In the new book, “Keep Your Fork,” that my wife Janis has co-authored with me, the first two chapters are titled, “Today’s Americans Have a Great Heritage”, and “American History is Vital for Our Future.” It is here that I give specific details about our Christian heritage and how we became the greatest nation in the history of the world. Now, if you think about that, I believe you will agree it is quite a statement. It is here that I go into considerable detail that lays the groundwork for the great success we have enjoyed for almost 250 years since our founding. 

Some of our greatest problems today are caused by the fact we no longer teach American History and Civics in-depth in our nation’s schools. As a result, most of our nation’s young people do not know about our Christian heritage and what principles and concepts made us a great nation. Our history begins in the country of England when a group of separatists rebelled against the Church of England and how they were interpreting and living out the Holy Bible. This group became known as the Puritans who wanted their children to be taught exactly what the Bible teaches. 

This group left England in 1608, and their first stopover was in Leiden, Holland, where they stayed for 10 years until Holland became involved in a 30-year war with Spain, and also because their children’s morals were being corrupted by their hosts. The Puritans did not wish to go back to England, so they looked across the ocean to the new world called “America.” In 1620 they set sail in a ship called the Mayflower and arrived at what is now Cape Cod on November 21, 1620. Here in America, they could have the freedom to worship as they pleased and also have economic stability. They also believed that this freedom would give them the opportunity to evangelize the native Americans who were here and to practice their religion as they chose.

To be sure, the Puritans set the tone for the kind of society they would have, and after several years as the population began to increase and people began to drift away from the faith, they held a series of “Great Awakenings.” They had at least three of these, and many church denominations were founded, many still present today. In those days they had a completely safe society.

Many readers will remember the name Dr. Billy Graham, who held 417 crusades in our country and throughout the world during his lifetime. This safe society lasted past the time I graduated from high school in 1956. In those days we did not lock our doors at night, take the keys out of the car ignition and it was safe to walk the streets alone, even at night. Most older people will remember, as I do, the days when we had “Old Fashioned” revivals, when a visiting preacher would come to their church and hold a revival for a week or longer and give evangelistic messages designed to have people accept Christ and dedicate their lives to live for Him. I remember fondly those times well, and you may also.

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(Jim Davidson is an author, public speaker, syndicated columnist, and Founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. For a personalized copy of “Keep Your Fork” send $25, which includes postage and handling and tax, to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)