has derived its powers from the consent of the governed. Thus, America is a representative democracy.
A third timeless truth is that people are created with unalienable rights, such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Unalienable means they cannot be taken away. Why? Rights are given by God, not the government. Since the government does not give rights, it cannot take them away. To do so would be immoral.
Because of the truth of unalienable rights, the only reason that people would consent to establish a government over them is for the purpose of securing their rights. The government is not more important than the individual. Rather, the government exists to secure the rights of the individual. When the government fails to secure unalienable rights it is dysfunctional.
To ensure that the government does not restrict or limit personal freedom, America is also founded upon the principle of limited government. In the words of Thoreau, "That government is best which governs least." To ensure limited government, the founders set up several boundaries to keep the government in check. The boundary of separation of powers divides the three functions of government into three different branches -- the legislative, executive, and judicial branches -- so that no one branch becomes too powerful. The boundary of federalism divides sovereignty between the national government and the state governments, so that the federal government only has a few, enumerated powers, and all other powers are left to the states. The boundary of a written Constitution subjects the government to the rule of law to prevent the powerful from dominating the weak. Thus the government cannot do whatever it wants, but must work within the limits of the law.
Finally, America is founded upon the truth that freedom requires virtue, and virtue requires faith. As Eric Metaxas has recently written on Breakpoint, "If citizens do not voluntarily practice virtue, the authorities have no choice but to attempt to enforce it." The founders understood that the best way to foster virtue is through the Christian church. Thus, not only is religious freedom an unalienable right, but it is expressly protected in the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights to ensure that faith has the opportunity to flourish.
America is not perfect. But no nation has ever been perfect. At the same time, no nation has ever been as good as America. Because of the timeless truths that form our nation's foundation, America is exceptional. As Christians we can heartily join in the celebration on July Fourth. And we can pray with sincerity, "God bless the USA!"
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