A Christian Manifesto: Dr. Francis Schaeffer at the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1982, clip #2

clip #2

A printed copy of the text on this page is available here.

It should be noticed that this new dominant world view is a view which is exactly opposite from that of the founding fathers of this country. Now, not all the founding fathers were individually, personally, Christians. That certainly is true. But, nevertheless, they founded the country on the base that there is a God who is the Creator (now I come to the next central phrase) who gave the inalienable rights.

We must understand something very thoroughly. If society — if the state gives the rights, it can take them away — they’re not inalienable. If the states give the rights, they can change them and manipulate them. But this was not the view of the founding fathers of this country. They believed, although not all of them were individual Christians, that there was a Creator and that this Creator gave the inalienable rights — this upon which our country was founded and which has given us the freedoms which we still have — even the freedoms which are being used now to destroy the freedoms.

The reason that these freedoms were there is because they believed there was somebody who gave the inalienable rights, which indeed, therefore, limited the power of the state and the government specifically by these inalienable rights. But if we have the view that the final reality is material or energy which has existed forever in some form, we must understand that this view never, never, never would have given the rights which we now know and which, unhappily, I say to you (those of you who are Christians) that too often you take all too much for granted. You forget that the freedoms which we have in northern Europe after the Reformation (and the United States is an extension of that, as would be Australia or Canada, New Zealand, etc.) — you forget that the freedoms which we have are absolutely unique in the world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~DISCUSS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ask:

1. 1. Why is it impossible for the materialistic worldview to give rise to the freedoms Americans have enjoyed throughout most of the nation’s history?
  2. How is it that the Christian worldview and only the Christian worldview can give rise to these freedoms and maintain them?

Emphasize: It is no coincidence that as America has abandoned God and His laws, it has moved ever closer to embracing socialist and even Marxist principles. Remember this from the World Economic Forum:

Don’t be fooled. This represents a move toward tyranny and totalitarianism. While many who are promoting these ideas know what they are doing, others who are promoting them mean well but are deceived.

State: The freedoms afforded us by the free enterprise system don’t ultimately come from free enterprise, but from God. We must call our fellow citizens back to the ideals the Founders upheld when they founded this country.

- - The first clip is available here.
  - The lesson plan for Session 6 is available here.
  - The entire text of Dr. Schaeffer’s address is available here.

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