Dr. Benjamin Rush signed the Declaration of Independence and later founded a Society for the Abolition of slavery. His views on education are as important today as when he first shared them.
“I proceed…to inquire what mode of education we shall adopt so as to secure to the state all of the advantages that are to be derived from the proper instruction of the you; and her I beg leave to remark that:
- The only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid on the foundation of religion.
- Without this there can be no virtue, and
- Without virtue there can be no liberty, and
- Liberty is the object and life of all republican governments
But the religion I mean to recommend in this place is that of the New Testament…Its doctrines and precepts are calculated to promote the happiness of society and the safety and well-being of civil government.” Dr. Benjamin Rush
What does it take to wake up the body of believers?
What does it take to wake up the clergy?
Dr. Lloyd Stebbins 
Dr. Lloyd, does it not take the Almighty God who has created us, and redeemed a people for Himself to wake us. This is our prayer. Thank you for this quote.
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That’s right, Fran. Thanks for the comment.
But waiting on God to “wake us” doe not get us off the hook. Virtually all of today’s family and cultural ills would be resolved if the body of believers just followed the Scriptural instructions God has already provided. Note that nearly all of my blogs end with the same two questions:
What does it take to wake up the body of believers?
What does it take to wake up the clergy?
The great “philosopher” Pogo Pogo [actually a cartoon character] once said, “We have met the enemy and he is us!” If believers don’t actively and enthusiastically follow God, no one else will either.
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America today worships at a secular altar. The doctrine of separation of church and state was meant to protect religious freedom by preventing the establishment of a state religion. That, however, has been forgotten.
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For 150 years the concept of separation of church and state was understood exactly as Thomas Jefferson intended. It was turned upside down by a U.S Supreme Court opinion handed down in the 1940s. I think the case was Elverson v. Board of Education. The Court effectively said that all religions are equal and all are equally subservient to the U.S. Government. The preceding is not a quote, but an underlying principle built into the opinion. With increasing fervor, the Court has attempted to ban religion, especially Judeo-Christian tradition, from the public square ever since. The case received little attention at the time, because of poor communications (compared to today), and it was handed down only about 15 months after the end of WWII, while the public was still basking in the afterglow of the hard won peace. The ongoing attempts to ban religion from the public square is especially harmful, because today more than 50% of the American culture works for the government (local, state, and federal).
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