Chuck Norris: A Testimony of Christ's Transforming Power
The news of Chuck Norris' passing feels more personal: From a young age, we enjoyed teaming up with Chuck Norris at different points. We've sung for him, prayed with him and Gena, and reached out to veterans.
He's with the Lord but already missed. Join us as we pray for his beloved family. He loved (and loves) our Lord Jesus Christ. May God comfort his family.
In this edition, you'll feel inspired by his testimony, his service for our country and dedication to veterans, and his amazing talents. Enjoy articles and videos —including one he did for Unite the USA.
We all know about Chuck Norris and his incredible acting and martial arts career. But Chuck Norris was a veteran. He served from 1958-1962 in the U.S. Air Force and he was stationed in South Korea for a while.
Chuck's brothers Aaron and Wieland Norris also served in the U.S. military. Sadly, Wieland Norris was killed in action while in Vietnam. Chuck Norris said it well, "Whether it's for our freedom or another's, the words of Jesus are true for all, 'There is no greater love than this: that a man lay down his life for another.'"
Chuck Norris was born into a family struggling to survive. His dad was an alcoholic who moved the family 16 times by the time he was 15 years old. Chuck’s mother Wilma was a a strong Christian and prayer warrior. She never gave up despite living in extreme poverty. For years, Wilma would repeatedly tell her children, “God has a plan for you.” She insisted the family go to church no matter where they were living. Chuck began a personal relationship with Jesus Christ at an early age. He rededicated his life to Jesus Christ as a young man when he attended a Billy Graham crusade.
Several years ago, Chuck beautifully described his mom’s faith and influence in life, “She loves Jesus with all of her heart and soul and made sure we understood that [growing up]. She influenced me spiritually and instilled in me a sense of responsibility that carried over in my later adult life. She always told me ‘God has plans for you,’ and I didn’t know what she meant. I think I do now.”
When Chuck Norris was a young airman stationed in Korea he began studying martial arts. Success did not come easily and he was not strong at first. However, within eight years of hard work and determination, he became a martial arts world champion. He became the first man in the Western hemisphere to receive an eighth degree black belt grand master in Tae Kwon Do.
Chuck’s karate championships successes eventually caught the attention of Hollywood and he ultimately starred in the beloved old TV series Walker, Texas Ranger.
Chuck Norris was very open about his past —including his sins and struggles. Behind the scenes he did not have a perfect life. But he ultimately found redemption, hope, and victory by repenting and truly turning to Jesus Christ.
In the latter decades of his life, Chuck Norris especially dedicated his life to sharing hope through Jesus Christ. He especially reached out to veterans and current servicemen and women to encourage them in their service and to walk with the Lord. His work through Kick Start reached out to young people to beat the odds and rise above adversities.
Chuck Norris is already deeply missed. But he is alive in heaven with Jesus. We know Chuck Norris would want us all to keep on keeping on. He would want us to love and live for the Lord who loves us; share about Jesus with others, support positive patriotism, and encourage our nation’s heroes. And that’s exactly what we plan to do. Join us!
With prayers,Carrie and Stacie Sisters and Co-Founders of Unite the USA
He's with the Lord but already missed. Join us as we pray for his beloved family. He loved (and loves) our Lord Jesus Christ. May God comfort his family.
In this edition, you'll feel inspired by his testimony, his service for our country and dedication to veterans, and his amazing talents. Enjoy articles and videos —including one he did for Unite the USA.
We all know about Chuck Norris and his incredible acting and martial arts career. But Chuck Norris was a veteran. He served from 1958-1962 in the U.S. Air Force and he was stationed in South Korea for a while.
Chuck's brothers Aaron and Wieland Norris also served in the U.S. military. Sadly, Wieland Norris was killed in action while in Vietnam. Chuck Norris said it well, "Whether it's for our freedom or another's, the words of Jesus are true for all, 'There is no greater love than this: that a man lay down his life for another.'"
Chuck Norris was born into a family struggling to survive. His dad was an alcoholic who moved the family 16 times by the time he was 15 years old. Chuck’s mother Wilma was a a strong Christian and prayer warrior. She never gave up despite living in extreme poverty. For years, Wilma would repeatedly tell her children, “God has a plan for you.” She insisted the family go to church no matter where they were living. Chuck began a personal relationship with Jesus Christ at an early age. He rededicated his life to Jesus Christ as a young man when he attended a Billy Graham crusade.
