April 25th Sermon
"Be Original"
* Today’s first reading comes from House Resolution 1693, passed in 1954 by the 83rd Congress, during their 2nd Session. It was a resolution endorsing the addition of “Under God” to America’s Pledge of Allegiance.
H.R. 1693
At this moment of our history the principles underlying our American Government and the American way of life are under attack by a system whose philosophy is at direct odds with our own. Our American Government is founded on the concept of the individuality and the dignity of the human being. Underlying this concept is the belief that the human person is important because he was created by God and endowed by Him with certain inalienable rights which no civil authority may usurp. The inclusion of God in our pledge therefore would further acknowledge the dependence of our people and our Government upon the moral directions of the Creator. At the same time it would serve to deny the atheistic and materialistic concepts of communism with its attendant subservience of the individual.
Today’s second reading is on page , from the third book of Father James Madison Chapter 13, verses 13 through 21. It is from a letter he wrote to the Reverent Jasper Adams in 1833 in response to his sermon “The Relation of Christianity to Civil Government In the United States”.
3 Madison 13:13-21
13Whilst I thus frankly express my view of the subject presented in your sermon, 14I must do you the justice to observe, that you have very ably maintained yours. 15I must admit, moreover, that it may not be easy, in every possible case, 16to trace the line of separation, between the rights of Religion & the Civil authority, 17with such distinctness, as to avoid collisions & doubts on unessential points. 18The tendency to a usurpation on one side, or the other, or to a corrupting coalition or alliance between them, 19will best be guarded against by an entire abstinence of the Government from interference, in any way whatever, 20beyond the necessity of preserving public order, 21& protecting each sect against trespasses on its legal rights by other.
These are the words of Father James Madison
Thank you Citizen
How are you doing tonight citizens?
Let me hear ya
How many of you citizens are students
Let me see your hands
Good, Good
I not alone
You know that feeling
That feeling during
The last few weeks of a semester
Papers
Tests
Projects
Sleep deprivation
The jitters
From your caffeine high
You know what I’m talking about
How many of you citizens
Are graduating this semester
Stand up
Come on stand up
Everyone give them a hand
Congrats
You can have a seat
Me
I’m finally know that feeling myself
Graduation
I’m completing
Let’s see
I started college in 1990
You do the Math
I’m completing
A long ass Undergraduate career
So I am looking forward to this summer
That’s what I love about school
The breaks
I get to go home
See the fam
Hang out with my friends
You see I’m for Texas
And this last Christmas I got to see
My best friend from Hutto, Tx
Chris Leschber
We went to Elementary together
5th through 7th Grade
We were Hutto Hippos
It was a small Texas School
Kindergarten through 12th grade
Was in one building
There were only 24 people
In our Graduating Class
You knew everyone
And everyone knew you
You couldn’t get away with anything
And trust me I didn’t
I spent a lot of time in detention
Yes, Jeff I was that student
Gotten better though
Haven’t I?
Anyway
Hutto now has a separate
Middle School
Elementary School
And a new High School
The Town looks nothing like
When I grew up there
But what jarred me the most
Was what used to be nothing but
An open Field
Across from where I lived
Is now
A Walmart
And a mini-mall
See I was a country boy
And this last winter
Me
My friend Chris
And a few of his buddies
Were on our way to Kill Peace
Or dove hunting
Depending on your perspective
And no we didn’t pepper the birds
We shot ‘em
So we’re on our way out to Chris’s Property
When we passed the Walmart
And I was like
I remember when…
Talk about feeling like an old man
I remember when
This was nut’n more
Than an open field
But what struck me the most
Was as shocked as I was about
The Walmart invasion
One of Chris’s Buddies was just as shock
That at one time it was an open field
But that’s a function of memory
To Chris’s buddy
That’s the way it always was
Because he had no memory
Of it ever being different
Me
The old man
Had a historic perspective
While he
Had a modern perspective
It’s like what some people complain about today
The Modern take on America
All those people fighting
For a separation of church and State
Are enacting their own modern perspectives
Calling the Constitution a living document
And Creating interpretations
Our Founding Fathers
Never intended
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia
A member of the Federalist Society
A group dedicated to Originalism
Interpreting the Constitution
As it was originally written
And Intended
One of the goals of
The United Church of America
During one of his unbiased speeches
This past February
Justice Scalia loving referred to people
With these modern
Separation of Church and state perspectives
As Idiots
You know because Justices never take sides
Or pre-judge cases
Justice Scalia said
"But you would have to be an idiot to believe that, the Constitution is not a living organism; it is a legal document. It says something and doesn't say other things."
