As America celebrates her 249th birthday, we have much for which to be grateful. This needs to be said often nowadays, as patriotism (especially among younger Americans) hovers at record lows.
Our nation still enjoys the enviable position on the world stage. Our moral foundation and structure of government have bequeathed more freedom, stability and prosperity to greater numbers of humans than any other movement in history.
There are many reasons to celebrate America. Number one, we are a nation founded on natural rights, which is to say, the Ten Commandments of a Holy God.
The Ten Commandments are found in Exodus 20:1-17. But when Jefferson wrote, “We hold these truths to be self-evident,” he acknowledged that there is an undeniable moral code written on the heart of all people. These are among the founding principles of the country: Humans have both rights and conscience. God’s laws are written on our hearts, known to our minds, and we are, therefore, free creatures — but with moral accountability.
Secondly, we should rejoice that we are a nation born miraculously and given victory over the British army. It was astounding (read, “miraculous”) that farmers and settlers struggling in the North American wilderness could defeat the armaments of Britain in 1776 — but it happened. The founding of America was more than a mere military success; it was the realization of a vision. A vision that said government should serve the people, not the other way around. A vision that said liberty, not tyranny, was the default setting of human dignity.
Thirdly, we are a nation of iconic historical achievements, commemorated in equally iconic documents and landmarks. From the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia to Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, from the Lincoln Memorial to the steps of the Supreme Court, and from Independence Hall to Arlington Cemetery — these places call us to reflect. They remind us not just of what happened, but why it happened. They point to the ideas that shaped us: courage, sacrifice, equality and justice.
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Fourthly, I celebrate that we are a nation whose personality is “can-do.” Maybe it is the ripple effect of having prevailed in the Revolutionary War — our quarter-millennia “victory lap” before a watching world.
Twice Pulitzer-nominated historian Rodney Stark, Ph.D., called this can-do spirit the “iron Protestant work ethic.” But American ingenuity bettered the world through original inventions, a scant few of which would include:
The steam engine, sewing machines, indoor air conditioning, the airplane, the incandescent light bulb, transistors (which jump started the modern electric age), personal computers, hearing aids, traffic lights, mass-produced automobiles, the electric guitar (and amplifiers), GPS systems, the internet, email, penicillin, electric motors, the polio vaccine, the Ferris wheel, the dishwasher, flu shots, chemotherapy, home security systems, Kleenex, potato chips and chocolate chip cookies (thank you, Ruth Wakefield).
The list is endless — but the spirit behind it is uniquely American: innovation mixed with faith, and ambition tempered by virtue. We’ve demonstrated bravery and boldness guided by a belief in higher purpose; as John O’ Sullivan phrased it, our “manifest destiny.”
We are a nation that is a benevolent presence in the world. America remains the most generous country in both government and personal giving. In times of crisis — whether earthquake, famine or war — the first flag many see on the relief plane is the star-spangled one.
We are a nation blessed with economic strength, technological progress and agricultural abundance. Our fields feed nations. Our science heals diseases. Our constitution — still the world’s oldest written national charter in continuous use — ensures liberty with checks, balances and a Bill of Rights that shines like a beacon of hope.
And perhaps most of all, we are a nation of spiritual depth. Over 370,000 churches, 120 million adult followers of Jesus and 500,000 ordained ministers serve the spiritual life of the country. Christianity has shaped our values, our laws and our sense of right and wrong. It has inspired everything from the abolition of slavery to the civil rights movement to the fight for the unborn and the defense of the family.
America is great not because it is flawless, but because it was founded on ideas that transcend time: liberty, justice, responsibility and reverence for the Creator. And ingeniously, our Founders framed all they did in light of human sinfulness, building in “fail-safe mechanisms” unknown to other governing systems.
The challenge before us is to pass this legacy on to our children, to our communities and to those whose hearts still yearn for freedom.
As D.L. Moody once said, “Every revival in history can be traced to one, kneeling figure.” Let us be those figures — people who bend the knee not only in gratitude but in petition for this nation’s future.
Let us never cease to pray, to teach and to let others see our love for the USA with calm conviction. Let’s be grateful not only for the fireworks and hot dogs, but also for freedoms born out of faith, courage and personal character.
On this July 4th, may we lift our eyes to heaven and our hearts to one another. God bless you, neighbor! And God bless the United States of America.
Dr. Alex McFarland is a youth, religion and culture expert, a national talk show host and speaker, educator, and author of 20 books. McFarland directs Biblical Worldview and apologetics for Charis Bible College in Woodland Park, CO. Via the American Family Radio Network, Alex is heard live on Exploring the Word, airing daily on nearly 200 radio stations across the U.S. “The Alex McFarland Show” airs weekly on NRBTV, providing Biblically faithful TV and discussion on current events affecting our nation.
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