Several years ago, Chuck beautifully described his mom’s faith and influence in life, “She loves Jesus with all of her heart and soul and made sure we understood that [growing up]. She influenced me spiritually and instilled in me a sense of responsibility that carried over in my later adult life. She always told me ‘God has plans for you,’ and I didn’t know what she meant. I think I do now.”
When Chuck Norris was a young airman stationed in Korea he began studying martial arts. Success did not come easily and he was not strong at first. However, within eight years of hard work and determination, he became a martial arts world champion. He became the first man in the Western hemisphere to receive an eighth degree black belt grand master in Tae Kwon Do.
Chuck’s karate championships successes eventually caught the attention of Hollywood and he ultimately starred in the beloved old TV series Walker, Texas Ranger.
Chuck Norris was very open about his past —including his sins and struggles. Behind the scenes he did not have a perfect life. But he ultimately found redemption, hope, and victory by repenting and truly turning to Jesus Christ.
In the latter decades of his life, Chuck Norris especially dedicated his life to sharing hope through Jesus Christ. He especially reached out to veterans and current servicemen and women to encourage them in their service and to walk with the Lord. His work through Kick Start reached out to young people to beat the odds and rise above adversities.
Chuck Norris is already deeply missed. But he is alive in heaven with Jesus. We know Chuck Norris would want us all to keep on keeping on. He would want us to love and live for the Lord who loves us; share about Jesus with others, support positive patriotism, and encourage our nation’s heroes. And that’s exactly what we plan to do. Join us!
With prayers,Carrie and Stacie Sisters and Co-Founders of Unite the USA
How to Know Jesus
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Question: How do Stacie and Carrie know they'll go to Heaven?
Answer: It's not because of what they've done or who they are. It's because Jesus lives in them. Anything good in them is because of Jesus in them. They know God and His love in a personal way. They've followed what God said in His book: the Bible. They invited Jesus to be their Savior and Lord. You, too, can know God. Yes, He really does love you!
Take His Word for it:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. -John 3:16 (NKJV) For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard.-Rom. 3:23 (NLV) For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us... -Rom. 3:25 (NLV) That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. -Rom. 10:9 (NKJV)
Understand that God loves you with infinite love! God is good, holy and righteous and we fall short of His perfection. So we need a Mediator, Jesus, who lovingly took our punishment for all our mistakes.
Believe that Jesus is God's Son that took your punishment. He took your punishment for all your sins (anti-God ways) and that He rose from the dead for you, __________.
Repent (turn away from) your sins (anti-God ways) and submit yourself to Him as your Lord.
Receive Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord. Talk to God and give your life to Jesus.
Pray from your heart. If it helps, pray something like this:
God, I understand now...You sent Jesus to share Your love and make it possible for me to be Yours. Please forgive me for all my sins. Jesus, I believe you took my punishment on the cross and that you rose from the dead for me personally. I turn away from doing things "my way" and ask that You rule my life, Jesus. I receive You as my Savior and Lord. I put my trust in You not in the things I do. I love You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Welcome into God's family! You are now His! Get connected with a loving, Bible-based church, enjoy the supreme joy of being baptized, and savor the Savior's love forever! Read the Bible. (If you don't have one, start reading the Gospel of John by clicking here.)
He'll never divorce you. He'll never die. He'll never change. He loves you! Enjoy loving and obeying Jesus and experiencing His love forever and ever! If you'd like prayer or more information, e-mail us anytime.
Answer: It's not because of what they've done or who they are. It's because Jesus lives in them. Anything good in them is because of Jesus in them. They know God and His love in a personal way. They've followed what God said in His book: the Bible. They invited Jesus to be their Savior and Lord. You, too, can know God. Yes, He really does love you!
Take His Word for it:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. -John 3:16 (NKJV) For all have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious standard.-Rom. 3:23 (NLV) For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God's anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us... -Rom. 3:25 (NLV) That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. -Rom. 10:9 (NKJV)
Understand that God loves you with infinite love! God is good, holy and righteous and we fall short of His perfection. So we need a Mediator, Jesus, who lovingly took our punishment for all our mistakes.
Believe that Jesus is God's Son that took your punishment. He took your punishment for all your sins (anti-God ways) and that He rose from the dead for you, __________.
Repent (turn away from) your sins (anti-God ways) and submit yourself to Him as your Lord.