Justice Scalia’s complaint
Is that these people
Don’t remember when…
And their ideas of a secular America
Are new modern perspectives
And their fight
For a complete Separation
Doesn’t reflect
The Constitution’s original intent
And one fight
One fight these idiots have recently taken on
Is a crusade against the Pledge of Allegiance
They wanna take “Under God”
Out of the pledge
Can you believe it
They wanna change something
That has been apart of my life
Ever since I was in Hutto Elementary
Reciting the Pledge
Each morning
As mandated
By the Texas legislature
That’s the way it’s always been
As our Founding Fathers intended it
Just ask
Justice Scalia
Pat Roberson
My Dad
Or
President George W. Bush
“One Nation Under God”
Is what our Founding Fathers wanted
So Citizens
Let’s take Justice Scalia’s advice
Let’s be original
Let’s recite America’s pledge
Let’s look at the Pledge of Allegiance
As it was originally intended
As it was originally written
That means
Looking at it’s history
Looking at where it came from
Looking at who wrote it
And the winner is
The Father of the pledge of Allegiance
Reverend Francis Bellamy
Who was a member
Of the Society of Christian Socialist
Who gave numerous sermons promoting
Socialism
One of his more well known sermons
Was titled
“Jesus the Socialist”
Reverent Bellamy first published the pledge
In the 1893 publication of
“The Youth’s Companion”
Granted this was over 100 years
After the Ratification of the Constitution
Well past the lifetimes of America’s Founder’s
But if they had a pledge
This is what they would have wanted
Although is roots are socialist in nature
It’s Patriotic
It’s all inclusive
It evokes the Holy Spirit of 1776
America’s Original Pledge of Allegiance
I pledge allegiance to my flag
And to the Republic for which it stands
One nation, indivisible
With liberty and justice for all
Wait a minute
This isn’t the pledge I know
This isn’t the pledge I grew up with
This isn’t the pledge I recited in school
When I first saw this
I was just as shocked as Chris’s Buddy
This used to be a field?
This used to be our pledge?
Where’s
Under God
Or more importantly
Where’s
The United States of America
Like that field from my childhood
The pledge has gone through
Some transformations
Well if we are going to be Originalist
Then let’s recite our original pledge
As it was originally intended
Justice Scalia would be happy
So Rise Citizens
Rise and stand with me
Let’s recite
America’s original Pledge of Allegiance
Wait
Hold up
Don’t put your hand over heart
Here are Bellamy’s original instructions
For the salute
Right arm lifted
Towards the Flag
Palm upward
Although many did it Palm down
I know this brings up some fighting imagery
But remember
Bellamy was
An evil socialist
But this was America’s salute
For 50 years this was how America
Saluted its flag
Until 1942
I guess we decided to changed it
After a Mr. H from Germany
Decided to adopted our
Socialistic salute
For himself
So come on lets be Originalist
Right arm lifted
Towards the flag
Palm upward
Let’s recite America’s pledge
As it was originally intended
I pledge allegiance to my flag
And to the Republic for which it stands
One nation, indivisible
With liberty and justice for all
Thank you
Please be seated
Now that sounded weird
Didn’t it
And it looked weird too
Wonder what the people driving by
Thought about that
We not Nazis
We promise
We being Originalist
We don’t want Justice Scalia
To call us Idiots
Of course there have been
Some edits over the years
In 1922
My Flag
Was changed to
The Flag of the United States
2 years later they added
Of America
And ya know somebody
Got some shit over that
You forgot
“of America”
The United States of America
These changes made sense
They added specificity
I was no longer just any pledge
My flag became
The Flag of the United States of America
It had become
America’s Pledge
This development followed a natural progression
So back then why didn’t they added
“Under God”
Why didn’t they
Salute the Almighty
Why didn’t they
Recognized the creator
It took another 30 years before the pledge
Was changed again
Like that Field
Across from where I grew up
It probably started as
A gas station
Then a Taco Bell
Then Walmart
It was a response to the growth in population
It evolved in relation to its environment
The first changes to the pledge
Where structural
The Flag of the United States of America
The addition of Under God
On the other hand
Was a product of the time
The 1950’s
The Cold War had began
The evil Russian empire
Had started a domino effect
America was under the influence
Of the Red Scare
And we had to defend ourselves
Defend ourselves against an evil ideology
The evil ideology of Communism
Where were our knights in shinning armor?
