One Nation Under God

This Saturday, July 4, 2026, marks the 250th anniversary of the ratification of the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America. At the time, this Declaration was the most radical action ever taken by a people to establish their government without violence or war, but the response of the British Parliament and King George III was swift and unmistakable: war it would be.

For the next five years (from 1776 through the surrender of British General Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781), war raged across the United States. At times, the new nation had much hope in its cause; at other times, the cause appeared hopeless. However, one aspect of the American Revolution never changed: our country’s steadfast reliance on God. Even in the Constitution of the United States adopted after the end of the war, America proclaimed in the Preamble that one of the purposes of this founding document was to “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity” – blessings which were expressly stated in the Declaration of Independence to have been “endowed by [our] Creator.”

One hundred sixty-five years after the Declaration of Independence, America was fighting on the side of other allied nations against the Nazi Third Reich and the Japanese Empire in the Second World War, and, in 1942, the United States Congress formally adopted the Pledge of Allegiance written by Francis Bellamy in 1892. The Pledge was modified over time, and, in 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law a Congressional joint resolution adding the words “under God” so the Pledge would recognize and affirm that we are “one Nation under God.” During the signing ceremony, President Eisenhower stated:

FROM THIS DAY FORWARD, the millions of our school children will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and rural school house, the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty. To anyone who truly loves America, nothing could be more inspiring than to contemplate this rededication of our youth, on each school morning, to our country’s true meaning.

Especially is this meaningful as we regard today’s world. Over the globe, mankind has been cruelly torn by violence and brutality and, by the millions, deadened in mind and soul by a materialistic philosophy of life. Man everywhere is appalled by the prospect of atomic war. In this somber setting, this law and its effects today have profound meaning. In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America’s heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country’s most powerful resource, in peace or in war.

I am old enough to remember the Pledge of Allegiance, and the words “one Nation under God,” being recited at the beginning of every school day and before every public gathering. We were proud to be Americans. We were proud of our place in history.

In the last twenty years, however, certain people living in the United States have challenged our collective pride in our nation and even advocated that our country no longer has a right to exist. Pointing to the “original sin” of slavery that existed contemporaneously with our founding (an undeniable fact of history, but a condition which existed throughout the western world in and prior to the eighteenth century), these people have condemned our founding fathers, our founding principles, and even our founding faith in God.

But we, as Christians, understand there is a power even greater than sin. It is called redemption.

In his Second Inaugural Address, President Abraham Lincoln opined that the death and destruction being wrought by the American Civil War (1861-1865) was divine retribution for two hundred fifty years of slavery in America and that God may will the war to continue “until every drop of blood drawn with the lash [during the years of slavery] shall be paid by another drawn with the sword [during the years of the Civil War].” In the end, blood was indeed drawn by the sword: there were an estimated 1.5 million casualties reported during the war, including at least 620,000 killed. Then, only five days after the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia by General Robert E. Lee to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, the sin of slavery claimed one final payment in blood: Abraham Lincoln, America’s greatest and most beloved president, was assassinated by a Confederate supporter by the name of John Wilkes Booth.

Redemption for individual sins was obtained by the death of Jesus Christ on a cross almost two thousand years ago (Ephesians 1:7), and, in my humble opinion, redemption for the collective sins of the United States as a result of slavery was obtained by the blood of President Lincoln and more than 1.5 million soldiers and sailors during the American Civil War.

The United States of America has been likened to the proverbial city on a hill: its light shines in the darkness, and, in doing so, it gives glory to our Father in Heaven (Matthew 5:14-16). As a nation, we are far from perfect, because we, as humans, are far from perfect (Romans 3:23). This is not an excuse; it is simply a fact. And lest our detractors from within and from without forget, another 625,000 American soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen have died in the defense of liberty around the world since the Civil War, including during World War I (116,516 dead), World War II (405,399 dead), and the Korean War (36,516 dead). We cannot fully comprehend the mind of God on the subject, but, objectively, it would certainly appear that every drop of blood drawn with the lash has been paid by another drawn with the sword.

This Independence Day, take time in prayer to remember, and reflect on, our history as a Nation. Thank God for America and her willingness to fight and die for the cause of liberty at home and around the world. Praise God for His steadfast love and mercy in all things. And ask God for His divine help that we and the leaders of our country will seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness (Matthew 6:33). Then please join me in a quiet song of intercession as we sing, “God bless America / Land that I love / Stand beside her / And guide her / Through the night / With a light / From above.”

-- Dr. John Morris

#OneNationUnderGod #GodBlessAmerica #LandThatILove #ThankYouJesus #JesusChrist #SonOfGod #Savior #Messiah

Resources:

“America’s Founding Documents: The Declaration of Independence–Transcript,” https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

“America’s Founding Documents: The Constitution of the United States–Transcript,” https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript

“American Revolution: Timeline of the Revolution,” https://www.nps.gov/subjects/americanrevolution/timeline.htm

“Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address,” https://www.nps.gov/linc/learn/historyculture/lincoln-second-inaugural.htm

“Historic Documents: The Pledge of Allegiance,” https://www.ushistory.org/documents/pledge.htm

“Pledge of Allegiance Adopted by Congress: On This Day, June 22,” https://www.gilderlehrman.org/news/pledge-allegiance-adopted-congress-day-june-22

“One Nation Under God: The Story of How God Was Added to America’s Pledge of Allegiance,” https://cbn.com/news/us/one-nation-under-god-story-how-god-was-added-americas-pledge-allegiance

“Dwight D. Eisenhower: Statement by the President Upon Signing Bill to Include the Words ‘Under God’ in the Pledge to the Flag,” https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/statement-the-president-upon-signing-bill-include-the-words-under-god-the-pledge-the-flag

“Civil War Casualties: The Cost of War,” https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/civil-war-casualties

“Civil War Timeline,” https://www.nps.gov/gett/learn/historyculture/civil-war-timeline.htm

“Historical Data: Number of military fatalities in all major wars involving the United States from 1775 to January 2025,” https://www.statista.com/statistics/1009819/total-us-military-fatalities-in-american-wars-1775-present/

“God Bless America, by Irving Berlin: Lyrics & Meaning,” https://www.songlyrics.com/irving-berlin/god-bless-america-lyrics/