Well it didn’t quite feel like, as Madonna sings, “the very first time,” but its been more than a month since YHC Q’d thanks to COVID 19–THE “One-Niner” and it was great to be back! Had the opportunity to Q, thought long and hard about it, then jumped in headfirst.
Here’s the skinny:
WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH – 18 IC
Swartzjacks – 10 IC
Smurfjacks – 10 IC
Splitjacks – 10 IC
Windmill – 10 IC
Cherry Pickers/Hairy Chiggers/Crab Flippers – 10 IC
Chairmanlap mosey around the short block
THE THANG:
PAX walked perimeter of church building (safety brief walk around), as they would mosey this route between exercises.
Pretty simple…spell your full name, taking laps around the church between each letter. See image below. (For those who Fartsacked this is an easy one to catch up on; it’ll take you about 45 minutes.) Check it out:
Somewhere in the middle of the middle names PAX took a breather for the following 3rdF:
F3 is about leadership. In fact, our F3 Mission Statement is: to Plant, grow, and serve small workout groups of men for the invigoration of male community leadership.
That means what we do here on a micro scale is to spill over into our homes, workplaces, and into the communities in which we live. It means that what we do as a group must spill over into the communities in which we exist: Milton, Milford, and Georgetown.
We’ve done a little of that over the past few years, collecting toilet paper and cooking breakfast for residents at the Home of the Brave, collecting crayons for the young girl distributing crayons to sick children at AI, collecting peanut butter for the Milton Food Pantry, painting the future shelter near Lowes, bringing food to the collection container on the Georgetown Circle, etc.
I’m bringing this to your attention to say that we need to be even more attentive to opportunities for us to lead [together] in our communities during 2021.
I’m also bringing it up today to refer back to a word that has been added to leadership in F3 circles in recent years (at least as far as YHC knows). This is for personal application and its a word mentioned in Dredd’s book Q Source. It is the word virtuous. Virtuous Leadership. That is a very particular kind of leadership.
Virtuous is defined as: Having or showing high moral standards. F3 exists to bring about leadership in men which is marked by its high moral standards.
We can look all around us in the world and see leadership which is absent of moral standards. The political realm is one place this is easily seen. Truth be told, in the end, leadership absent of high moral standards isn’t really leadership at all!
This was the substance of the statement by President John Adams when he stated: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.”
Virtuous leadership means we’re not just leading in our homes, workplaces, and in the communities in which we serve, but that in each of those areas we are LEADING RIGHT.
In that vein the Bible says that leaders must “be above reproach…not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious (quick to argue, quarrel or fight), not fond of sordid gain, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled.” (Titus 1:7-8)
This is the standard for leadership in Scripture because as go the leaders, so goes the home, the workplace, and the communities in which they serve.
In 2021 let us be HIM by striving to be men who practice virtuous leadership.
Names spelled in full, it was time to circle up:
COT:
Number-Rama
[Full] Name-O-Rama
Announcements: Just be smart and use common sense concerning how you feel and whether you post or not (see write up on GroupMe
Prayers: For those on IR and those in our community out of action due to Corona virus, get well soon; for the State of Georgia and their run-off elections today; for the nation (march & Trump rally in D.C. tomorrow, 1/6); etc.
Well, it didn’t feel like a Virgin Q, but physically, it felt like it was the first time YHC worked out in years–a full month of the “One-Niner” has ransacked YHC’s legs and lungs. Still, thankful for all the men who posted, humbled to have good health, and grateful to be back!
Bolt 46’s IC (4 Count) – 16 squats to halfway down (Q Lost Count). 15 squats halfway to full down. 15 full squats.
Cherry Pickers – 20 IC
The Thang
Mosey @.5 miles to O Holy Hill.