Well they finally showed up
The Knights of Columbus
A large influential
Catholic Organization
Based on the ideals
Of Christopher Columbus
Had taken on this fight for us
You
Me
We the People
They had decided
To Protect America
They had decided
To defeat the Communist
They had decided
To defend the home of the brave
And what was their solution
What did they have
That would break the back of Communism
Well they were Catholics
And they had all figured it out
The Communist were Atheists
And America was
Under God
So they created a campaign
A campaign to change America’s pledge
A campaign to destroy Communism
A campaign to defeat the Atheists
America was to become
“One Nation Under God”
The Knights of Columbus
Had a goal
It was a goal that was in support
Of a cause
A cause of one of it most famous Knights
A Knight whose philosophy
They helped propagate
A Knight whose ideals
Sought to protect America
A Knight they backed
And defended to the very end
He was both a Knight and a Senator
Joseph Raymond McCarthy
The same Senator McCarthy
Who in 1950 alleged
He had a list
A list of names
The names of 205 Communist
205 Communist working
In the U.S. State Department
It was the era of McCarthyism
It was a time
When the House Un-American Activities Committee
Was slaughtering civil rights
In the name of fighting Communism
It was a time
When the nation was under the grip
Of the Red Scare
It was a time
When few American took notice
As the Bill of Rights was sided stepped
As the Bill of Rights was shredded
In order to protect them
In order to protect America
From the evil Communist
From the Axis of Evil
From the Evil Terrorists
Wait
I’m sorry I get little confused
It’s just all so similar
Okay back to the 50’s
Which is different from now
It nothing like today
We wouldn’t give up our rights
Like they did back then
We’ve learned better
We’ve learned from our past
We are no longer
One Nation Under McCarthyism
One Nation Under McCarthyism
That’s not fair
Just because that was the environment
Of the 50’s
Doesn’t mean that’s why
“Under God”
Was added
Maybe America wasn’t guided by Fear
Maybe America was guided by wisdom
The Wisdom of our Founding Fathers
Let’s look at the record
Let’s look at their reasons
Let’s look at the words of the 83rd Congress
House Resolution 1693
The inclusion of God in our pledge therefore would further acknowledge the dependence of our people and our Government upon the moral directions of the Creator.
It sounds fine
No Red Scare
No Evil Communists
No McCarthyisms
HR 1693 Contends
That there is Connection
A connection between Monotheism
The Belief in one God
A Christian God
The Creator
And the Civil Government
the dependence of our people and our Government upon the moral directions of the Creator
Like today
The President and Republican Congress
Believed in this connection
This connection between
Government and Religion
Like President George W. Bush
President Eisenhower
Was a born again Christian
Only few weeks after his Inauguration
He was baptized
And confirmed
As a Presbyterian
Eisenhower is the only President
To be baptized
While in Office
So On February 10
My birthday
February 10, 1954
After signing “Under God”
Into Law
President Eisenhower proclaimed
In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future. From this day forward, the millions of our schoolchildren will daily proclaim in every city and town, every village and every rural schoolhouse, the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty.
Eisenhower believed
Like many today
That our Founder’s intended
America to be a Christian Nation
The transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage
And in order for our country
To survive and flourish
There had to be a connection
A connection between
Religious and Civil Authority
the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty
How many of you citizens
Have ever experienced Déjà vu
I live close to campus
So I try to walk to school
As much as possible
Especially these days
Well last Friday
As I was walking down the gauntlet
Which is what I call Mill Ave
Because about every three steps
There is somebody asking ya for money
My favorites are the ones who get creative
Support my beer fund
Or
Will work for weed
I love alliteration
Well I take this route
Bout every couple of days or so
So you get to know a few of ‘em
And you are able to recognize
The newbies
And this one newbie
Ask me for some change
Normally I’m broke
Which the regulars know
But I happened to have some money
So I gave it to her
And one of the quarters fell
And rolled out onto the street
As I went to go pick it up
A red car passed right by me
And tinkle went up my spine
I had done this before
I wasn’t sure if it was from
A dream I had had
A premonition
A past life
I don’t know
I just knew it had happened before
Still gets to me
This must be how America feels
Every time she re-experiences
The same ole battles again and again
A tingle must go up her spine
“Not again”
In the 1800’s
The Reverent Jasper Adams
A huge evangelical of the time
Equivalent to
The Billy Graham’s
The James Dobson’s
And
The Pat Robertson’s
Of Today
Revenant Adam’s
Commanded one of the largest
Congregations in early America
He was the voice of the people
And he wrote a sermon
A sermon titled
The Relation of Christianity to Civil Government
In the United States
It was a sermon
He was proud of
It was a sermon
That captured America’s Spirit
It was a sermon
That proved
That America was
A Christian Nation
The Relation of Christianity to Civil Government
In the United States
He was so proud of his sermon
That he distributed copies of it
He sent copies out to everyone
Including Father James Madison
Turn with me to page
3 Madison 13:22-25
22I owe you, Sir, an apology for the delay in complying with the request of my opinion on the subject discussed in your sermon, 23if not also for the brevity, & it may be thought, crudeness of the opinion itself. 24I must rest my apology on my great age now in its 83.d year, with more than ordinary infirmities, 25& especially on the effect of a chronic rheumatism, combined both, which makes my hands & fingers, as averse to the pen as they awkward in the use of it.
