As Tea Party patriots and Libertarians have adopted the Gadsden flag, a new Christian movement with a heart for political change has adopted the "Appeal to Heaven" flag.
The "Appeal to Heaven" flag was first used during the American revolution as the flag for the first American fleet of battleships. During that time in history the British empire was the single dominant sea power in the world. Even more powerful than her ground armies were her mighty fleets. One can imagine why the small American fleet would adopt a theme like "Appeal to Heaven" as they attempted to do the impossible. In much the same way Christians of today stand to do the impossible once again. The political situation in the United States is very troubling indeed. But a growing movement of culturally and politically minded Christians are rising to stand against the tide of tyranny and immorality.
I've seen some articles regarding the new movement. There are two books that came out recently focusing in on the "Appeal to Heaven" movement: The Next Great Move of God: An Appeal to Heaven for Spiritual Awakening by Jennifer LeClaire and An Appeal To Heaven: What Would Happen If We Did It Again by Dutch Sheets. Dutch Sheets is listed as the founder of this movement, and he tells his story in a Charisma Magazine article here.
"The phrase “An Appeal to Heaven “was created by John Locke from England in the mid 1600’s. Locke was one of the great philosophers of his time, he like other English Philosophers were also influenced by the Iroquois in America. "An Appeal to Heaven" comes from his studies on “Natural Laws", a system of right or justice common to all humankind and derived from nature rather than from the rules of society and the only judge is that of our creator. It is in these laws where our unalienable rights come from and the foundation on which this country was formed. The phrase "An Appeal to Heaven" connotes that when all resources and justices on earth are exhausted that only "An Appeal to Heaven" remains. And so is the example of our country when our rights were taken away by the tyrannical acts of King George that we as nation after countless attempts to resolve, Appealed to Heaven as our final judge before breaking ties with the crown. " Quoted from ATH.US.COM
We find ourselves in a troubling situation in the United States. There are many problems. Some of the important ones are as follows:
1. Abortion, the genocide of children, citizens of our country being exterminated because they are considered "not human" while being inside the body of a female.
Solution: Abolish abortion legally. And culturally re-embrace God's ethic for sexuality, as reserved for the marriage covenant. Abortion is the logical ethic for people who consider sex as a casual everyday affair. When a child is conceived, kill it, for the sake of convenience.
2. Corruption in both political parties and government at large.
Solution: All citizens need to get involved in politics. This means abandoning the "entertainment lifestyle" many of us have come to embrace. We've abdicated our duty, and we all need to re-embrace a firm hand in politics. This means turning off the television, and redirecting time and effort to political causes. In addition, it means embracing liberty, the Constitution, and jettisoning the idea that government needs to solve all our problems.
3. God has been removed from public schools, government, and business.
Solution: The United States was founded by a deeply religious people. The Constitution itself was designed for the governance of a deeply spiritual people. When all references to God and ethics are removed from public schools and government, depravity and sin begin to take over. We've seen the growing immorality in media, music, television, and movies. This is an outworking of such decisions. The solution is to re-introduce the Bible to public schools, government, and business. Does this meaning forcing religious beliefs on others? Absolutely not. But it does mean offering that option, without exclusion. Our society has quietly ejected any mention of God from every area of society and study. This is unacceptable.
4. The redefinition of marriage to include homosexual relationships.
Solution: Lobby the Supreme Court and Congress to continue defining marriage as between one man and one woman. Many churches in our country have already gone into apostasy on this issue. This decision is still very much up in the air. But the culture is lobbying very hard to redefine marriage, and calling anyone a "bigot" who stands for traditional marriage. In fact many Christians have lost their businesses and jobs due to these hateful "gay activists." Religious freedom is under attack as well, all within this issue of gay marriage. Churches are also beginning to embrace gay marriage. Many things hinge on this issue, more than we might realize. It's important we stand up and speak out on this issue. Not by condemning people, but by standing firm for our convictions, while loving the people who suffer from issues of sexual confusion.
5. The Constitution continues to be eroded by Republicans and Democrats.
Solution: We need to get involved in politics, and recognize that this is not a red vs. blue issue. Both parties have walked all over the Constitution in the past twenty years. George W. Bush was just as bad as Barack H. Obama. Many Christians like to think that the Republicans are the good guys and the democrats are the bad guys. That is not the case. There are loyal Americans in both parties, and disloyal Americans in both parties. Unfortunately the majority tend to serve special interests, big banks, big business, and their own agendas. We need to be very careful to vote in candidates who support liberty and the Constitution. Unfortunately the mainstream media can't be trusted to provide us with the proper information anymore. We need to dig deeper. We need to know the Constitution, and stand up for our rights within it. The Constitution was designed to restrain government, and the Supreme Court has often walked on the bill of rights to support it's big government agenda. All three branches of government have walked on the Constitution, it's our job as the people to restore it and strictly adhere to it. Our liberty, our economy, our future are all upheld by the Constitutional restraints on government.
Given these five issues, and many others we wonder how things can possibly change. There is so much money, so many powerful people supporting the corruption and authoritarian changes happening in our government and society. How can we possibly turn the tide?
What can we do? It seems hopeless.
This is the moment. The deck is stacked against us. Big banks control our economy through the privately owned Federal Reserve. Billions from special interest groups flow into Congress. And the information media networks have betrayed us, and now support the agendas of big business, banking, and the political agendas of the rich. Child sacrifice has been legal for years now. Sex is a joke to kids and adults a like. Depravity reigns on the television channels. Alcoholism, drug addiction, and suicide are on the rise. The culture has embraced the LGBT agenda. Christianity is in decline. What do we do?
Our ancestors in 1776 stood against the most powerful nation on Earth. They faced massive well armed forces. They faced the most powerful navy on the planet. The British commanders had the best training money could buy. Meanwhile the colonies were divided. The Continental Congress debated the issues endlessly, caught in a deadlock over the issue of war with Britain. Many colonists considered themselves "loyalists" and actively attempted to help the British and subvert the patriots. The British had massive armies, and they had even purchased Hessian mercenaries by the thousands to join them. On top of all of that, the colonial armies didn't even have enough gun powder for their weapons. Many were deserting. Most of the colonial troops had no experience at professional soldiering. Yet despite all of those massive disadvantages, our patriot ancestors had one thing: God.
They appealed to heaven. And a new nation was born. A nation where men had the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. A nation that recognized no government has the right to take away anyone's right to due process, freedom of movement, and freedom of speech. Why? Because those rights do not come from any government, they come from God. The United States prevailed in 1776, despite facing the greatest nation on Earth at that time. The appeal worked. God granted his people liberty. And he will again.
Pray. Appeal to heaven. Appeal to God. He can and does do the impossible. Today. Hang an "Appeal to Heaven" flag on your wall to remind you and your family to appeal to heaven for the future of our country. Pray everyday. Weep and pray. Cry out in prayer. Cry out to God. Appeal to heaven, it is our last hope, and our last resolve. God is enough. In Jesus name, Amen.
Related Posts:
- Christians in Politics: A Brief Analysis of Issues in the USA
- The Entrenched vs. the Minimized: Five Paradigms of Western Society
- Christian Activism: Can Christianity survive the new cultural attitudes?
- Does man need God in Western Civilization: Young People are Hungry for the Truth
- Ten Great Minds, Ten Controversial Presentations
- Christianity in the Public Square: The Apologetics & Philosophy Renaissance
- The Great American Culture War: Religious Liberty, Gay Rights, Naturalism, & the Christian Faith
- Pray for the World
- The Topic of Liberty from a Libertarian attending Liberty University
- Christianity Falling: A Request for Heroes
