Boyce Mouton
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Letter 488English

Letters From Grandpa #488

Boyce Mouton · 2 pages · 967 words

  • LETTERS FROM GRANDPA
  • 488

Dearest grandchild,

America has a rich Christian heritage. The first law providing for public education was called the “Old Deluder Satan Law” (1642). It was passed so that schools would be formed to teach children to read the Bible and thus not be deluded by Satan. Harvard was our first college and it’s motto was “For Christ and the Church.” 106 out of the first 108 colleges founded in America were founded on the Christian faith. Sadly, however, within a hundred years America had deviated from this rich heritage.

  • The ministry “Beautiful Feet” is a non-profit revival ministry started by Chet & Phyllis Swearingen in November 2013. Their ministry is based on Romans 10:15: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Their web site points out that following the Revolutionary War (1776-1781), the United States experienced a moral slump and the church became almost totally irrelevant. At that time America temporarily became a godless nation. They point out that:
  • During the last decade of that century, out of a population of five million Americans, six percent were confirmed drunkards, and bank robberies were a daily occurrence.
  • Women did not go out at night for fear of assault. Methodists were losing 4,000 members per year, and the Baptists also experienced their most wintry season.
  • A typical Congregational church had no new converts in 16 years. Lutherans were so desperate that they discussed uniting with Episcopalians who were even worse off than the Lutherans.
  • The Protestant Episcopal Bishop of New York had so little to do that he took up other job.
  • The Chief Justice of the United States, John Marshall, considered that the Church “was too far gone to ever be redeemed.” Voltaire predicted, “Christianity will be forgotten in 30 years time.”
  • In 1790 only 5% of Americans had formal ties to a church and historian Kenneth Latourette considered the church to be doomed.
  • The “Enlightenment Movement” was sweeping Europe with Deism and human philosophies.
  • In America, Ethan Allen’s book on Reason, and Thomas Paine’s book on The Age of Reason were secular publications designed to strip away belief in the Bible.
  • Harvard University did not have a single Christian in the entire student body. Princeton had only 2 believers. Williams’s College thumbed it’s nose at Christ with a “mock” communion service, and Dartmouth College conducted anti-Christian plays.
  • Then, in 1791 a group of churches in England banded together in concert’s of prayer and revival broke out in England.
  • Then, in 1794, encouraged by the example of our brethren in England, Isaac Backus and other Christian leaders in America began concerts of prayer. By 1798 revival also broke out in America.
  • Miraculously, the prayers of God’s people led to “The Second Great Awakening” that continued until 1840. The church came alive and revivals broke out in at least 150 congregations. One minister said: “I saw a continued succession of heavenly sprinklings at New Salem, Farmington, Middlebury, and New Hartford [Connecticut], until, in 1799, I could stand at my door in New Hartford, Litchfield county, and number fifty or sixty congregations laid down in one field of divine wonders, and as many more in different parts of New England.”
  • In 1800 revival broke out in Kentucky in the Red River and Gasper River churches. In 1801 30,000 showed up for the great revival at Cane Ridge. This revival soon spread to Ohio and Indiana.
  • In 1802 revival’s broke out at Yale and other colleges and many students at Yale entered the ministry.
  • From 1815-1840 hundreds of thousands became Christians in New York and while U.S. population experienced a four fold growth, the church experienced a ten fold growth. It was not at all uncommon at this time for 40,000 – 50,000 Christians converts to be added every year.

Bill and Gloria Gaither capture the truth of the church triumphant with this testimony: “God has always had a people. Many a foolish conqueror has made the mistake of thinking that because he had forced the church of Jesus Christ out of site, he had stilled it's voice and snuffed out it's life. But God has always had a people the powerful current of a rushing river is not diminished because it's forced to flow underground now the purest water is the stream that burst crystal clear into the sunlight after it has forced it's way through solid rock there have been who like Simon The Magician sought to barter on the open market that power which cannot be bought or sold but God has always had a people. Men who could not be bought and women who were beyond purchase. God has always had a people. There have been times of affluence and prosperity when the Church's message has been nearly deluded into oblivion by those who sought to make it socially attractive, neatly organized and financially profitable. But God has always had a people. Yes it's been gold platted, draped in purple and encrusted with jewels. It has been misrepresented, ridiculed lauded and scorned but God has always had a people and these followers of Jesus Christ have been, according to the whim of the times, elevated sacred leaders and modern heretics yet through it all their march is on that powerful army of the meek. God's chosen people who cannot be bought, blabbered murdered or stilled. On through the ages they march! The church! God's church triumphant!”

Please do not be discourage by temporary times of persecution, and do not forget the promise of Jesus that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church! (Matthew 16:18)

I love you and pray you will be in church this Sunday,

Grandpa Boyce