PAX performed 12 hydraulic squats in cadence with a weird 6 count, 12 best form LBC’s in 4 count cadence, & 12 best form merkins in 4 count cadence. Once complete Pax will nur up the hill and run down and plank for the 6. PAX completed 11 hydraulic squats in cadence, 11 best form LBC’s in cadence, & 11 best form merkins in cadence. Nur up the hill and run down and plank for the 6. Rinse and repeat in descending order until time became a factor. HIM completed 5 evolutions down through the round of 8.
Mosey @.5 miles back to CHOP
Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust. Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers.
F3 Message – 12/24/20 – see below for Billy Graham & Ron Hutchcraft posts gleaned from the Internet…
In His Own Words – Billy Graham’s 1993 Christmas Message
December 21, 2020
The joyful Christmas message of peace on earth and goodwill to men seems clouded this year by events at home and around the world that dramatize the terrible increase in violence and crime.
We live in a world dangerously torn by hate and conflict, and people feel powerless to do anything about it. Many also know that their own hearts are driven by destructive passions and motives they cannot seem to control or change.
The decline in moral values is having a tragic effect on our society. People are concerned about their children, their families and their country and are desperately searching for answers. In taking God and religion out of our lives, we have lost our moral and spiritual bearings.
This Christmas season let us consider our spiritual heritage. Let us listen carefully to the angels’ words that continue to offer us hope, especially at this critical time.
“Fear not.” the angels said on that starry night in Bethlehem. “For I bring you good news of great joy, which shall be for all the people. For today in the city of David there has been born for you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.”
In a world more needy than ever, let us open our hearts to the child in the manger, who can bring us new life and new power over the violence, crime, and evils of our day.
The occasion was a city-wide art contest. They were told to paint paintings entitled “Peace.” While the judges were understandably attracted to this beautiful pastural scene that a local painter had painted. It was a green pasture. It was the puffy white clouds and the beautiful blue sky and a little boy going by with a fishing pole over his shoulder and a quiet brook and some birds. That got second place. First place – well, the picture was of an angry, stormy day at the seashore as the ocean was beating against the cliffs and the cliffs were stark and dark because of the darkness of the storm. The sky in this painting was angry and black, green and purple. You had to look twice to figure out what in world this had to do with peace. But if you looked halfway up the cliff these little baby birds were nestled underneath the wing of their mother, and they were sleeping totally oblivious to the storm that was howling all around them. Now it’s the Christmas season. It’s supposed to be about peace; but, if you feel the holiday pressure like I do, seems more like a storm, a stress which leads us into those birds.
Well, I’m Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about “A Christmas Survival Kit.”
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Isaiah 30:15, “in quietness and trust is your strength.” What a great verse for the chaos that Christmas has become. You’re in the middle of it right now. The shopping – the entertaining – and getting all the cards out – “Oh, who did we forget. They sent us a card; we better send them one.” – All of the church events that are going on – maintaining all the family traditions that the kids insist on or you do – the guests are coming – family time – you know, they’re flying in – they’re driving in. Suddenly the Christmas season seems more like “Stress on Earth” than “Peace on Earth,” and then God speaks “in quietness and trust is your strength.”
If you are going to protect the heart of Christmas and not succumb to the hassle of Christmas, you must protect a quiet spot at the beginning of each day where quietness and trust will be your strength. Think about those birds in that painting. Peace was not the absence of a storm, it was peace right in the middle of it. They found their quiet spot. Well, the secret is the same for you. The more hectic the season is, the harder it is to get your quiet time with the Lord and the more you need it.
It would be tragic if Jesus gets lost in the process of you getting ready for His birthday. If anything, make your time with Jesus more top priority than ever. First of all because Christmas becomes an idol if it crowds out Christ. Secondly, you need to be with Him to keep everything in proportion. Unload your concerns on Him. Focus on the relationship with Jesus. It’s a love relationship above all else. Eliminate the overload. Ask the Lord if there’s things you can eliminate. Simplify as you ask for His wisdom. What’s your Christmas survival kit? “Quietness and trust is your strength.” It comes from non-negotiable times spent with the Prince of Peace, not peace that’s the absence of a storm but peace right in the middle of a storm.