Receive Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord. Talk to God and give your life to Jesus.
Pray from your heart. If it helps, pray something like this:
God, I understand now...You sent Jesus to share Your love and make it possible for me to be Yours. Please forgive me for all my sins. Jesus, I believe you took my punishment on the cross and that you rose from the dead for me personally. I turn away from doing things "my way" and ask that You rule my life, Jesus. I receive You as my Savior and Lord. I put my trust in You not in the things I do. I love You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Welcome into God's family! You are now His! Get connected with a loving, Bible-based church, enjoy the supreme joy of being baptized, and savor the Savior's love forever! Read the Bible. (If you don't have one, start reading the Gospel of John by clicking here.)
He'll never divorce you. He'll never die. He'll never change. He loves you! Enjoy loving and obeying Jesus and experiencing His love forever and ever! If you'd like prayer or more information, e-mail us anytime.
Chuck Norris Video for Unite the USA
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Last year we were honored that Chuck Norris recorded a video for Unite the USA honoring and thanking his fellow veterans.
Chuck Norris Shares His Testimony
Chuck & Gena Norris shared their testimonies on March 25, 2004.
Featured Bible Verse
Chuck Norris would often quote Philippians 4:13 to remind others to find strength in Jesus Christ. We thought it appropriate to share that verse in this edition.
Featured Quote
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Unite the USA's
Featured Veteran of the Month: Chuck Norris
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By VA News
Carlos “Chuck” Norris was born March 10, 1940, in Ryan, Oklahoma. Norris enlisted in the Air Force in 1958 after graduating high school. He joined as an air policeman and hoped to train as security police. The Air Force stationed Norris at Osan Air Base in South Korea. It was there that a fellow airman gave him the nickname “Chuck.”
Osan Air Base is also where Norris picked up his martial arts skills and earned a black belt in Tang Soo Do, a form of Korean karate. Norris trained with Grandmaster Jae Chul Shin, founder of the World Tang Soo Do Association, as well as Grandmaster Do Sik Mun. After his service in South Korea, Norris served at March Air Force Base, now March Air Reserve Base, in Riverside County, California. He continued to serve as an air policeman until his discharge from service in August 1962 at the rank of airman first class.
Following his military service, Norris applied to be a police officer but ended up on the waiting list. While he waited, Norris decided to open a martial arts studio in his town of Torrance, California, which led to his opening a chain of studios. He started to enter martial arts competitions. After several years, he won his first World Middleweight Karate Championship title in 1968. Norris held the title of Karate World Champion for six consecutive years and retired after his victory in 1974.
It was during this time that Norris met Bruce Lee, which led to Norris’ breakout role as Lee’s nemesis in the 1972 film Return of the Dragon, roundhouse kicking him into stardom. Norris went on for several decades to star in action movies and television shows like Walker, Texas Ranger and The Delta Force. He also still appears in advertisements.
Norris’s brother, Wieland Norris, was killed in action during the Vietnam War. Norris dedicated his Missing in Action films to his brother’s memory.
In 2001, Norris received the Veteran of the Year award from the Air Force. In 2007, Commandant Gen. James T. Conway made Norris an honorary United States Marine. In 2011, Governor Rick Perry named Norris an honorary Texas Ranger.
Carlos “Chuck” Norris was born March 10, 1940, in Ryan, Oklahoma. Norris enlisted in the Air Force in 1958 after graduating high school. He joined as an air policeman and hoped to train as security police. The Air Force stationed Norris at Osan Air Base in South Korea. It was there that a fellow airman gave him the nickname “Chuck.”
Osan Air Base is also where Norris picked up his martial arts skills and earned a black belt in Tang Soo Do, a form of Korean karate. Norris trained with Grandmaster Jae Chul Shin, founder of the World Tang Soo Do Association, as well as Grandmaster Do Sik Mun. After his service in South Korea, Norris served at March Air Force Base, now March Air Reserve Base, in Riverside County, California. He continued to serve as an air policeman until his discharge from service in August 1962 at the rank of airman first class.
Following his military service, Norris applied to be a police officer but ended up on the waiting list. While he waited, Norris decided to open a martial arts studio in his town of Torrance, California, which led to his opening a chain of studios. He started to enter martial arts competitions. After several years, he won his first World Middleweight Karate Championship title in 1968. Norris held the title of Karate World Champion for six consecutive years and retired after his victory in 1974.
