Sunday, June 28, 2009

God's hand with Plymouth Colony

What is the first thing that comes into your mind when you hear the word Plymouth. Perhaps you think about Pilgrims, Turkey dinner, Indians, a rock, or even a type of car. When I think of Plymouth colony, the first thing I think of is God’s Providence. One of the greatest examples of God’s hand is history is seen in the story of the Pilgrims settling Plymouth. William Bradford recorded many ways God intervened in the lives of the Pilgrims in his book “The History of Plymouth Plantation.” According to Bradford, God spared the Pilgrims as they crossed the Atlantic Ocean. During their trip, a huge storm hit and broke one of the masts. The crew found a large piece of wood to fix the mast. None of the crew knew why the wood was there, but it saved them from certain destruction. Due to the storm, they were blown 500 miles North of their intended destination. This seemingly “bad luck” allowed them to develop their own laws since their charter was no longer valid. The Mayflower Compact became the foundation in America for the concept of self government. Bradford also mentioned the arrival of an English speaking Indian, Squanto. I have always wondered what the mathematical probabilities would have been for having the one English speaking Indian in America show up at the exact spot that the Pilgrims had been accidently blown to from the storm. Squanto was from a hostile tribe in the area that had just been eradicated by a plague. Instead of finding hostile Indians in Plymouth, they found a friend who was eager to show them how to survive that first winter. William Bradford then mentioned that God helped the Pilgrims through that first awful winter. The Plymouth colony is a great lesson concerning God’s will. Even though the Pilgrims were in the Center of God’s will and God was in control of their circumstances, they still suffered greatly. The Group that came over to the New World in 1620, numbered 102. After the first winter, they numbered 51. Bradford himself lost his wife just as they landed at Plymouth Rock. At one point they quit marking the graves because they didn’t want the Indians to know how few healthy people were left. Today many Christians are being taught that to be in God’s will is a guarantee of having money and health. That does not match up with God’s word or with the history of God’s people. Instead of complaining about their suffering and hardships, the Pilgrims invited the Indians to a feast to thank God for His mercy and goodness. May we who have so much more learn to give thanks to God for all He has done and is doing for us.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Why did they come

During the 1600s the world saw a great migration from Europe to America. Why did they come? After all, it meant weeks at sea, crossing the unpredictable Atlantic ocean, hostile Indians, clearing land and leaving the life they knew. There were three events in Europe that God used to get Christians to the New World. First of all, there was the 30 years war. This war in Europe pitted Protestants against Catholics to see which group would have control. Many Protestant left and went to America during the 1618-1648 period. This is sometimes called the Great Puritan migration. The second event was the English Civil war in 1642. Oliver Cromwell and his roundheads defeated the Catholics under Charles I. However, after Cromwell died, the Stuart line came back and re-established Catholicism in England. It was during this struggle that many English Christians came to America for religious freedom. The last event was under Louis XIV of France. In 1685 he revoked civil rights for the French Protestants, which caused about half of a million of them to leave France. Many of these Huguenots came to America. With all of these Christians coming to America is it any surprise that most of the Colonies were Christian colonies. Plymouth was founded by separatist, Massachusetts Bay was founded by Puritans, Connecticut was founded by Puritans, and Rhode Island was founded by a Baptist. Religious freedom was the major motive for coming to the New World for many of our founding Fathers. God used the tumultuous events of the 1600s to bring thousands of Christians to the place He was going to make into a Christian nation. Another effect of what was going on in Europe was that it kept their attention away from what was going on in America. The colonies were allowed to develop their own Constitutions, elect their own leaders, and develop a spirit of Independence. As we consider God’s hand in bringing Christianity to America, it saddens many that Christianity is being removed from every facet of society.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

The Spanish Armada and a call to teach history

Even though Columbus discovered the New World in 1492, America did not have its first English permanent settlement until Jamestown in 1607. Obviously things were still not in place until the 1600s. In 1587 a group from England tried to plant a colony at Roanoke. Many of the leaders of the colony were forced to return to England because of an impending war. When these leaders returned to the colony a few years later, it was completely gone. Hence the name “The lost colony”. I believe the real reason the colony was unsuccessful was due to the fact that one last piece of the puzzle had to be completed. In 1588 the Spanish decided to send a mighty Armada of 130 ships to take over England. Spain was a Catholic country, and wanted to take control of Protestant England. Whoever won the war would be the country to settle America. As the Spanish Armada got to the English coast, the winds died down and favored the smaller English ships. As the Spanish retreated, a huge storm came and blew many of their ships into the rocks by the shore. They referred to this event as the Protestant winds, and England won a great victory. England would become the mistress of the sea and twenty years later, would begin successful settlement of America. This great example of God’s hand in history has always had a special place in my life. About 35 years ago I was unsure what God wanted me to do with my life. The college I was attending made all of the students attend a teacher’s conference one weekend. While I was walking around at the conference I just happened to come across a workshop about God and History. The speaker was telling about God’s hand in the defeat of the Spanish Armada and the Protestant winds. It was so exciting to see that history truly was His-story. God used that workshop to show me that he wanted me to be a history teacher who would teach young people to see God in history. Was it just coincidence that I walked into that workshop? No, God works in every event in our lives just as He has worked in the past. Psalm 37:23 says, “The steps of a God man are ordered by the Lord and He delights in his way.” How has God been working in your life?