All i/c 20 Seal jacks 20 Plank jacks 20 Mountain man pooper 20 Cherry picker Capri lap – side shuffle across parking lot, nur, side shuffle, and mosey 20 SSH 20 Seal waves 20 Imperial walkers 21 Crab flippers
The Thang
Break up into teams
Frisbee golf to old HOB entrance doing as many burpees has strokes to holes. Mosey to playground in back
15 swerkins 25 step ups per leg 20 hanging knee lifts 15 urkins 20 derkins X 2
1. a cooking appliance with a rotating spit for roasting and barbecuing meat.
2. F3 Definition of Rotisserie – You #$% is in for a Beatdown !!
PAX moseyed @.63 miles to the first pain station at MFD and completed 30 American Hammers in a four count cadence.
Moseyed from the FD @.49 miles to 514 Chestnut St. where we completed a toy soldier set of 100 LBC’s, 50 E2K’s each side and 25 Big Boys.
Moseyed .22 miles from 514 Chestnut to WBOC (OTS) where all PAX Bear Crawled for @8 parking spaces (@80 ft.) and completed ATM’s – 15 alternating shoulder taps (4 count), 10 tempo Merkins (4 count), and 10 fast merkins OYO. PAX Bear Crawled back (@80 ft.) and completed another evolution of said ATM’s.
Moseyed .21 miles from WBOC to 611 Federal Street where we completed a descending round of Super 21 without any recovery exercises between the rounds. 21 merkins, 21 LBC’s. 20 merkins, 20 LBC’s, etc. descending through the round of 15. Time was a factor and Q challenged each HIM to complete the descending rounds to 1 merkin, 1 LBC OYO at home.
Moseyed 1.16 miles from 611 Federal Street back to CHOP. Total – 2.71 miles overall mosey, not counting any mileage accrued for those that circled back to bring up our 6.
Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust. Prayers were offered for multiple needs within the attending PAX, but please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers.
Chappie hosted coffeteria for all HIM in the Church Fellowship Hall. Thanks to Quattro for donuts and extra coffee.
Maybe it was the dumb voices I did. But the kids used to love it when I read “Winnie the Pooh” to them. Tigger with his irrepressible “hoo-hoo!,” bouncing everywhere. And Eeyore with his head down and his ever-present gloom.
I’d rather be Tigger than Eeyore. Maybe without the bouncing. I want to be the one who leaves sunshine in the room, not storm clouds.
That’s not so easy. There’s plenty to make us Eeyores. Overheated schedules. Grumpy folks. Medical battles. Family tension. Too little sleep. Long delays. Aggravating pain. Aggravating people.
Then there’s the antidote. Thanksgiving. Well, actually, giving thanks. That may be the difference between being the joy-bringer or the joy-killer.
The “inventors” of our Thanksgiving exemplify that difference. According to H. U. Westermayer, “The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than those who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.”
There’s Thanksgiving the holiday. Then there’s thanks-living, the lifestyle. It’s the difference between the dirty window and the blessing glasses.
When I look out a dirty window, the whole world looks yucky. Even the really good stuff is dimmed by all the caked-on dirt that’s coloring my view.
If you’ve decided your role in life is “victim,” it will be hard to see much that’s positive through that window. Abused … neglected … abandoned … misunderstood … passed over … wounded – that’s real hurt.
But to let those who hurt you define you is a self-imposed sentence of despair. Denying the many good things because they don’t fit the victim narrative. Living as a prisoner of your past.
Unthankfulness, for whatever reason, breeds some ugly offspring. In Romans 1, God describes how humans end up doing unthinkably depraved things – and where that downward slide starts. “They wouldn’t worship Him as God or even give Him thanks … their minds became dark and confused” (Romans 1:21 NLT).
Unthankful heart -> dark mind. Bitterness … resentment … depression … anger … rebellion against God. They come from an ungrateful heart.