Father Madison at 83 years old
Could barely write
He had rheumatism
Yet he took the time to answer
To answer the Reverend Jasper Adams
And tell him
His opinion
Tell him
How he felt
Father Madison
The Father of our Constitution
The Constitution
Of the United States of America
America’s God
The Supreme law of the land
Amen
Praise the Constitution
Father Madison
The creator of the Bill of Rights
The author of the first Amendment
If anyone
He should meet
Justice Scalia’s requirements
For Originalism
If anyone
He knew the original intent
If anyone
He knew the original meaning
The original meaning
Behind the first Amendment
Father Madison
The one who wrote it
The one with
The original perspective
A perspective
Which should prevail over
All those
Modern perspectives
All those
Idiots
Turn with me to page 26
3 Madison 13:13-19
13Whilst I thus frankly express my view of the subject presented in your sermon, 14I must do you the justice to observe, that you have very ably maintained yours.
Father Madison appreciated
The Reverent Adam’s
Talent
you have very ably maintained yours. 15I must admit, moreover, that it may not be easy, in every possible case, 16to trace the line of separation, between the rights of Religion & the Civil authority, 17with such distinctness, as to avoid collisions & doubts on unessential points.
Here Father Madison refers
To a line of separation
A line of separation between
Religion and the Civil authority
Father Madison admits
It’s not an easy line to trace
But never the less there is
A line
A line of separation
But I thought
The idea of separating
Church and State
Was a new thing
One of them modern perspectives
What Justice Scalia calls
One of them idiotic concepts
But Father Madison
Saw things differently
He saw the connection
The connection between
Religion and government
As a problem
A problem that had to be solved
So he set out solve the problem
He set out to find
A solution
Let us continue
In verses 18 & 19
18The tendency to a usurpation on one side, or the other, or to a corrupting coalition or alliance between them, 19will best be guarded against by an entire abstinence of the Government from interference, in any way whatever,
Father Madison says when you combine
Religion and Government
There a tendency towards a usurpation
One side will take over the other
You’ll either end up with a Theocracy
A Religion controlled government
Or a Government which controls religion
So how do you avoid these corrupting coalitions?
How do you guard against these alliances?
What was Father Madison solution?
What was Father Madison advice?
His answer was loud and clear
Just say No
Tell the government
To just say No to Religion
Father Madison’s solution was a Conservative one
Father Madison had created America’s first
America’s first Abstinence only program
An entire Abstinence
19will best be guarded against by an entire abstinence of the Government from interference, in any way whatever,
Just say no to Religion in Government
So citizens
If someone asks you for just a little religion
A tiny bit of religion in your Government
Ask yourself
What would Madison Do?
What would Father Madison say?
To a tiny bit of Religion in our Government
Just smidgen
Just say No
Let me hear ya citizen
What do you say?
No
Just say No
But what if they want some oral
Some small religious proclamations
What do ya say Citizens
That’s right Just say no
Well what if they wanna slip
In the back door
It not really religion
It’s a faith based initiative
What do you say Citizens
No, no, no, no, no No!
Do I have a witness?
Amen
Praise the Constitution
Let’s be Original Citizens
And just say No
But What happened in 1954
Why did America say Yes in 54?
Why didn’t we follow
The advice of Father Madison?
House Resolution 1693
Underlying this concept is the belief that the human person is important because he was created by God and endowed by Him with certain inalienable rights which no civil authority may usurp. The inclusion of God in our pledge therefore would further acknowledge the dependence of our people and our Government upon the moral directions of the Creator.
