An Editorial to Kick Things Off..

I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers - and it was not there . . . in her fertile fields and boundless forests and it was not there . . . in her rich mines and her vast world commerce - and it was not there . . . in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution - and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, she will cease to be great.’- A. Tocquueville

  When Tocqueville toured America, he marveled at the differences between America and France. The French Revolution produced bloody streets and socialism while it's American counterpart yielded peace and prosperity. He concluded that the difference lie not in the shared liberties of the two lands, but rather in the moral character of the American citizenry and the use of those liberties.

 We stand here at the 232nd anniversary of our nation amidst a spiraling currency

, dubious foreign policies, domestic unrest, a decline of American influence overall

 and what some are calling 'the post-American era'. It behooves us to ask whether or not the sun is setting on the great American experiment, and if so, why? Is America doomed to stop being great because America has stopped being good?

  Enshrined in our founding documents is the idea that our freedoms are gifts from our Creator, but what happens when we as a nation live contrary to the will of this Creator? Is history not filled with examples of once mighty countries that faded away?  Why would we be exempt? Might not the hand of blessing be withdrawn as easily as it was extended? Might not we find ourselves deprived of both liberty and discernment until it was too late? Could it be that the most pious among us live lives riddled with hypocrisy and iniquity? Perhaps we fill our live and homes with things that do not exalt that which is right, but encourage our baser nature. Perhaps the pulpits which once thundered with righteousness have become hollow sepulchers, populated by hirelings and attended by a congregation less concerned with seeking the blessings of heaven than those gone before.

  If the secret to America being great lies in America being good, then the secret lies not with the new President or new legislation, but in each one of us and our personal behavior.  As those before us did, we must use our liberty as an occasion for righteousness, not as a cloak of maliciousness. Liberty misused can be withdrawn by the Author of liberty.  Unless we as individuals change our ways and beg the blessings of freedom for another generation, the once proud land will be a footnote, and we will be responsible for our part in it’s demise.