Thursday, June 18, 2009

A Second Look at Columbus

A few months ago I read an interesting observation about Christopher Columbus. When he left from Spain he did not know where he was going, when he got to America he did not know where he was, and when he returned to Spain he did not know where he had been. While this may be true, it certainly does not tell the whole story of Christopher Columbus. Many historians have criticized Columbus for being greedy, arrogant , and some even blame him for bringing disease and death to the Native Americans. What is the truth about the man who is credited for discovering America? Here are some things we do know about Columbus. First of all, he claimed to be a follower of Christ. He was an avid student of the Bible, and he even wrote a book on Biblical Prophecy. He believed that Christ was going to return when the Holy land was taken back from the Muslims. This explains his desire for wealth, he planned to finance a Crusade. The major motive for Columbus to take on this venture, seems to have come from his study of the book of Isaiah. In Isaiah 42:10-12 he saw God commanding him to take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Islands. Isaiah 24:15-17 instructed him to take God’s word to those who lived on the Islands of the East. Columbus also had read the account of the travels of Marco Polo in China. He read that Marco Polo had promised to return to China with Bibles. Columbus took 100 Bibles to give to the Kahn of China when he reached his intended destination. This commitment to spreading the gospel to the lost in China and the Indies helps us understand his unfailing commitment to reach the Far East. Columbus was the unlikely tool God chose to use in order to open up two unknown Continents. How could God use an ignorant, selfish, proud man to accomplish His will? I Corinthians 1:27 says that God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. As it turns out Columbus wasn’t that much different from any of us who would seek to know and do the will of God. After all, isn’t that the definition of success, knowing and doing the will of God.

Monday, June 15, 2009

God's preparation of Europe for coming to the New World

One of the ways that God’s hand can be seen in history, is in the way He brings everything together in the perfect time. In Galatians 4:4, it says that Christ was sent to the world in the fullness of time. In the same way, America was discovered and settled in the perfect time. A man by the name of Leif Ericson discovered the New World in about 1,000 A.D. However, America was not rediscovered by Columbus until 1492. Why did it take almost 500 years for a person to come back to America? I believe the answer to be found in God’s timing. Europe had to be prepared economically, educationally, politically, and Spiritually, in order for God to allow the discovery and settlement of America.
During the Dark ages, Europe was in a period of economic stagnation. Many of the people of Europe had embraced some form of the Feudal system. One feature of this system was the barter system in which people exchanged goods instead of using money. Most of the serfs lived lives of poverty with no hope of escaping their condition. In 1100 A.D. the Pope declared a series of Crusades against the Muslims in order to take back the Holy Land. Although none of the Crusades were particularly successful to this end, they did accomplish God’s will. Many of the men who took part in the Crusades saw the silks and spices from the far East and desired them for their people. This led to Europe being forced to use money again, and eventually led to increased wealth for Europe. By the time of Columbus, the Feudal system was gone and the principles of private ownership and individual responsibility were ready to be established.
In 1000 A.D. Europe’s education consisted of training people for their jobs. If you were a serf, you would learn how to farm, make tools, work with your hands and take care of your lord. If you were a Knight, you would learn all of the skills required for battle and Tournaments. In 1300A.D. The Renaissance began, and people were encouraged to think and study. In 1440, Gutenberg invented the printing press. Now the average person could afford to buy books, which encouraged the teaching of reading and writing in Europe. By the 1500s, people were much more educated, and many were beginning to question much of what had been taught for centuries.
During the time of Leif Ericson, the political power was in the hands of a few. Either a king or a lord would control the lives of the masses. In 1215 King John of England was forced to sign the Magna Charta. This document not only placed the king under the law, but established such rights as trial by jury, no taxation without representation. In 1300 King Edward I established modal Parliament, which laid the foundation of self government. By the time Jamestown was settled, the concepts of freedom and self government were being widely discussed.
The last way that God prepared Europe for coming to the New World, was the Spiritual changes that had to take place. In the 1000-1500 period, Europe was controlled by the Roman Catholic Church. As people read God’s word, many began to question many of the teachings of the Church. Among those people was a monk named Martin Luther. In 1517, he posted his 95 thesis against the practice of indulgences. This began the movement known as the Reformation. The major feature of the movement was the belief that salvation was by faith alone and not of works. For many years Catholics and Protestants fought wars over their differences. Many of the people who came to America were Protestants who were coming for religious freedom.
When Europe was ready in the four ways that I have mentioned God allowed Columbus and many other explorers to come to America. I remember reading a statement by one early explorer who said it was if there had been a giant hand in front of America for hundreds of years, and suddenly after Columbus, it was lifted. He had it right, God allowed America to be discovered and settled at the perfect time for it to be wealthy, educated, free, and Spiritually strong.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

A Providential View of History

How many times have you heard that History is His-story? I heard it a lot in my Christian high school, but I never saw any evidence to show that it was true. Being a Christian highschool history teacher for the last 30 years has allowed me to find many examples of God's hand in history. When you get right down to it, there are really only two major ways to view history. There is the man centered approach, and the Providential or God centered approach. The man centered approach says history repeats itself, or there is no significance in studying history, or perhaps all history is a struggle between the rich and the poor. The Providential view says that an all knowing, all Powerful, all present God, created and controls all things for His own Glory and pleasure. Every event in history is designed and controlled by God for our good and His Glory. With this view of history we should constantly see examples of Gods' intervention and moving. There are some Christians who balk at this idea, and insist that God only deals with the big issues, and leaves the rest up to us. In the weeks to come, I would like to give many examples of God working in America's history. My prayer is that as people see God working in our nation's past, they will begin to look for Him working in their own lives. Romans 8:28 reminds us that all things are working together for good to those who love God. Psalm 77:11 says "I shall remember the works of the Lord, surely I will remember Thy wonders of old."
History finds its meaning and significance in seeing God's hand in the wonders of old.