It was déjà vu
America’s spine began to tingle
The hairs on the back of America’s neck
Stood up
But Father Madison wasn’t there
He wasn’t there to protect her
America was crossing the line of separation
America was becoming unoriginal
But Why Citizens?
Why would America do this?
Why?
House Resolution 1693 Continues
Acknowledge the dependence of our people and our Government upon the moral directions of the Creator. At the same time it would serve to deny the atheistic and materialistic concepts of communism with its attendant subservience of the individual.
What was this?
deny the atheistic and materialistic concepts of communism
That’s was the reason for crossing
Madison’s line of separation
deny the atheistic and materialistic concepts of communism
That’s was their excuse for ignoring
The 1st Amendment
deny the atheistic and materialistic concepts of communism
That’s was why they added “Under God”
To America’s Pledge of Allegiance
McCarthyism had filled America’s sails
As our country veered down a dangerous path
Riding the waves of the Red Scare
Representative Rabaut from Michigan
Who initially proposed the change
During his floor speech in favor of
H.J. Res 243
Said
You may argue from dawn to dusk about differing political, economic, and social systems, but the fundamental issue which is the unbridgeable gap between America and Communist Russia is a belief in Almighty God. From the root of atheism stems the evil weed of communism and its branches of materialism and political dictatorship. Unless we are willing to affirm our belief in the existence of God and His creator-creature relation to man, we drop man himself to the significance of a grain of sand and open the floodgates to tyranny and oppression.
Rep. Rabaut proclaimed
The Russians were atheists
These Communists were evil
And we had to protect ourselves
From the root of atheism stems
the evil weed of communism and its branches of materialism and political
dictatorship.
Rep. Rabaut declared
God was on our side
And against the Communists
Because America was “Under God”
the fundamental issue which is the unbridgeable gap between America and Communist Russia is a belief in Almighty God
But we were a nation
Guided by Fear
The Fear of Communism
Rep. Rabaut argued
That if we didn’t
Proclaim America
To be “One Nation Under God”
America would be lost
The floodgates of Hell would be opened
And America fall behind the Iron Curtain
Unless we are willing to affirm our belief in the existence of God and His creator-creature relation to man, we drop man himself to the significance of a grain of sand and open the floodgates to tyranny and oppression.
Our Patriotic pledge
Became an expression of religion faith
An expression of irrational fear
An expression of McCarthyism
America had become
One Nation Under McCarthyism
America had become
One Nation Under McCarthyism
How many of you citizens
Are parents
Or have nieces or nephews
Let me see your hands
Show you pride
Here’s my Niece Madeline Belle
She just turned 4 this April
I can’t wait to see her this summer
Its so much fun watching her
Discover the world
Discover life
Discover language
Once for a whole day I was
A poopy head
It was great
Every time she would say it
She would just giggle
Uncle Brandon
You’re a poopy head
She had just started daycare
Actually one of those advanced schools
A socialization camp for little people
Well she learned a new word combination
From one of her friends
And she wanted to use it
Uncle Brandon
You’re a poopy head
That’s the function of school
These kids soak up all this new info
Like Sponges
Then they come home and show it off
Some days its poopy head
Other days its new colors or shapes
Then one day it was this
Madeline walked into the kitchen
And flipped off my sister
It days like that
When I’m glad
I’m just the Uncle
I had to leave the room
So I wouldn’t get in trouble too
I’m sorry it was funny
But what do you do
Madeline didn’t know what she was doing
She didn’t know what it meant
She was just showing Mommy
The newest thing
She had learned in school
So when people
Recite the pledge
Without knowing the history behind it
Without knowing what it means
Without knowing the why’s behind it
Is there any difference
Between that
And what Madeline did
But these originalist don’t care
They don’t care if “Under God”
Is one of the last remaining relics of McCarthyism
One of the last remain relics of the red scare
They believe
They truly believe
This is what the founder’s wanted
One Nation Under God
So what did the Founder’s intend
I mean the pledge didn’t even exist
During there lifetimes
So let’s be original
Let’s let look at their writings
Let’s look at their opinions
Let’s look to Father Madison
We know he pursued
An Abstinence only program
In dealing with government’s role in religion
Just say no
Amen
Praise the Constitution
So how did he look at religion’s role in government?