Yes, you can choose to go through life looking out your dirty window, seeing all that’s wrong. Or, you can choose to put on your blessing glasses. That enables you to live – not in denial of the bad stuff – but celebrating the goodness of God all around you. If you have eyes to see it.
Henry Ward Beecher, said: “The unthankful heart … discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as a magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!”
And those blessings are always there. The ever-changing masterpieces of the Ultimate Artist all over the sky, the yard, the horizon. The smile of a friend, the laughter of a child, the roof over your head. The food in the fridge, the song of that bird, the car that runs, the job you have, the person who cares. We call them “God-sightings.”
Actually, thanks-living isn’t just an option for a follower of Jesus. It’s a command. “Always be joyful” – how am I going to do that, for heaven’s sake? “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16, 18).
When you look at life through blessing glasses, all kinds of good things blossom. Joy that’s from what’s happening in your spirit, not your situation. Peace that banishes anxiety. Faith that sees a God who’s bigger than whatever is bigger than you are.
Thanksgiving’s a great time to become intentional about collecting blessings, not burdens. Living “with gratitude in your hearts to God.” To “do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:16-17).
For me, that thanks begins, not at a turkey-filled table. But at an old rugged cross. Where I once again allow myself to be leveled by the love of my Jesus. Who took my hell. So I can spend forever in His heaven.
Thanksgiving – and thanks-living – begin with the love that will never let me go.
Turned out to be yet another Baker’s Dozen consisting of the 13 HIM who won THAT FIRST BATTLE and posted on the first truly cool gloom workout of Fall 2020. Bad weather cannot stop these men–No Excuse November has begun!
Here’s the skinny: YHC tried to bring some new exercises to the Gloom…
WARM-O-RAMA:
SSH – 18 IC
Windmill – 18 IC
Imperial Walker – 18 IC
WTHEKS – 18 IC
(What The HEKS = High Elbow Knee Slide) [Bearcrawl position. Alternate raising high elbows up & over your back, twist & slide opposite knee under. Rinse & Repeat]
Cherry Pickers – 15 IC
Swartzjacks – 18 IC
THE THANG:
Legs
Broad Jump Squats – 10 rounds OYO
[BJ, squat, turn around in air, BJ back, squat, turn around, BJ, rinse and repeat]
Partner Pushes – 3 rounds across the lot & back, alternating who pushes
Lunge Thrusts – 3rounds per leg
[Lunge right leg, thrust high knee following lunge. 5 reps same leg. Swap. Rinse & Repeat]
Curbside Carolinas [Feet together, up on curb, butt in air, Carolina Drydock] – AMRAP OYO, resting means your finished. Ruxpin was last man standing
Shmerkin – 5 rounds OYO
(Shuffle Merkins) [Plank position, shuffle right 3 “steps”, 5 Merkin, shuffle left 3 “steps”, 5 Merkins Rinse & repeat]
Swerkins – 5 reps, boosted to 10 Reps at half, swap w/partner, while remaining PAX ☆RR Tracks across lot, mosey back, rinse & repeat til all PAX work through the RR Tracks
☆ Mosey 30, 20, 10 around the short block
3rdF Beak in Action | YHC shared the following:
Years ago Lt. Sakowski was the leader of our Field Artillery survey team when I served in PA’s 28th ID BTRY F 109th FA. After completing a successful mission during a field training exercise, Lt. Sakowski and our Platoon Sergeants decided to reward our team’s hard work with a bit of what I’ll call a “field picnic” — after several days of eating MRE’s for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, we were ready for a change! They’d snuck back to the PX and picked up some rolls, cold-cuts, lettuce, tomato, pickles and some other snacks, etc.
