Church and State

Two anecdotal historical facts regarding the issue of 'Church and state': In 1619, the first legislative assembly of the New World was held in Jamestown... in the church building. In 1864, the first legislative assembly of Arizona, by resolution, invited the Rev. H. W. Read "to hold divine service in this building each Sabbath during the session of the Legislature." Thus, at significant original events in American and Arizona history, the state met in a church building, and the church met in a state building. This may sound silly to some, but I think it is more than trivia.

400 Years Ago

400 years ago on April 29, 1607, a company of little more than 100 men dedicated our nation to God after braving a difficult Atlantic crossing in three small ships--the Susan Constant, the Godspeed, and the Discovery commissioned by King James I. Most of the men sought wealth, fame, or a new start in life. One man, in particular, sought to help fulfill God's plan for the New World. Reverend Robert Hunt was the appointed chaplain for the Virginia Company. He was especially chosen for the voyage and proved to be an important peace-maker during critical times. He soon gained the respect of all the adventurers. Though the ships finally reached the Virginia coast on April 26 of that year, there had been so much in-fighting along the way that Rev. Hunt required them to fast and pray for three more days on-board before landing to properly consecrate the land to God.

Then, on April 29, they landed on the beach at Cape Henry with contrite hearts. In the sand, they first planted a 7-foot wooden cross they had brought from England. Then, they held the first prayer service in Virginia. The Rev. Hunt then spoke of the admonition issued by the British Royal Council in a charter for the trip: "Lastly and chiefly, the way to prosper and obtain good success is to make yourselves all of one main for the good of your country and your own, and to serve and fear God the giver of all goodness. "Every plantation, which my Heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be rooted up.""

Raising his hands to heaven, Rev. Hunt claimed the land for country and king and consecrated the continent to the glory of God. After reading from Acts 26:18 as part of the service, he was moved with emotion, and with tears in his eyes, he gave the amazing prophetic declaration: "...from these very shores the Gospel shall go forth to not only this New World, but the entire world." The seed was hereby planted for a new nation to be born under God.

On Sunday, April 29, 2007, state capitols and other historic locations across the nation, including at Cape Henry, Virginia, will serve as sites for the 400-year anniversary celebrations of this solemn dedication of our land to God. In Arizona, a free assembly, open to the public and hosted by Arizona Call to Prayer, Worship! Arizona, Arizona National Day of Prayer, and the Legislative Chaplains, will take place at the Arizona State Capitol grounds from 4:00pm - 5:30pm.

Genesis of Government

The genesis of government, well... begins in Genesis. In Genesis 1:26-28, the God and Creator of all the universe created man in His "own image". God's nature as Ruler flowed immediately in His command that man should "rule" all the earth ('radah' in Hebrew = take dominion, to rule, to subjugate). God did not absently relinquish His Kingship to us, but we rule ultimately under His authority. And He cares. Good government occurs when we rule according to His ways -- justice, righteousness, impartiality, humility, loving-kindness -- all clearly spelled out in the Bible. Bad government occurs when we rule according to our own natural, selfish ways. The Bible is full of the accounts of good kings and bad kings, good governments and bad governments, and the associated impacts on the people and nations that benefit or suffer as a consequence of their actions. God is the Originator of government. How counter-productive it is when we try to take Him and His word out of our government. Oh, the depth of our foundations. It is time to fully return to them.