It was during this time that Norris met Bruce Lee, which led to Norris’ breakout role as Lee’s nemesis in the 1972 film Return of the Dragon, roundhouse kicking him into stardom. Norris went on for several decades to star in action movies and television shows like Walker, Texas Ranger and The Delta Force. He also still appears in advertisements.
Norris’s brother, Wieland Norris, was killed in action during the Vietnam War. Norris dedicated his Missing in Action films to his brother’s memory.
In 2001, Norris received the Veteran of the Year award from the Air Force. In 2007, Commandant Gen. James T. Conway made Norris an honorary United States Marine. In 2011, Governor Rick Perry named Norris an honorary Texas Ranger.
America's Founders Speak on Easter Faith
By Chuck NorrisMarch 25, 2024
Easter is celebrated around the world as one of the most significant Christian holidays and holy days. I thought it would be interesting to research what America's Founding Fathers thought about it.
First, Brittanica.com rightly states: "Most [Founding Fathers] were Protestants. The largest number were raised in the three largest Christian traditions of colonial America – Anglicanism (as in the cases of John Jay, George Washington, and Edward Rutledge), Presbyterianism (as in the cases of Richard Stockton and the Rev. John Witherspoon), and Congregationalism (as in the cases of John Adams and Samuel Adams). Other Protestant groups included the Society of Friends (Quakers), the Lutherans, and the Dutch Reformed. Three Founders – Charles Carroll and Daniel Carroll of Maryland and Thomas Fitzsimmons of Pennsylvania – were of Roman Catholic heritage."
With that in mind, we know that most attended Easter or Resurrection Sunday church services. And many wrote or spoke about their Easter or resurrection faith, even those often accused of being deist or nominally Christian. The Library of Congress and National Archives documents what Benjamin Franklin once composed as his epitaph, which compared the theme of his resurrection in the afterlife to his work as a printer of books (he left his death date open at the end, of course):
The Body of B. Franklin,Printer;Like the Cover of an old Book,Its Contents torn out,And stript of its Lettering and Gilding,Lies here, Food for Worms.But the Work shall not be wholly lost:For it will, as he believ'd, appear once more,In a new & more perfect Edition,Corrected and amendedBy the Author.He was born Jan. 6. 1706.Died 17
Historian David Barton from Wallbuilders.com cites a few more founders' representative views on Easter:
Charles Carroll, signer of the Declaration of Independence, viewed Easter as the power for salvation, explaining:
"The approaching festival of Easter, and the merits and mercies of our Redeemer copiosa assudeum redemptio ['with the Lord there is plentiful redemption'] have lead me into this chain of meditation and reasoning, and have inspired me with the hope of finding mercy before my Judge, and of being happy in the life to come – a happiness I wish you to participate with me by infusing into your heart a similar hope."
Benjamin Rush, another signer of the Declaration, pointed out how Jesus' resurrection not only redeemed man to God but also to each other. He noted:
"He forgave the crime of murder on His cross; and after His resurrection, He commanded His disciples to preach the gospel of forgiveness, first at Jerusalem, where He well knew His murderers still resided. These striking facts are recorded for our imitation and seem intended to show that the Son of God died, not only to reconcile God to man but to reconcile men to each other."
In liberal academia, George Washington is often conveyed as a man who believed in a generic deistic God, one who basically created the world but then let it go to run its course.
But, if anyone knows about the real faith and practice of George Washington, it is the historians at his now national park of Mt. Vernon, George Washington's actual estate.
In the museum and educational center there, one particular video display, which plays on a continuous loop for visitors, highlights some great points about Washington's religious life, practice and belief.
Mt. Vernon's official website describes the video display as "shown on the wall above the reconstructed church pew in the 'Gentleman Planter Gallery,' where visitors learn about the role religion played in Washington's life and his encouragement of religious expression."
The short video presentation is flanked by displays of the Ten Commandments and the Lord's Prayer on the walls right next to it.
