A Republic…if you can keep it!

“A Republic, if you can keep it.”

These were the words Dr. Benjamin Franklin replied on the final day of deliberations at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 when asked about the type of government the delegates had created. Franklin was clearly alluding to the fact that a republic does not stand on its own; rather, it can only be maintained by an involved and informed citizenry. Only recently, more than two centuries later, does the largely apathetic population of the United States recognize the magnitude of Dr. Franklin’s sage words.

Our republic is failing. Among the symptoms are frequent Constitutional violations, over-spending, open hostility to the Christian faith, activist judges, unenforced borders, a wildly intrusive federal government, and an underlying and radical progressive agenda by those hostile to our Constitutional Republic. In a healthy republic, these symptoms would only flare up briefly, to be attacked quickly and aggressively by the citizenry through their constitutionally elected representatives. However, the United States today is far from a healthy republic.

In a healthy republic, citizens would inform themselves about how their government should operate. They would read their founding documents—not just reading the words, but reading for understanding. Citizens would study their nation’s history—not just reading from textbooks, but reading from original sources written during the historical period. They would do this to ensure they were getting a factual representation and not someone’s personal revision of history. Yet, today, very little time is given to studying our founding documents, and the history we know is largely based on the textbooks we read in school or the documentaries we watch on television.

In a healthy republic, citizens have a very skeptical view of their government and take an active interest in politics because it is the only non-violent means by which they can restrain their government. They would engage their fellow citizens—one on one or in town meetings—to debate the merits of legislative proposals or the actions taken by their government. Citizens would be in frequent contact with their elected representatives to ensure that their government did not overstep their mandate. Yet, today our interest is only raised when we personally witness a direct and measurable consequence to our personal lives. Even then, all we say is “someone should do something about that!”

Ours is the only country in the history of mankind that has survived as long as it has under the same founding document. The reason for this was described by Dr. Franklin when the Constitutional Convention reached a deadlock as to the question of representation. He urged the delegates to pray each morning before undertaking the debates saying:

“I’ve lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing Proofs I see of this Truth — That God governs in the Affairs of Men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his Notice, is it probable that an Empire can rise without his Aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that except the Lord build the House they labor in vain who build it. I firmly believe this, — and I also believe that without his concurring Aid, we shall succeed in this political Building no better than the Builders of Babel”
–Dr. Benjamin Franklin

The events leading up to and including the Constitutional Convention were divinely inspired. It is only by the grace of God that our nation was formed as a Constitutional Republic and has endured this long. However as Ronald Reagan said…

“Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people. Those who have known freedom and lost it, have never known it again.”
–President Ronald Reagan

Politics is not dirty. I know that is the stigma attached to it today, but our founders recognized politics for what it is: a key to preserving our liberties. Politics is not dirty, it is the people practicing politics that are dirty. It is like the old adage about money: money is the root of all evil (which has morphed over the centuries from the original biblical source: 1 Timothy 6:10). No, money is just a tool. It can be used for good or for evil. It is the people who spend the money that have the capability to be evil.

The key to saving our country is to engage our citizenry politically again. How can we achieve our mission of restoring Constitutional governance if We the People continue to depend on lobbyists to decide who will run for office and only get involved in federal elections during the general election cycle every 4 years? Commit today to staying informed and involved before and during every election cycle.