A concerned pastor, Rev. M. R. Watkinson, asked the Secretary of the Treasury, “What if our Republic were shattered beyond reconstruction? Would not the antiquaries of succeeding centuries rightly reason from our past that we were a heathen nation?” Having received the letter, then Secretary Chase wrote to the Director of the Mint saying, “No nation can be strong except in the strength of God, or safe except in His defense,” and he urged the Director to declare America’s trust in God on national coins “without unnecessary delay.” The result, stamped on all coins for proceeding generations, was America’s well-known national motto, “In God We Trust.” Yet, though our currency still proclaims this today, the overwhelming heart of Americans is found trusting anything but Almighty God.

Today, 248 years after the birth of this great nation, our young Republic stands once again on the brink of collapse. One might even say that the fears of Reverend Watkinson prevailed, and that America has been “shattered beyond reconstruction.” Indeed, it is not the America of 1776 when fifty-six courageous men signed the Declaration of Independence of which a portion reads, “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.” Nor, for that matter, is it the America of 1861, when a bloody civil war began in a clash over those God-given rights our Founding Fathers recognized. It is not even the America of the 1950s, an era in which President Eisenhower signed into law adding the phrase “under God” to the Pledge of Allegiance so that Americans “shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource in peace or in war.” In short, should the antiquaries of our present weigh and measure the balance of Western civilization, they would declare it wanting. America has been shattered beyond recognition of her former self, but is she beyond reconstruction?

To answer this question, we must recall the sustaining Power behind any nation: the person of Jesus Christ. He is the Cornerstone, the lynchpin by which civilizations rise and fall, and our Founders planted the roots of America firmly on this Truth. In 1787, Benjamin Franklin addressed Congress, saying:

“[T]he longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth – that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? … [A]nd I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the Builders of Babel.”

In the Founders' minds, no political party, leader, or military had the power to build, sustain, or save this country. The saving inability of these institutions does not mean they are not used by God as vessels to accomplish His purpose, as “there is no authority except from God, and those which exist have been appointed by God (Romans 13:1).” It is, therefore, the moral obligation of every American Christian to use their voice to influence political outcomes in this country profoundly. However, if we genuinely want to “Make America Great Again,” it will require nothing short of returning to the One who made it in the first place. America is not beyond reconstruction. She requires an awakening. She requires a revival. She requires reclaiming her national calling.

Yet, how are we, as a post-Christian society, to accomplish this task? In October 1789, President Washington answered this question, stating, “[I]t is the duty of nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly implore His protection and favor.” This duty will never become a reality for a society that no longer adheres to the words “In God We Trust,” a society that the Truth of Jesus Christ has not freed. Therefore, the responsibility to reclaim our national calling lies solely at the feet of American Christians. Like our Founding Fathers before us, it requires a humbling of our hearts, genuine repentance, and intercession on behalf of those blinded to the Truth. And even today, in an ever-darkening society, there remains a remnant of hope as Christians, churches, and civil servants do just that.

Just this year, the Governor of Tennessee and its House of Representatives issued a proclamation declaring July a month of prayer and fasting for the state. Furthermore, they called on every spiritually minded Christian to join them, stating:

“Be it resolved that we call upon those who are physically able and spiritually inclined to do so to join in a thirty-day session of prayer and intermittent fasting as we begin a new fiscal year as a means of seeking God’s blessing and humbling ourselves to receive His Grace and Mercy, transforming ourselves, our communities, our State, and our Nation.”

As we celebrate our nation’s history, let us remember this is where reclaiming our national calling begins: at the feet of Jesus Christ. No matter your denominational background, will you join with brothers and sisters in Christ in fervent prayer and intercession for this great nation? Will you present yourself to, within your ability, reclaim our national calling?

In Christ’s Love & His Service,

Pastor Ethan Bogan