Walking through the museums of the American Revolution, I was reminded of the role that the local church and pastors had in the founding and direction of our young nation. However, these churches and pastors understood that liberty was the gift of God. God given liberty released you from slavery to enjoy a life that was not possible before God’s gift. God sets us free in order that we might know Him and enjoy him forever. We are free from the tyranny of whatever keeps us from knowing, enjoying, and serving God.

The call of the ministry and the Church is to preach and share the Good News of Jesus Christ and live in that freedom that we are given. We don’t preach politics, but our faith will always challenge oppression and love of worldliness.

“So they called the two apostles back in and told them that they must never, for any reason, teach anything about the name of Jesus. Peter and John answered, “Do you think God wants us to obey you or to obey him? We cannot keep quiet about what we have seen and heard.”” (Acts 4:18–20, CEV)

Further they understood that liberty wasn’t license to sin, or to live irresponsibly. Listen to Pastor John Zubly, a Presbyterian Pastor in Savannah, Georgia preaching in 1766 in response to the Stamp Act.

“We can never be said to be free while we are the servants of sin.” “How insignificant will our struggle for liberty be, while we deliberately give up ourselves to be slaves to lust.”

In short the policies of taxation without representation led to a fear of England’s controlling the freedom of religion, speech, economics, political and civil liberties that the colonists believe were given by God and were “self evident.” When diplomacy failed a revolution began. A powerful slogan was born, “No taxation with representation.” Brief and powerful.

However, lets be clear these preachers of the gospel did not believe that being an Englishman or American is what saved you from your sins. Only Jesus Christ, who gave himself to forgive and liberate us from sin, could do that.

Here’s a question? Could the Revolution have been avoided? After all there were people of faith in the colonies and in England.

Peace!