The footage explains the following, with the voice of an actor as George Washington every time quotations appear below. It opens with the words:
"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports." [A quote from Washington's farewell address as president]
Then there's a slight pause with the words on the screen "George Washington and religion." The narrator proceeds with the following paragraphs:
George Washington was raised in the Anglican Church, the official church of Virginia and the other southern colonies. As in other Virginian families of this period, he appears to have received his spiritual education from his mother using the family bible and other religious works at the time. He was a member and vestryman of Pohick Church and Christ's Church in Virginia. When he married Martha Dandridge Custis in 1759, it was in a Christian ceremony. At Mt. Vernon, their family home, the couple was known to say grace at meal times, and they provided a religious education to Martha's children and grandchildren. As president, Washington acknowledged the presence of a Divine hand in the fate of the nation by promoting the celebration of a Day of Thanksgiving: "I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be." During the Revolutionary War, General Washington encouraged the religious convictions of his troops and asked the Continental Congress to support payment for clergymen of many faiths [or Christian denominations] to tend to the spiritual needs of the men. "While we are contending for our own liberty, we should be very cautious of violating the rights of conscience in others, ever considering that God alone is the Judge of the hearts of men, and to him only in this case are they answerable." Washington believed that political and religious freedom went hand-in-hand, and he encouraged the new republic to embrace religious tolerance: "[For you, doubtless, remember that I have often expressed my sentiment, that] every man, conducting himself as a good citizen, and being accountable to God alone for his religious opinions, ought to be protected in worshipping the Deity according to the dictates of his own conscience." Washington tried to set an example by worshipping with different sects [mostly Christian denominations]: Presbyterian, Quakers, Roman Catholics, Methodists, Congregationalists and Baptists. In a famous letter to Touro Synagogue, he made it clear that religious tolerance in a new nation was not for Christians alone: "May the children of the stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants; while everyone shall sit [in safety] under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid."It is clear in Washington's writings that he was a deeply spiritual man, with a strong belief that a benevolent power was acting in his life and in the founding of the United States: "Every step, by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation, seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency." Wow! Does all that sound like it could have come from a deist, who doesn't believe God intervenes in the affairs of men? If only other presidents and government officials were as religiously devoted as Washington!
Though his leadership and placement in the Revolutionary War prompted sporadic attendance at times, one former pastor at his Pohick Church stated, "I never knew so constant an attendant at church as Washington," including Holy Week and Easter.
Maybe most telling about his faith is the very tomb that currently contains the remains of Gen. George and Martha Washington. In his will, Washington directed that a new tomb be constructed "at the foot of what is commonly called the Vineyard Inclosure."
Washington died in 1799. The tomb's construction was delayed until 1831. When George and Martha's remains were moved to their new location, the final beautiful brick enclosure of the tomb was completed in 1835.
The following words were inscribed on the back wall above the sarcophagus holding the mortal remains of George Washington for all who still visit the memorial at their Mt. Vernon estate. The words come the Bible, and are at the core of Easter and the Christian faith. They are Jesus' words from John 11:25: "I am the Resurrection, and the Life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."
As to the reason those words are inscribed above George and Martha's burial place, we can rightly assume the Washington family was pointing to their personal belief.
All of America's founders' personal belief in Easter or the Resurrection of Jesus was something far more than just about a faith in a past historical fact. It declared their hope that Jesus' Resurrection assured their own.
As early American clergyman Phillips Brooks, the Episcopalian rector of Boston's Trinity Church and briefly bishop of Massachusetts, wrote: "Let every man and woman count himself immortal. Let him catch the revelation of Jesus in His resurrection.
Let him say not merely, 'Christ is risen,' but 'I shall rise'."
Every Easter is a powerful reminder of a day that changed history, and I'm not talking about the bunny. The physical Resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of the Christian religion and our personal faith. It reset the course of humanity, and has indelibly changed the hearts of billions, including Gena and me.
Through Jesus' Resurrection, we not only learn that his teachings were true but also his entire ministry. Dying was His reason for living. And by rising from the dead, we understand that He can be our continual Helper and Hope every day. He promised His followers, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
He not only committed to be with us through the good and hard times of this life, but to provide the way and help us as we transition from this life into the next.
Jesus followed up his statement memorialized at Washington's tomb with a question: "I am the Resurrection and the Life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?" If we answer Jesus' question in the affirmative, we will not only have peace with God and be blessed in this life by His continual presence; we will be blessed in the afterlife by the free gift of eternal life. It is a life that will ultimately deliver us from the diseases, toils and tyrants of this world into a life the Bible describes as "no pain, grief, sorrow or tears." Can you imagine? (As our pastor says, "At death, we just put in for a change of address!")
