“The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the next. Continue therefore to read it and to regulate your life by its precepts.” John Jay, First Supreme Court Chief Justice
The Bible was the primary influence in the birth, growth, and development of the 13 original American colonies. The people who settled America were people of the Book. The Bible formed the basis of America’s civil laws. Education was rooted in the Bible. Textbooks were Christian. The Founders acknowledged the centrality of the Bible. The Bible was the primary source of the Founders’ worldview.
“The people made the laws, and the churches made the people.” Until the birth of America most people lived under the “ruler’s law,” where the civil ruler(s) made the laws and imposed them upon the people.
In America, the people wrote their own laws and consented to live under them, which was possible because the churches developed the character and worldview necessary for them to do so.
Teach the Children:
- The Bible is the source of America’s liberty and prosperity.
- Schools were started so young students could learn to read the Bible. Colleges were started to train ministers in a knowledge of the Bible.
- Without the Bible, citizens do not have the character and worldview necessary to be self-governed.
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” – 2 Corinthians 3:17
