ONE NATION UNDER GOD

That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance.-Psalms 106:5

TWENTIETH CENTURY INAUGURATIONS

Warren Gamaliel Harding was a newspaper editor, state senator, U.S. Senator, and became the 29th President of the United States. On March 4, 1921, he stated in his inaugural address....

Lyndon Baines Johnson was the 36th President. He first took office when President John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated. On January 20, 1965, in his inaugural address, he made reference to King Solomon and the prophet Isaiah, when he said....

The 37th President of the United States was Richard Milhous Nixon. On January 20, 1969, in his inaugural address, he proclaimed....

Gerald Ford became the 38th President of the United States following the Watergate Scandal which deposed Richard Nixon. He stated in his inaugural address on August 9, 1974....

Finally I wish to take a look at Jimmy Carter, our 39^th President. It was President Carter who would bring the term "born again" to the public eye. He would also, totally out of political character for most politicians, claim full blame for the failed attempt to rescue our hostages in Iran. In his inaugural address on January 20, 1977, he proclaimed his faith in God's word when he said....

While many of our national leaders, both past and present, have only mouthed these words to gain favor with the American people, others truly meant them from their hearts. It is important to note that all of these leaders felt that America's people were a people who believed and revered God and His word. Pray for a time when God will raise up again leaders who really do believe in God, and bring to the light of day the evil deeds of those who are only mouthing meaningless platitudes.

CALVIN COOLIDGE

John Calvin Coolidge was a mayor, state senator, governor of Massachusetts, and vice-president under Warren G. Harding. In a message he gave in 1923 entitled "The Destiny of America", he proclaimed....

Speaking of our founding fathers in this address, he stated....

Upon becoming the 30th President of United States, in his inaugural on March 4, 1925, he stated his belief in our Christian heritage when he said....

In 1923, he gave a stern warning for the future of our nation that we should take to heart today. In it he gave a grave definition to the moral crisis that our nation is currently facing.

Thus we see the dilemma that faces us today. The blame for this I lay squarely at the door of the church. Before we can expect our nation to turn back to God, our churches must. If we cannot teach the pure and simple doctrines of the Bible, undiluted by the opinions of men, godly or otherwise, we cannot honestly expect any one else to ever take us seriously again.

Please pray for the time that the church in America will again hold high the torch that has been passed to us by past generations. If we do not, then what happens to America is totally our own fault.

HERBERT HOOVER

Herbert Clark Hoover was a mining engineer and, during World War I, was the food administrator for the United States government. He became our 31st president and, in his inaugural address on March 4, 1929, he stated,

In 1943, as the specter of World War II became an ever-present danger, Herbert Hoover, along with several other national leaders, issued a joint statement addressing the concerns of that day.

With the war finally behind them, the new menace of atheistic communism was threatening the freedom of the world in 1950. In a radio broadcast on April 27, Hoover would once again reaffirm his belief in the forces which had made America truly the great nation it was at that time.

With all these forces opposing our nation during the early years of the twentieth century, it becomes obvious what many Americans, including godly leaders like President Herbert Hoover, knew was needed to turn our nation, or any nation, from the downward path and back to the God of our fathers.

If this wisdom would just be taken to our hearts today, we would begin to make much greater headway in turning our nation back to God.

FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT

Franklin Delano Roosevelt became our 32nd president as our nation was in the throes of the great depression. In his first inaugural address, on March 4, 1933, he made the famous statement that we still hear so often today. This statement becomes even more powerful when you get to hear, as Paul Harvey has so often said, the rest of the story.

One of the things that made Roosevelt so popular with the American people was his many radio "fireside chats" broadcasts that helped to strengthen so many during those dark days. During a radio broadcast in 1935, he stated....

During World War II, Gideons International printed multitudes of New Testaments that were given to our troops as they left for the service. The prologue to this Bible was written by President Roosevelt and was short and to the point as to why these Bibles were given out.

In the darkest hours of the war, President Roosevelt attended a mid-Atlantic summit with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. During this meeting, Roosevelt stated that the United States was , "the lasting concord between men and nations, founded on the principles of Christianity". He then requested the crew of the ship he was on to join him in a rousing chorus of "Onward, Christian Soldiers". Pray that God will raise up a new generation of Christian soldiers, to help turn our nation back to the God of our fathers.

"The fundamental basis of this nation's laws was given to Moses on the Mount. The fundamental basis of our Bill of Rights comes from the teachings we get from Exodus and Saint Matthew, from Isaiah and Saint Paul. I don't think we emphasize that enough these days. If we don't have a proper fundamental moral background, we will finally end up with a totalitarian government which does not believe in rights for anybody except the State!"-Harry Truman (1945-1953)

"The spirit of man is more important than mere physical strength, and the spiritual fiber of a nation than its wealth. The Bible is endorsed by the ages. Our civilization is built upon its words. In no other book is there such a collection of inspired wisdom, reality, and hope."-Dwight Eisenhower (1953-1961)

"We in this country, in this generation are, by destiny rather than choice, the watchmen on the walls of world freedom. We ask, therefore, that we may be worthy of our power and responsibility, that we may exercise our strength with wisdom and restraint, and that we may achieve in our time and for all time the ancient vision of peace on earth, goodwill toward men. That must always be our goal. For as was written long ago, 'Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.'."-John Kennedy (1961-1963)

"If we fail now, we will have forgotten that democracy rests on faith....For myself, I ask only in the words of an ancient leader: 'Give me now wisdom and knowledge that I may go out and come in before this people'....Come now, let us reason together." -Lyndon Johnson (1963-1969)

"Today, I ask your prayers that in the years ahead I may have God's help in making decisions that are right for America, and I pray for your help so that together we may be worthy of our challenge. Let us go forward from here confident in hope, strong in our faith in one another, sustained by our faith in God who created us, and striving always to serve His purpose."-Richard Nixon (1969-1974)

"Without God there could be no American form of government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first - the most basic - expression of Americanism. Thus, the founding fathers of America saw it, and thus with God's help, it will continue to be."-Gerald Ford (1974-1977)

"Here before me is the Bible used in the inauguration of our first President in 1789, and I have just taken the oath of office on the Bible my mother gave me just a few years ago, opened to the timeless admonition from the ancient prophet Micah: 'He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God"-Jimmy Carter (1977-1981)

"Let us, young and old, join together, as did the First Continental Congress, in the first step, humble heartfelt prayer. Let us do so for the love of God and His great goodness, in search of His guidance, and the grace of repentance, in seeking His blessings, His peace, and the resting of His kind and holy hands on ourselves, our nation, our friends in the defense of freedom, and all mankind, now and always."-Ronald Reagan (1981-1989)

"The great faith that led our nation's founding fathers to pursue this bold experience in self-government has sustained us in uncertain and perilous times; it has given us strength and inspiration to this very day. Like them, we do very well to recall our 'firm reliance on the protection of divine providence' to give thanks for the freedom and prosperity this nation enjoys, and to pray for continued help and guidance from our wise and loving Creator."-George Bush (1989-1993)

"When our Founders boldly declared America's Independence to the world and our purposes to the Almighty, they knew that America, to endure, would have to change. And so, my fellow Americans, at the edge of the 21st century, let us begin with energy and hope, with faith and discipline, and let us work until our work is done. The Scripture says, "And let us not be weary in well-doing, for in due season, we shall reap, if we faint not." From this joyful mountaintop of celebration, we hear a call to service in the valley. We have heard the trumpets. We have changed the guard. And now, each in our way, and with God's help, we must answer the call."-William Jefferson Clinton (1993-2001)

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