Our Lt. had scouted out an “off the grid” spot and in the midst of making our way there with 3-4 vehicles right behind his, Lt. Sakowski’s driver hit the brakes, and our Lt. stood up to extend through the top of his uncovered/topless 1/4-ton Jeep and began shouting to turn around and high-tail it back to where we’d come from. Based on the nature of his commands, the tone of his voice, and the look on his face, nobody asked a question and we got out of there fast!
Once we finally made it to the location he’d originally picked, Lt. Sakowski owned up to what he had done — he discovered he was leading our small convoy directly through the middle of an Impact Area! For those unfamiliar with what that is, it’s an area where bombs are dropped and into which Artillery and other weapons are fired during live-fire training exercises. I.e. YOU DON’T WANT TO BE IN AN IMPACT AREA!!
Outside of the fact that if you’re in there you’re a target), the moral of the story is that everyone one of us in our artillery survey team, not to mention everyone in my entire unit, would’ve followed Lt. Sakowski anywhere, especially into battle! He was a rare leader! He was a proven leader! He was a humble leader. He was a great leader who was highly respected by all. His leadership was defined by consistently leading well on all occasions, not by that single incident of taking us into an extremely dangerous area. Even in that moment he took full responsibility of what could’ve been a catastrophic mistake.
Let’s go ahead and call it “NO EXCUSE NOVEMBER,” not just in terms of posting or not posting, but in all we do. We’d all do well to stop making excuses and blaming others for failures. We’d do well to own up to OUR mistakes (and sins) so that we’re able to learn from them and grow into better leaders as a result…better leaders in our homes, in our workplaces, and in the communities in which we serve. We’d do well to take ownership and responsibility and lead even where someone else has come up short.
One biblical example of this that I’m thinking of is Peter… He exhorted the elders as a “fellow elder in 1 Peter 5:1 to, “Shepherd the flock of God among you…” Where did those words come from? See John 21 where, at a post-resurrection breakfast along the beach, Jesus pulled Peter aside and asked him 3 times, “Peter, do you love Me?” Each time Peter responded with, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you” and each time Jesus responded with, “then shepherd my sheep.” Remember Peter was the one who openly denied Christ. He was a failed leader, a broken leader. In all practicality, we assume Peter’s repentance, his ownership of sin and failure. He was humbled and broken; but lesson learned he was restored and then Jesus recommissioned him with the words…follow me!
Abs
Here’s what YHC had planned next:
Big Boy Heal Touches
[Lying flat, arms extend on ground behind head. 1 knee upward toward chest, torso up extending both arms to touch both sides of same heal, back down, raise to opposite heal, back down. Rinse & repeat]
Crazy Dolly
[On six, hands in ground near hips, torso in recliner position. Feet at 6″, spread out like Dolly, bring feet together, then knees to chest, back out, spread feet like Dolly, feet back together, knees to chest. Rinse & repeat]
Boardwalk Big Boys
[Partner hold feet, six on edge of Boardwalk Bench, lay back 1/2 – 3/4, back up. Consistent motion. 5 reps, swap with partner, rinse & repeat]
Boardwalk Liars
[Partner holds feet, lie on stomach with upper torso extended over edge, hands behind head, lower down then back up. 5 reps, swap with partner. AMRAP while other PAX☆RR Tracks across lot, mosey back]
EXTRAS:
Rosie – AC/DC version, 05:36 mins. of Rosalita! (Extra credit if done at home)
Dragon Tires
RR Tracks across the field
Wall Work
We ran out of time, so Here’s what we actually did:
Mary – 3 rounds: 4-Count Freddies (Quattro); American Hammers (Woodstock); Flutter Kicks (Leatherman)
COT/BOM:
Announcements: Another fundraiser 5k coming up, Quattro to push out the details to PAX on Groupme; Woodstock likely to miss 11/5 VQ due to travels and looking to swap Q’s with another PAX. BIG NEWS: Today was last day single “reeespect” for Streudel, tomorrow the beast turns 60 and gains double-reeespect in the COT! Remember, it’s No Excuse November” so lets be HIM, eliminate the excuses we’re prone to make, and, who knows, perhaps we’ll develop some new habits that’ll carry us beyond November.
