{"id":24515,"date":"2026-03-31T11:02:50","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T11:02:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/?p=24515"},"modified":"2026-03-31T11:02:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T11:02:50","slug":"what-will-save-america-an-awakening","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/?p=24515","title":{"rendered":"What Will SAVE America? An Awakening!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n              <span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading Time:<\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 5<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Leaders from every state are at each other\u2019s throats! Are they arguing over the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act or funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)?\n<\/p>\n<h4>This content is supported by your donations.<br \/>Give today.<\/h4>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Nope. Those tensions won\u2019t rise for 239 years. The heated debates comprise the first scene of <span class=\"s1\">A Great Awakening<\/span>, opening nationwide on April 3. At issue in the Constitutional Congress of 1787 is the power dynamic between large and small states. That will soon be solved by creating the House of Representatives (with the number of representatives based on population) and the Senate (with two senators for every state, regardless of size). Though it isn\u2019t featured in this film, <span class=\"s1\">we know from The American Miracle Expanded<\/span> that eight of the 13 states wanted to abolish slavery, which also caused much contentious chatter.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">But as A Great Awakening opens, there\u2019s no hope in sight.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">That\u2019s exactly where we are today with the SAVE America Act and funding DHS.\n<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p3\">Where does the SAVE America Act stand?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\">On March 26, every single Senate Democrat voted against <span class=\"s1\">an amendment to the SAVE America Act clarifying requirements for ID to vote<\/span> in national elections. The Act, which <span class=\"s1\">84% of Americans<\/span> think is a great idea, got 53 votes, but required 60 to pass.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) revealed the Democratic position in <span class=\"s1\">recent comments<\/span>. He said he\u2019s concerned illegal aliens won\u2019t know until they show up at the polls that they can\u2019t vote (confirming the Democrat reliance upon illegal voting). He also added that women who change their names won\u2019t know that they need to register with their new names.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Let\u2019s pray Democrats set aside these ridiculous excuses and protect our elections!\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">We reported<\/span> on the possibility of passing the SAVE America Act through reconciliation, which would not require the 60-vote threshold. Let\u2019s continue to pray for wisdom for our leadership on that front.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The bill is on hold until the Senate resumes on April 13.\n<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p3\">Where does funding for DHS stand?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\">On Friday, when DHS employees, including those working for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), had gone without pay for more than six weeks, <span class=\"s1\">President Trump ordered TSA agents to be paid<\/span>.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">President Trump pointed out:\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">[They] are not being paid\u00a0due to congressional Democrats\u2019 reckless decision to prioritize criminal illegal aliens over American citizens and shut down DHS until their demand to prohibit enforcement of Federal immigration law is met.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">He wrote, \u201cI have determined that these circumstances constitute an emergency situation compromising the Nation\u2019s security.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Senate Democrats blocked DHS funding to make a point about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which ironically is funded through 2029 through a prior legislative action.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Border czar Tom Homan said<\/span>, \u201cYour heart goes out to [TSA workers] because they\u2019re sitting there right now, working very hard and not being paid, while members of Congress are now on vacation \u2014 are getting paid.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Payments to TSA through the Executive Order <span class=\"s1\">started on Monday<\/span>.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Last Friday, the Senate passed a bill funding the DHS but not ICE. When the bill went to the House that evening, House Speaker Mike Johnson rejected it, <span class=\"s1\">calling it<\/span> \u201ca joke.\u201d Mr. Johnson and other House Republicans object to uncoupling the DHS and ICE. Such an action can make securing ICE funding difficult in the future, as well as set the stage to shut down the agency entirely.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">On Sunday, Mr. Homan urged Congress to fund the DHS, saying:\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">After all, we\u2019re talking about the Department of Homeland Security in a time [when] we have a heightened threat posture right now in this country because of what\u2019s going on in the world. This should be the last thing they\u2019re fighting over funding for.\n<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p3\">What\u2019s the solution?