Our friend, spiritual mentor and prolific author, Randy Alcorn, explained it in an almost poetic and perfect way:
Hope is the light at the end of life's tunnel. It not only makes the tunnel endurable, it fills the heart with anticipation of the world into which we will one day emerge. Not just a better world, but a new and perfect world. A world alive, fresh, beautiful, devoid of pain and suffering and war, a world without disease, without accident, without tragedy. A world without dictators and madmen. A world ruled by the only one worthy of ruling. Now, that's great Easter news and chicken soup for every soul!
Easter is celebrated around the world as one of the most significant Christian holidays and holy days. I thought it would be interesting to research what America's Founding Fathers thought about it.
First, Brittanica.com rightly states: "Most [Founding Fathers] were Protestants. The largest number were raised in the three largest Christian traditions of colonial America – Anglicanism (as in the cases of John Jay, George Washington, and Edward Rutledge), Presbyterianism (as in the cases of Richard Stockton and the Rev. John Witherspoon), and Congregationalism (as in the cases of John Adams and Samuel Adams). Other Protestant groups included the Society of Friends (Quakers), the Lutherans, and the Dutch Reformed. Three Founders – Charles Carroll and Daniel Carroll of Maryland and Thomas Fitzsimmons of Pennsylvania – were of Roman Catholic heritage."
With that in mind, we know that most attended Easter or Resurrection Sunday church services. And many wrote or spoke about their Easter or resurrection faith, even those often accused of being deist or nominally Christian. The Library of Congress and National Archives documents what Benjamin Franklin once composed as his epitaph, which compared the theme of his resurrection in the afterlife to his work as a printer of books (he left his death date open at the end, of course):
The Body of B. Franklin,Printer;Like the Cover of an old Book,Its Contents torn out,And stript of its Lettering and Gilding,Lies here, Food for Worms.But the Work shall not be wholly lost:For it will, as he believ'd, appear once more,In a new & more perfect Edition,Corrected and amendedBy the Author.He was born Jan. 6. 1706.Died 17
Historian David Barton from Wallbuilders.com cites a few more founders' representative views on Easter:
Charles Carroll, signer of the Declaration of Independence, viewed Easter as the power for salvation, explaining:
"The approaching festival of Easter, and the merits and mercies of our Redeemer copiosa assudeum redemptio ['with the Lord there is plentiful redemption'] have lead me into this chain of meditation and reasoning, and have inspired me with the hope of finding mercy before my Judge, and of being happy in the life to come – a happiness I wish you to participate with me by infusing into your heart a similar hope."
Benjamin Rush, another signer of the Declaration, pointed out how Jesus' resurrection not only redeemed man to God but also to each other. He noted:
"He forgave the crime of murder on His cross; and after His resurrection, He commanded His disciples to preach the gospel of forgiveness, first at Jerusalem, where He well knew His murderers still resided. These striking facts are recorded for our imitation and seem intended to show that the Son of God died, not only to reconcile God to man but to reconcile men to each other."
In liberal academia, George Washington is often conveyed as a man who believed in a generic deistic God, one who basically created the world but then let it go to run its course.
But, if anyone knows about the real faith and practice of George Washington, it is the historians at his now national park of Mt. Vernon, George Washington's actual estate.
In the museum and educational center there, one particular video display, which plays on a continuous loop for visitors, highlights some great points about Washington's religious life, practice and belief.
Mt. Vernon's official website describes the video display as "shown on the wall above the reconstructed church pew in the 'Gentleman Planter Gallery,' where visitors learn about the role religion played in Washington's life and his encouragement of religious expression."
The short video presentation is flanked by displays of the Ten Commandments and the Lord's Prayer on the walls right next to it.
