GREG LAURIE:
Imagine if Ben Franklin had invented a time machine. (It probably runs on lightning bolts that strike the kite attached to it.) Then he got some of his Constitution buddies together (Jefferson, Adams, Washington, etc.) and traveled to the present day United States. What do you think their reaction would be to the state of our country today? Besides being really impressed with Krispy Kreme doughnuts, I mean.
It's an interesting question, and I posed it to one of America's great thinkers, Eric Metaxas, to see what he would say. Eric has recently become a friend of mine and I have so much respect for him. Author of outstanding books such as Amazing Grace and Bonhoeffer, Eric is a brilliant intellectual who uses wit and analogy to bring home his point in a very understandable way.
Anyway, I asked him what he thought the Founders' reaction would be if they could see America today, and his answer was thought-provoking. He basically said that
Do you want to hear it? Of course you do.
Well, I'm not going to tell you. You'll have to read the book.
OK, I'll tell you.
After drafting the Constitution with the other Founders, Benjamin Franklin walked out of Philadelphia's Independence Hall and a woman said to him, "Dr. Franklin, what have you given us: a monarchy or a republic?"
Franklin replied, "A republic, madam, if you can keep it." In other words, it is going to be up to you. The American people are the ones who are responsible to know, live, and pass on the ideas that these men set into motion. If we the people don't keep the republic, it goes away. The burden is not on the government, but on the people.
That thought is a little heavy, isn't it?
If You Can Keep It also reminds us that the liberty we enjoy is built on the foundation of the gospel.
Without it, there would be no freedom. Self-governance is only possible for a virtuous people, and as morality weakens in our country, the system crumbles . . . like a stale cookie.
I have learned so many things by reading this great book by Eric Metaxas. I want to give my full endorsement of If You Can Keep It and strongly urge you to get a copy today. We will send you one as a thank-you gift for your donation to Harvest Ministries.
You can get it using the link below.
https://harvest.org/if_you_can_keep_it
The rights we enjoy as Americans are especially important to us as Christians, because they allow us to present the gospel openly and freely.
Your contribution to this ministry allows us to boldly share the gospel, which is at the very heart of the liberties we enjoy. We'll be proclaiming that gospel nationwide in just a couple months through Harvest America, and I'm excited about that!
Thank you for standing with us in the gospel.
In Christ,
Greg
Imagine if Ben Franklin had invented a time machine. (It probably runs on lightning bolts that strike the kite attached to it.) Then he got some of his Constitution buddies together (Jefferson, Adams, Washington, etc.) and traveled to the present day United States. What do you think their reaction would be to the state of our country today? Besides being really impressed with Krispy Kreme doughnuts, I mean.
It's an interesting question, and I posed it to one of America's great thinkers, Eric Metaxas, to see what he would say. Eric has recently become a friend of mine and I have so much respect for him. Author of outstanding books such as Amazing Grace and Bonhoeffer, Eric is a brilliant intellectual who uses wit and analogy to bring home his point in a very understandable way.
Anyway, I asked him what he thought the Founders' reaction would be if they could see America today, and his answer was thought-provoking. He basically said that
- they would be shocked that the country is still here, because what they put into motion was a gamble, an experiment, an incredibly fragile venture, and
- their second reaction would probably be that of horror. They would be horrified that, after keeping it going for so long, we are on the verge of losing it.
Do you want to hear it? Of course you do.
Well, I'm not going to tell you. You'll have to read the book.
OK, I'll tell you.
After drafting the Constitution with the other Founders, Benjamin Franklin walked out of Philadelphia's Independence Hall and a woman said to him, "Dr. Franklin, what have you given us: a monarchy or a republic?"
Franklin replied, "A republic, madam, if you can keep it." In other words, it is going to be up to you. The American people are the ones who are responsible to know, live, and pass on the ideas that these men set into motion. If we the people don't keep the republic, it goes away. The burden is not on the government, but on the people.
That thought is a little heavy, isn't it?
If You Can Keep It also reminds us that the liberty we enjoy is built on the foundation of the gospel.
Without it, there would be no freedom. Self-governance is only possible for a virtuous people, and as morality weakens in our country, the system crumbles . . . like a stale cookie.
I have learned so many things by reading this great book by Eric Metaxas. I want to give my full endorsement of If You Can Keep It and strongly urge you to get a copy today. We will send you one as a thank-you gift for your donation to Harvest Ministries.
You can get it using the link below.
https://harvest.org/if_you_can_keep_it
The rights we enjoy as Americans are especially important to us as Christians, because they allow us to present the gospel openly and freely.
Your contribution to this ministry allows us to boldly share the gospel, which is at the very heart of the liberties we enjoy. We'll be proclaiming that gospel nationwide in just a couple months through Harvest America, and I'm excited about that!
Thank you for standing with us in the gospel.
In Christ,
Greg
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