REVIVAL
Cape Henry, A Christian Nation
By The 700 Club
CBN.com
English settlers came to America to spread the gospel.
April 29 marked the anniversary of an event that is central to
CBN's ministry today. On that day in 1607 a nation was born when
travel-weary Englishmen landed at Cape Henry on the shores of
Virginia. There they established the foundation for what would
become the most powerful country the world has ever seen.
Act 1, Scene 1 of the drama that was to be the United States
unfolded that day at Cape Henry, and the legacy of godliness on
American shores was sparked.
From these shores, settlers claimed the day for the glory of
Jesus Christ promising the gospel of God's kingdom would go forth
to the nations.
America's destiny and purpose were sealed with the cross they
erected at Cape Henry. All that would follow in our nation's growth
hinged on the single proclamation that this land belonged to Jesus
Christ.
In the Mayflower Compact of 1620, the Pilgrims reaffirmed the
mission set forth by the original Virginia settlers.
"All of us were taught that the Pilgrims came to America for
freedom of worship or religious freedom, but that's really not
true," said Dr. Peter Marshall, an author and historian. "They
said that they came to America to, 'propagate the gospel among
the Indians and to become, themselves, stepping stones for the
furtherance of the gospel to the outermost parts of the Earth.'
So they were missionaries."
The Puritans carried the Cape Henry legacy further. On the deck
of the Arbella, halfway between England and Cape Cod, leader John
Winthrop declared, "We shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes
of all people are upon us, so that if we shall deal falsely with
our God in this work we have undertaken and so cause him to withdraw
his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword
throughout the world."
Winthrop's phrasing was revealing, said Marshall. " When you
bring up Winthrop's phrase there, `the city upon a hill,' that's
the heart and the core of what America's been all about since
day one. Point being here that the basis for American life was
to be committed Christians who were to so let their light shine
to one another and then to the whole world, that the world could
see that as an example."
More than 100 years later, as America set off on her own course
towards independence, the Godly foundations laid in Virginia established
the character of our Revolution..
`Before God, I believe the hour has come," said John Adams of
the Revolution. "My judgment approves this measure and my whole
heart is in it. All that I have, all that I am and all that I
hope in this life I am now ready to stake upon it. And I leave
off as I began, that live or die, survive or perish, I am for
the Declaration. It is my living sentiment, and by the blessing
of God, it shall be my dying sentiment. Independence now and independence
forever."
George Washington's pure, Christian heart, Benjamin Franklin's
call to prayer and John Adams' reverence for the will of God symbolize
the undying commitment of our Founding Fathers to the creation
of a nation which would glorify God. The American character was
born in Scripture and nurtured by the Holy Spirit, yet today,
our national heritage is under siege.
Bishop James Madison warned of such a risk in 1795: "The moment
that religion, the pure and undefiled religion, loses its influence
over our hearts, from that fatal moment, farewell to public and
private happiness. Farewell--a long farewell--to virtue, to patriotism,
to liberty."
Nearly 400 years have passed since America was first conceived
at Cape Henry, and respect for our roots is growing cold. Yet
one undeniable fact still remains: At its core, the United States
of America is a Christian nation.
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