The footage explains the following, with the voice of an actor as George Washington every time quotations appear below. It opens with the words:
"Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports." [A quote from Washington's farewell address as president]
Then there's a slight pause with the words on the screen "George Washington and religion." The narrator proceeds with the following paragraphs:
George Washington was raised in the Anglican Church, the official church of Virginia and the other southern colonies. As in other Virginian families of this period, he appears to have received his spiritual education from his mother using the family bible and other religious works at the time. He was a member and vestryman of Pohick Church and Christ's Church in Virginia. When he married Martha Dandridge Custis in 1759, it was in a Christian ceremony. At Mt. Vernon, their family home, the couple was known to say grace at meal times, and they provided a religious education to Martha's children and grandchildren. As president, Washington acknowledged the presence of a Divine hand in the fate of the nation by promoting the celebration of a Day of Thanksgiving: "I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be." During the Revolutionary War, General Washington encouraged the religious convictions of his troops and asked the Continental Congress to support payment for clergymen of many faiths [or Christian denominations] to tend to the spiritual needs of the men. "While we are contending for our own liberty, we should be very cautious of violating the rights of conscience in others, ever considering that God alone is the Judge of the hearts of men, and to him only in this case are they answerable." Washington believed that political and religious freedom went hand-in-hand, and he encouraged the new republic to embrace religious tolerance: "[For you, doubtless, remember that I have often expressed my sentiment, that] every man, conducting himself as a good citizen, and being accountable to God alone for his religious opinions, ought to be protected in worshipping the Deity according to the dictates of his own conscience." Washington tried to set an example by worshipping with different sects [mostly Christian denominations]: Presbyterian, Quakers, Roman Catholics, Methodists, Congregationalists and Baptists. In a famous letter to Touro Synagogue, he made it clear that religious tolerance in a new nation was not for Christians alone: "May the children of the stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants; while everyone shall sit [in safety] under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid."It is clear in Washington's writings that he was a deeply spiritual man, with a strong belief that a benevolent power was acting in his life and in the founding of the United States: "Every step, by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation, seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency." Wow! Does all that sound like it could have come from a deist, who doesn't believe God intervenes in the affairs of men? If only other presidents and government officials were as religiously devoted as Washington!
Though his leadership and placement in the Revolutionary War prompted sporadic attendance at times, one former pastor at his Pohick Church stated, "I never knew so constant an attendant at church as Washington," including Holy Week and Easter.
Maybe most telling about his faith is the very tomb that currently contains the remains of Gen. George and Martha Washington. In his will, Washington directed that a new tomb be constructed "at the foot of what is commonly called the Vineyard Inclosure."
Washington died in 1799. The tomb's construction was delayed until 1831. When George and Martha's remains were moved to their new location, the final beautiful brick enclosure of the tomb was completed in 1835.
The following words were inscribed on the back wall above the sarcophagus holding the mortal remains of George Washington for all who still visit the memorial at their Mt. Vernon estate. The words come the Bible, and are at the core of Easter and the Christian faith. They are Jesus' words from John 11:25: "I am the Resurrection, and the Life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die."
As to the reason those words are inscribed above George and Martha's burial place, we can rightly assume the Washington family was pointing to their personal belief.
All of America's founders' personal belief in Easter or the Resurrection of Jesus was something far more than just about a faith in a past historical fact. It declared their hope that Jesus' Resurrection assured their own.
As early American clergyman Phillips Brooks, the Episcopalian rector of Boston's Trinity Church and briefly bishop of Massachusetts, wrote: "Let every man and woman count himself immortal. Let him catch the revelation of Jesus in His resurrection.
Let him say not merely, 'Christ is risen,' but 'I shall rise'."
Every Easter is a powerful reminder of a day that changed history, and I'm not talking about the bunny. The physical Resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of the Christian religion and our personal faith. It reset the course of humanity, and has indelibly changed the hearts of billions, including Gena and me.
Through Jesus' Resurrection, we not only learn that his teachings were true but also his entire ministry. Dying was His reason for living. And by rising from the dead, we understand that He can be our continual Helper and Hope every day. He promised His followers, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
He not only committed to be with us through the good and hard times of this life, but to provide the way and help us as we transition from this life into the next.
Jesus followed up his statement memorialized at Washington's tomb with a question: "I am the Resurrection and the Life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?" If we answer Jesus' question in the affirmative, we will not only have peace with God and be blessed in this life by His continual presence; we will be blessed in the afterlife by the free gift of eternal life. It is a life that will ultimately deliver us from the diseases, toils and tyrants of this world into a life the Bible describes as "no pain, grief, sorrow or tears." Can you imagine? (As our pastor says, "At death, we just put in for a change of address!")
Our friend, spiritual mentor and prolific author, Randy Alcorn, explained it in an almost poetic and perfect way:
Hope is the light at the end of life's tunnel. It not only makes the tunnel endurable, it fills the heart with anticipation of the world into which we will one day emerge. Not just a better world, but a new and perfect world. A world alive, fresh, beautiful, devoid of pain and suffering and war, a world without disease, without accident, without tragedy. A world without dictators and madmen. A world ruled by the only one worthy of ruling. Now, that's great Easter news and chicken soup for every soul!