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\">Dutch Sheets had <span class=\"s1\">a great one<\/span>: \u201cOnly God\u2019s power, released through a third great awakening, can save and transform our nation.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Turns out we know what a great awakening can look like, and the film A Great Awakening gives us an in-depth look at how the first one happened in America.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Joshua Enck was planning to write and direct a film about liberty to celebrate our SuperCentennial, and it was going to be about George Washington. As Mr. Enck shared at the film\u2019s New York City premiere, he later heard from the Lord: \u201cYou\u2019ve got liberty right. You got your Georges wrong.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Mr. Enck\u2019s research led him to the strong friendship between George Whitefield and Benjamin Franklin. Rev. Whitefield (played by Jonathan Blair, who also worked on the script) was a lightning bolt of the First Great Awakening. Mr. Franklin (John Paul Sneed) used his printing press to get the word out about Rev. Whitefield\u2019s speaking engagements.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">During the contentious opening scene at the Constitutional Congress, Alexander Hamilton (Josh Bates) asks Rep. Franklin why he keeps silent in the turmoil, to which the Representative of Pennsylvania draws from his own Poor Richard\u2019s Almanack, \u201cHe that speaks much is much mistaken.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">George Washington (Russell Dean Schultz) visits Mr. Franklin and his grandson Benny Franklin Bache (JT Schaeffer) at home that night. General Washington (two years before being elected our first President) points out that the need to bring peace into the proceedings is for Benny, his children, and his grandchildren.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">General Washington pushes his old friend to do his part in helping bring the states back to unity.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Looking for inspiration for his grandfather, Benny stumbles across the journals of Rev. Whitefield, which stimulate the senior Franklin\u2019s memories of his friendship with the powerful preacher. The film argues that each man was a founding father: Mr. Franklin politically and Rev. Whitefield spiritually.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Rev. Whitefield plants many gospel seeds in the skeptical mind of the publisher, and they bear fruit in the closing scene. Mr. Enck gave me permission to share this spoiler: Rep. Franklin shares the entirety of his speech to Congress, calling them to start each day with prayer.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Let\u2019s pray our Congress of today will appeal just as earnestly to Heaven for their solutions.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">When I looked up what had happened in my zip code on IFA\u2019s <span class=\"s1\">American Spiritual Heritage Project<\/span>, it had this story: \u201cGeorge Whitefield preached throughout New York City during the Great Awakening, drawing massive crowds and sparking spiritual revival.\u201d You can find out more by searching for Zip code 10036 (and many others, I\u2019m sure, since he spoke live to 80% of the population of the colonies) at <span class=\"s1\">TheAmericanSpiritualHeritageProject.com<\/span>.\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Mr. Blair, Mr. Bates, and Katie Miller, head of Sight &amp; Sound\u2019s film division, attended the New York City premiere of A Great Awakening. According to Ms. Miller, the Sight &amp; Sound team members believe the film is \u201ca part of what God is already doing throughout the country.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Mr. Enck and Mr. Blair fielded questions from the audience afterward, and they all did brief interviews, which you can see below:\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Here\u2019s the trailer:\n<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p5\">Let\u2019s keep praying!<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s2\">May the SAVE America Act be passed soon!<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s2\">May DHS be fully funded, including ICE!<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s2\">May A Great Awakening do well at the box office!<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s2\">May many be inspired to live in revival and pray for awakening!<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4 class=\"p6\">Add your prayers in the comments below.<\/h4>\n<p class=\"p7\"><em>Rich Swingle has presented in 42 nations on six continents, mostly with his own one-man plays. He plays George Whitfield in <\/em>Star Spangled Adventures, <em>and two of his acting students are in <\/em>A Great Awakening<em>. Rich and his bride Joyce Swingle have 41 screen children. The Swingles live in New York City. <span class=\"s1\">www.RichDrama.com<\/span>. Photo Credit: Canva Teams.<\/em><br \/>\n&#13;\n            <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reading Time: 5 minutes Leaders from every state are at each other\u2019s throats! Are they arguing over the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act or funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)? This content is supported by your donations.Give today. \u00a0 Nope. Those tensions won\u2019t rise for 239 years. The heated debates comprise the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14638,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[236,4561,2277],"class_list":["post-24515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-prayer","tag-america","tag-awakening","tag-save"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24515"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24515\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14638"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biblelon.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}