Henry Clay fought courageously and tirelessly to keep the Union from splitting apart. But this wasn’t a popular position in his home state of Kentucky, and cost him dearly in his bid for president; Clay’s response to this was: "I would rather be right than President," a statement that fairly well summarizes the character of Henry Clay.
One of the most powerful men who ever served in government, Clay was known for his unbending integrity, and as a man who made no secret of his convictions, either politically or where His religious beliefs were concerned. While speaking to In the Kentucky Colonization Society in 1829, he said: "Eighteen hundred years have rolled away since the Son of God offered Himself for the salvation of our species.” In 1852, Congressman John C. Breckinridge recalled at Clay’s funeral how he had once heard him say:
"The vanity of the world, and its insufficiency to satisfy the soul of man, has been long a settled conviction of my mind. Man's inability to secure by his own merits the approbation of God, I feel to be true . . . I trust in the atonement of the Saviour of mercy, as the ground of my acceptance and of my hope of salvation."
The testimony of a man’s faith in Christ for salvation couldn’t be much clearer than this. And up until fifty or sixty years ago, an unapologetic testimony of belief in Christ and the Bible was commonplace among our nation’s leaders. A small sampling of how our founding fathers felt about God, the Bible and Christianity follows: (Note: For those who will take exception to the perceived insinuation that Jefferson, for example, was a born again believer, please note that no such assertion is being made here. We are asserting I his own words however that he had a much higher regard for, and positive feelings towards Christ and Christianity than the spiritual lowlife who so commonly hold public office today.
“No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand, which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States.”—George Washington (1732-1799)
I have a tender reliance on the mercy of the Almighty, through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ.—Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804)
Christianity is the only true and perfect religion.—Benjamin Rush (1746-1813), Signer of the Declaration of Independence
“God governs in the affairs of man. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid?”.—Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) Signer of the Declaration of Independence
I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus..—Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), Author of Declaration of Independence
It is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forbearance, love, and charity toward each other.—James Madison (1751-1836), Father of the Constitution
“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ.”—Patrick Henry (1736-1799)
“In circumstances as dark as these, it becomes us, as Men and Christians, to reflect that . . . all confidence must be withheld from the means we use; and reposed only on that God who rules in the armies of Heaven, and without His whole blessing, the best human counsels are but foolishness.—John Hancock (1737-1793), Signer of the Declaration of Independence
The American population is entirely Christian, and with us Christianity and Religion are identified.—John Marshall (1755-1835), Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
Without morals a republic cannot subsist any length of time; they therefore who are decrying the Christian religion, whose morality is so sublime and pure...are undermining the solid foundation of morals, the best security for the duration of free governments.—Charles Carroll (1737-1832), signer of the Declaration of Independence
These continued to be the sentiments of our leaders until perhaps a half century ago. Characteristic of the prevailing thought and feeling then was the testimony of men like Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), our 30th President who said, “The foundation of our society and our government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings would cease to be practically universal in this country.” President Dwight D. Eisenhower, five star general and 34th President, stated: “Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first, the most basic, expression of Americanism. Without God, there could be no American way of life.”
For many decades, forces have infiltrated and steadily gained the ascendancy in our nation’s educational and governmental institutions as well as in the press and all other forms of public media. They have worked tirelessly to revise and pervert our heritage and have chipped away at all of our historic foundations, especially where Christianity, Christian morality, and the Constitution of the United States is concerned. Their goal has been, and is, to transform America from a Constitutional Republic whose people remember the rightful place God has in our heritage and our lives, into a godless, atheistic society whose people have forgotten God and must therefore live under the heel of a totalitarian government.
This Fourth of July, as we celebrate our independence, let’s also consider how close we are to losing our status as a sovereign nation, and all of the individual freedoms that we have taken for granted for so long. The attitude of our political leaders today towards Christianity and our Constitution is not the attitude held by our leaders in the past. Reverence for God, the rule of law and the freedom of individuals is now mocked, resented and under attack.
There is a remedy. God has given us a principle to follow that will rescue our nation from the imminent danger that it is in: “If my people, which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven , and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chron. 7:14). The God who cannot lie (Titus 1:2) has given us a formula for the healing and deliverance of America.