Presidents of Revolution, Revival, and the American ‘Brand’
To celebrate Presidents Day, we must understand that what made President George Washington and President Abraham Lincoln great, was not inherently their leadership, wisdom or courage. It was all of those in service to the ideals of liberty and goodness to bless an entire nation of people. Those ideals were inspired by the Bible, and they birthed the ‘brand’ of America. To celebrate Presidents Day is to celebrate America. But have we forgotten ‘our brand’--what America stands for?
The American brand was what inspired and empowered George Washington to lead a Revolution that began our nation. The American brand is what inspired the resolve of Abraham Lincoln to save America through a Revival of our foundations. And today we’re witnessing both a New Revolution from tyranny and a New Revival of convictions under the leadership of President Donald Trump. But as great as these American Presidents are in their times, these individuals only serve to point us to the vision of America.
History proves that unless we citizens know and defend our Americanism, our ‘Liberty and Justice for All ‘ could pass away in a few short years. Our faith must not be in a President or any great American. (I would argue that the true Source of Americanism lies in what the Declaration of Independence calls “the laws of Nature, and of Nature’s God”.) This real core of America-- the why, the brand--must ignite a Revival in the PEOPLE—a revival our very CULTURE.
What are America’s symbols and creeds? They matter. Let’s become students of Americanism so we stay amazed and strengthened to lead ourselves, our families and communities to KEEP our Republic.
Os Guinness powerfully reminds us why America is worth fighting for, and how we can. He wrote in A Free People's Suicide: Sustainable Freedom and the American Future that the majority of our American founders shared the Judeo-Christian understanding of human nature being inherently self-driven, so they created a way to sustain freedom. Guinness calls it "The Golden Triangle of Freedom”. The three truths that make up this triangle--freedom, virtue and faith--are interdependent. Freedom requires virtue. Virtue requires faith. And faith requires freedom. If freedom, virtue or faith stop being central to our American Culture, we will fall.
“In the end”, Guinness writes, “the ultimate threat to the American Republic will be Americans. The problem is not wolves at the door, but termites in the floor.” President Lincoln believed the same: "If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."
Another practical and motivating source is Guinness’ 2018 book, Last Call for Liberty: How America's Genius for Freedom Has Become Its Greatest Threat. He wrote, “We face a fundamental crisis of freedom, as America’s genius for freedom has become her Achilles heel. Our society’s conflicts are rooted into rival views of freedom”: in ‘1776’, the American Revolution, and in ‘1789’, the French Revolution. We must decide which freedom to follow. He also offers a checklist for readers to assess the character and consequences of the freedoms they’re choosing.
I highly recommend another great source--a wealth of knowledge and inspiration that can even serve as group study material. WallBuilders has timely and relevant content and resources for the purpose of “Helping Americans Remember and Preserve the True History of Our Great Nation”.
For the kids (true confession—I learn a lot from them, too!), PragerU makes it easy to understand our Americanism and to make it interesting to others. Here’s one 5-minute video, but there are SO many more: Today Is Presidents' Day
So, let’s be reminded to take seriously our enjoyment of this current sense of freedom – this new Revolution and Revival. Though American Presidents deserve our respect and honor, it’s the American Citizen—you and me—who must carry the ‘American brand’ forward in our hearts and our actions, and who must teach it to our children and grandchildren.