Faith of our fathers, living still
In spite of dungeon, fire and sword,
O how our hearts beat high with joy
Whene’er we hear that glorious word!
Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death!
Faith of our fathers, we will love
Both friend and foe in all our strife,
And preach thee, too, as love knows how
By kindly words and virtuous life.
Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death!
Above are the first and last verses of that beloved hymn Faith of Our Fathers. As the American Decency Association, we attempt to express this “holy faith” in all that we do – pointing to our Heavenly Father and the high calling that is ours to live by faith, by His grace, and the empowering of His Spirit.
American: points to a national faith which our forefathers believed in. Regardless of where culture stands today or where it will stand in the future, the speeches of our founding fathers and the documents they wrote are full of Biblical references and exhibit a faith in the one, true God, the Creator of Heaven and Earth. The motivation behind their actions, although lived out imperfectly, was for the glory of God and the ability to worship and live freely. We thank God for His moving upon their hearts and minds, His Hand of Providence bringing success to their efforts, and we pray that our nation will once again, by God’s mercy and grace, turn to the God and faith of our fathers, being renewed and revived once again.
Decency: points to the only true standard of decency – The Holy Bible of the Christian faith, inspired (God-breathed) and written by our spiritual forefathers. The term “decency,” as defined by the dictionary, fluctuates according to what a society deems acceptable by the majority of its citizens. Yet, God has already ruled what is decent; He has declared what is holy and what is profane. We continue to press the importance of living by His Word, that by which all men will one day be judged. We are motivated by its truth, our love for God with all that we are, and our love for others as we would love ourselves.
Association: points to the fact that we are joined by like-minded, kindred souls. We come from various walks of life, different denominations, and approach things uniquely, but we are united in Christ and work together for the glory of God. We are many yet united; “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” (Eph. 4:3-7)
Praise God for this “faith of our fathers! holy faith!” By God’s grace may we “be true to thee till death!” Amen!
Think on these things as you read or listen to the Decency Minutes below.
Personal liberties are cool again
“Democracy Dies in Darkness,” the Washington Post cajoled its readers in the masthead every day beginning with the first Trump Presidency.
Trump 2.0 has provoked a different response from owner Jeff Bezos, who also owns Amazon. Bezos wrote this to Post employees at the end of February: “I’m writing to let you know about a change coming to our opinion pages.
“We are going to be writing every day in support and defense of… personal liberties and free markets. … viewpoints opposing those pillars will be left to be published by others…”
Personal liberties are cool again, it seems.
Take this as a reminder: whether the rich and powerful want to acknowledge our personal liberties, doesn’t affect whether or not we have them. The fickleness of men like Bezos is why it’s important to recall that our rights and our freedoms come from God, not government.
Christians in America can easily become complacent as we live out our comfortable lives. But in other nations our fellow believers are persecuted and killed for their faith.
Seventy Christians – men, women, and children – were just beheaded inside a church in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Nigeria, 60,000 Christians have been brutally massacred since 2009.
Hebrews 3 tells us to remember those who are persecuted for their faith, since we are all one body. Pray for those who face such unimaginable horror, but also raise awareness of their plight with fellow Christians and with government leaders. Thankfully, the Trump administration has pledged to defend religious liberty both at home and in foreign policy.
As the white-robed martyrs slain for their witness rest under the alter, may we cry out to the Lord on behalf of our brothers and sisters still facing the same plight.
May God bring a spiritual renewal to our land
In J.D. Vance we not only have a vice president who defends freedom, but also advocates for a Christian worldview.
Vance recently shared his faith, stating: “It’s not just a set of good moral principles, though it is that. … the fundamental tenet of our faith is that the Son of God became man, He died, and He raised Himself from the dead.” Vance added, what’s worse than losing one’s life, is losing one’s soul.
Reminiscent of our Founding Fathers, Vance also declared, “I want us to be the kind of society where my kids can grow up to be virtuous young people, can be good young Christians … because that’s what I’m trying to raise them to be, and that’s what our public policy is trying to do.”
Pray that God will work through J.D. Vance and will renew our nation – not just morally, but spiritually.
What does it mean to live a life of faith, a Christ-pervading life that regulates our thoughts and actions? What would that look like? (For isn’t that the essence of what being Christian is?) One anabaptist writer put it this way:
“Everything we do, we do ‘as unto the Lord.’ When we nail siding on a house, we do it out of a love for the people who will live there, not just for the paycheck. When we bake bread, we do it for the people we love, not for the compliments for our baking. When we make a weld, we try to make an excellent weld so the user has the satisfaction of a solid machine. When we do dishes, we do it cheerfully not in drudgery. When we cultivate a field, we do it to feed people, not just for the sake of a good crop. When we can peaches, we do it to feed our family. Being a Christian means being conscious or subconscious of God Almighty above us, and of Christ’s love and forgiveness in us, and of God’s Spirit leading us. Being a Christian means serving the people around us. It is in living for and serving others that we serve our God. Being a Christian means spreading the good news of the Gospel, either by word or by life.”
A good question to ask: Why do we do what we do?
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