PRAYERS: It’s Election Day… nuf said; Chattahoochee’s 2.0, Taylor, recovering from tonsillectomy; Woodstock safe travels to pick up a plane; etc.
20 SSH IC 20 cherry pickers IC 20 windmills IC 20 crab flippers IC 20 UP straddle hop (10 each leg) IC
THE THANG
After warm o rama pax lined up across from CHOP in “The Field” to perform the Spartan Routine. PAX line up and sprint 100 yrds, do selected exercises at the finish and walk back to the start all together. Q starts each sprint race with a verbal call. Exercises are as follows: 30 LBC 30 squats 30 merkins 30 double tap lbc (15 each side) 30 lunges (15 each side) 30 wide arm merkins 30 big boys 30 compassion squats 30 hand release merkins 30 American hammers 30 split jacks
15 burpees
15 Hand release burpees
3RD F MESSAGE: Today we wake up to a world in chaos and darkness, hurting and despair. Its easy to go along with the flow and get dragged down into the pit of misery and anger. But in a world full of darkness, we are called to be the light. One match lights an entire room and consumes the darkness. Just like the lantern in the darkness we should also run desperately to our Light, our Beacon, our Hope, our Redeemer, our Salvation Jesus while the world so aimlessly runs farther and farther away. We are High Impact Men. We are called to a different standard. We lead, we are leaders. If we can’t be the light the world will continue to see darkness. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. Genesis 1:3-4 NKJV Then Jesus said to them, “A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them. John 12:35-36 NKJV “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16 NKJV “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.” John 3:18-21 NKJV
Bolt 45’s IC (4 Count) – 15 squats to halfway down. 15 squats halfway to full down. 15 full squats.
Monkey Humpers – 25 IC – Special Welcome Party For QuattroWho Was Rolling In Hot (RIH)
Cherry Pickers – 20 IC
Moroccan Night Clubs – 25 IC
The Thang
Three Alarm Fire – Arms, Legs, Abs, “R” Exercise, and “M” Exercise
First Alarm
A – Overhead press with Coupon (Block) – 20 OYO
L – Lt. Dan’s – Half of Parking Lot
A – LBC’s – 50 OYO
R– Run 1 Lap around the Block .25 miles
M – Monkey Humpers – 20 OYO x 4 Count
Plank until 6 is in
Second Alarm
A – Curls with Coupon (Block) – 20 OYO
L – Bobby Hurley’s – 20 OYO
A – American Hammers – 30 OYO x 4 Count
R – Run 2 Laps around the Block .50 miles
M – Mountain Climbers – 15 OYO x 4 count
Plank until 6 is in
Thanks to all HIM for Understanding and Finishing the Exercise Set as I Responded to a Real Alarm – MVC on Coastal Highway. Thank the Good Lord, the Injuries were Minor. I did Return and Finish the Set On My Own….:)…
Third Alarm
A – Triceps Curls with Coupon (Block) – 20 OYO
L – Smurf Jacks – 20 OYO x 4 Count
A – Toy Soldier Set – 100 LBC’s, 50 Y2K’s, & 25 Big Boy Sit Ups
R – Run 3 Laps around the Block .75 miles
M – Merkins – 30 OYO
Plank until 6 is in
Count-O-Rama, Name-O-Rama, and the Circle of Trust. Please keep all our HIM in your thoughts and prayers.
F3 Message – 09/17/2020 Constitution Day
How Did the Bible Influence the U.S. Constitution?
By Tamara Christine Van Hooser – Updated May 10, 2019
Christians and critics hotly debate how the Bible influenced the U.S. Constitution. Secularists argue that contrary to popular opinion, the Founding Fathers were “deists” at best and never intended any religious influence in matters of government. Many Christians counter that while there were certainly theological differences and variations in the level of Christian commitment between the men who framed the Constitution, the principles upon which it is founded reveal foundational assumptions of a Christian worldview, even though the document does not explicitly refer to God nor the Bible. A look at the words of the Constitutional Convention delegates themselves provides insight into how their thinking was influenced by the Bible and Christian principles when framing the laws of the new nation.
