Letter to the Editor: America the Beautiful

Beauty.

We see much beauty in nature, in America’s majestic mountains, the Grand Canyon, our national parks, in America’s Constitution (a beautiful and precious document), in Mount Rushmore.

We find beauty in our friendships, in the freedoms we enjoy, in meaningful work, but there is nothing more beautiful than the attributes found in the person of Jesus Christ, God manifested in the flesh (Matthew 1:22-23). As Christians, we should always be pursuing the goal to be more like Him.

The first line of the inspiring hymn “America The Beautiful” implores heaven’s blessings upon America. The hymn also entreaties God to mend our flaws and addresses the moral character of self-control (Titus 2:11-12) and the liberty we fine in walking in obedience to God’s laws (Psalm 19:7-14).

O, that we would once again sing patriotic hymns in our churches across America. As Christians we have been given the “Great Commission” (Matthew 28:16-20). And God, speaking through Isaiah proclaims, “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet that bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, and who proclaim salvation.” (Isaiah 52:7).

Our Founding Fathers laid the foundation of our nation on the principles and morals taught in God’s word. We should ask ourselves, “Do we have beautiful feet?” As Christians (Christ followers) and as American citizens let us be thankful for all the “beautiful” blessings we have received from the Hand of God.

Morality, absolutes, godly principles, and distinctions. There is a difference between a secular education and a godly education. A godly education is a beautiful thing.

Years ago Margaret Wolfe Hungerford coined the phrase “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” What we as Christians behold as beautiful, others find repulsive (II Corinthians 5:15-17). What we behold as good, others define as evil (Isaiah 5:20). They find God’s laws restrictive and confining (Psalm 2).

“Let us break their chains” they cry. In their eyes the “good news” is bad news. Therefore in the Christian’s life we have a paradox we must contend with. We are to go into the world but not be part of it (1st Corinthians 5:9-13). We are to speak the truth in love to a culture that asks, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). We are to be light and salt in a world where many choose to remain in darkness and fine the gospel, with its ability to heal, too painful a sting for their open sores.

Once a person understands the Gospel, that he/she is a sinner in need of God’s forgiveness and receives Christ into his/her heart, that God justifies the sinner, it is then that the process of sanctification starts where the individual daily deals with the darkness that still remains in his/her own heart (1st John 1:8-9).

As Christians we need to reconstruct our children’s educational system. The churches of America need once again to be deep rooted (Psalm 1; Colossians 2:6-7) as in the days of our founding fathers.

Ted Roberts - Princeton