What would Father Madison think about a pledge
That as House Resolution 1693 states
Acknowledges the dependence of our people and our Government upon the moral directions of the Creator
What would Father Madison think about a pledge
Which as Representative Rabuat proclaims
affirms our belief in the existence of God and His creator-creature relation to man
What would Father Madison think about a pledge
That President Eisenhower said
Reaffirmed the dedication of our nation and our people to the Almighty
What would Father Madison think about a pledge
A patriotic act that would unite
Unite the union
The United States of America
A united acted that form
“One Nation Under God”
Turn with to page 24
3 Madison 10:33
33The idea also of a union of all to form one nation under one Govt
The United States of America
in acts of devotion to the God of all
One Nation Under God
is an imposing idea.
Father Madison says
33The idea also of a union of all to form one nation under one Govt in acts of devotion to the God of all is an imposing idea.
Father Madison proclaim
One nation Under God
Is an imposing Idea
One Nation Under God
Is an Imposing idea
It is an imposing idea
Do I have witness?
Amen
Praise the Constitution
So if our goal is to be original
Who are
To use the words of Justice Scalia
Who are the idiots
The idiots with the modern perspective
Who sees the Walmart
And is shocked that at one time
It was an open field
And who here sees
America’s Pledge of Allegiance
And is shocked
That it contains the words
Under God
I’ve been told
That it only take two generation
To create history
But just because
We can’t remember
A Pledge
Without “Under God”
Doesn’t mean it was always there
We must open our eyes citizens
We must look at our origins
We must examine our history
Who here sees the Walmart
And misses the open field
Misses Madison’s Separation
Misses the days before McCarthyism
Who wants to remember when…
Who wants the historic perspective?
Let me here you citizens
Who wants history on their side?
Who wants to remember when?
Amen
Praise the constitution
Citizens tonight I going to ask you
To make a pledge
A pledge
To Be original
And don’t flip me off
Just because it was something you learned in school
Be original
And know what you’re saying
Before you say it
Be original
And learn your history
Learn America’s origins
Be original
And follow Father Madison advice
And Just say no
Just say no
To Religion in our Government
Can you make that pledge
For me tonight citizens
Tell me citizens
What are you going to be
Orginal
One more time
Let Justice Scalia hear ya
What are you going to be citizens
Be original
Amen
Praise the Constitution
Let’s be Original citizens
The Addition of “Under God”
Like the Walmart was a response
A response to its environment
Our Country was immersed in McCarthyism
But we have all been to that side of town
Where the environment changed
And what used to be Walmart
Is now an abandoned parking lot
A couple days
Before he signed the bill into law
President Eisenhower attended a sermon
A sermon on why “Under God”
On why “Under God”
Should be added to the pledge
A sermon by the
Rev. George M. Docherty
Who didn’t become a legal citizen
Until 1960
But that’s a whole nother issue
But this sermon had such an impact
Made such an impression
That Senator Oakman from Michigan
And several other congressmen decided
Decided To included Dochery’s sermon
Into the Congressional Record
In his autobiography Rev. George M. Docherty
Talked about the addition of “Under God”
And his influencecial sermon
I still consider my reasoning to be valid, but the times should have overruled my philosophical arguments as irrelevant in light of the greater issues at hand. A false patriotism was being aroused by the bogus threat of Communist encroachment; McCarthyism darkened the airwaves; super-patriots were prone to ask not whether they were on God’s side, but whether God was on theirs. As such, the new Pledge unfortunately served as one more prop supporting the civil religion that characterized the institutional Christianity of the fifties
Citizens
See what happens when you not original
When America strays from it founders
super-patriots were prone to ask not whether they were on God’s side, but whether God was on theirs
Can you feel it citizens
A false patriotism was being aroused by the bogus threat of Communist encroachment
I can feel it
The hairs on the back
Of America’s neck
Are standing straight up
A false patriotism was being aroused by the bogus threat of Communist encroachment
America’s got that déjà vu tingle
We’ve been here before feeling
“Not Again”
But once again Father Madison
Isn’t here to protect her
He isn’t here to draw his line
He isn’t here to just say no
So it is up to us
You
Me
We the people
It is up to us
To be original
It is up to us
To be original
It is up to us
To ask
What would Madison do?
Rise Citizens
Rise and Pray with me
Thank you Father Madison
Thank you for opening our eyes
Thank you for showing us the key
May we not keep these unlocked secrets to ourselves
But share them with our fellow citizens
We as members of the UCA
The United Church of America
Hold a great responsibility
Father Madison
Father Jefferson
Father Paine
Well call upon your strength
Help us on our journey
Help us through these days of trials and tribulations
As we strive to reintroduce your words
Your wisdom
To the whole world
In the Constitution we pray
Amen