Long before the Declaration of Independence, those who first landed in this New World dedicated it to faith in God and freedom.
In his new book, America’s Reawakening, Dr. Eddie Hyatt argues this Judeo-Christian foundation is under unprecedented attack, and that recovering it may be key to the nation’s future.
From the very start, Europeans landing in America set out to follow God and the values found in the Bible.
It began in 1607 with the First Landing at Cape Henry, Virginia, and then again in 1620 at Plymouth, Massachusetts. That’s where the Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact, promising to build their new colony on Godly principles.
The Compact stated that the Pilgrims would be governed “for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith.”
That promise, or covenant, left a deep mark on America, shaping the way our government and society would grow.
Today, however, many Americans are rejecting that view.
Historian Dr. Eddie Hyatt hopes to change that through his book, America’s Reawakening: Awakening to Our National Roots in God, Faith, and Freedom.
He believes the truth about the nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage is under threat as never before.
“I believe there’s been an all-out attack to destroy America’s Christian founding,” he insisted. “In order to open the door, as Karl Marx said, people without a heritage are easily persuaded.”
Today, young Americans face constant propaganda, false information, and distorted historical facts. This influences how they view the world, often before they even realize it.
For example, some historians now argue that the Pilgrims came to America only for economic reasons, not religious freedom. Hyatt disagrees.
“The Pilgrims gave two reasons for coming to the New World,” Hyatt explained. “Number one, for the glory of God. Number two, for the advancement of the Christian faith.”
According to Hyatt, although the Pilgrims’ strong faith wasn’t shared by later generations, that changed during the Great Awakening of the 1730s and 1740s. The preaching of evangelists like Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield sparked a new wave of spiritual revival.
“George Whitefield, he preached from the courthouse steps in Philadelphia, and the crowds were estimated to be 10-to-12,000 when the population was about 13,000,” Hyatt explained. “And Benjamin Franklin said, from being thoughtless and indifferent about religion, it seemed that all the world was going religious so that one could not walk through any street in the evening without hearing prayers and psalms being sung in families on every street. The city was transformed.”
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Today, as revival movements spread on college campuses here, it seems possible another great awakening could be on the horizon.
“Ultimately, we’ve got to change hearts, and that’s what a true awakening does,” Hyatt said. “And we need those changed hearts across America, because then, when people have changed hearts, they will begin to live out their faith.”
Changed hearts that can transform our country and inspire America to return to its Judeo-Christian roots.
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