Founding Fathers’ Worldview
The laws set forth in the U.S. Constitution did not emerge out of a moral vacuum unrelated to the writers’ own beliefs, but rather are the product of the reasonings of those who created it. By their own words, the Founding Fathers were not neutral on the question of religion as the basis of government and society.
For example, in a letter to the Officers of the First Brigade of the Third Division of the Militia of Massachusetts, John Adams writes, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
Noah Webster stated, “The moral principles and precepts contained in the scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. All the miseries and evils which men suffer from vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war, proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible.”
Delegate Governor Morris of Pennsylvania forthrightly professed, “I believe that religion is the only solid base of morals, and that morals are the only possible support of free governments. Therefore education should teach the precepts of religion and the duties of man towards God.”
Origins of Constitutional Law
While the Constitution does not explicitly refer to God, the concepts of law which it contains stem from the cultural assumptions of basic biblical truths widely held by the people of that time regardless of their actual piety towards God. In other words, it is an inarguable fact that not all Americans of that era actually held to the Christian faith, yet they held to the commonly accepted morals, ethics and standards of behavior derived from English Common Law, which drew from biblical law given to the Hebrews by God.
Underlying Biblical Principles
The rule of law laid out in the Constitution descends from the Ten Commandments. As they suffered at the hands of corrupt human authorities, the Constitutional delegates were aware of the flawed nature of human beings as shown in Genesis 3 and Jeremiah 17:9. Thus, they designed a system of checks and balances and separation of powers to prevent one individual or group from abusing the citizens through self-serving power ploys.
The three branches of government are reminiscent of the roles of God as described in Isaiah 33:22. The exception for Sundays in the time limit for the president to sign a bill into law in Article VII, Section 2 hints at the assumption that Sunday was a day of rest as set forth in Exodus 20.
Exodus 18 reveals that before Israel demanded that God give them a king, the Hebrews had a representative form of republican government, not unlike the system created in the Constitution.
Both Leviticus 19:34 and Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution require uniform treatment of immigrants. Deuteronomy 17:15 warns the Hebrews not to let a foreigner rule over them just as the Constitution requires the president to be a natural born citizen of the U.S.
The requirement in Article III Section 3 to establish guilt in cases of treason by the testimony of at least two witnesses recalls the biblical instruction in Deuteronomy 17:6 to have the testimony of two or three witnesses before putting a man to death.
Separation of Church and State
Contrary to the popular conception of many, the words “separation of church and state” do not actually appear in the U.S. Constitution. The sole reference to religion in the Constitution is Article VI, Section 3, “…no religious Test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”
The Bill of Rights was added later to include First Amendment protections, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” Critics argue that these words indicate the Founding Fathers wanted to establish an entirely secular form of government, wholly uninfluenced by religion of any stripe.
Christians point out, however, that the many writings of the early Americans in the era of the birth of the Constitution contain numerous quotations and ideas which can be traced back to a biblical source. They assert that the Constitutional delegates so took for granted the necessity of a biblical foundation for government that they would not have conceived of conducting government completely removed from any influence of religion. Rather, they wanted to make sure that government could never again interfere with or oppress religious freedoms or establish one Christian denomination over another as the religion of state to the detriment of all others.
About the Author
Tamara Christine has written more than 900 articles for a variety of clients since 2010. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in applied linguistics and an elementary teaching license. Additionally, she completed a course in digital journalism in 2014. She has more than 10 years experience teaching and gardening.
Selected Quotes of the Founding Fathers About Christianity
“God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are a gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.” Thomas Jefferson, 1781.
“We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that ‘except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that 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.” Benjamin Franklin, a statement he made at the Constitutional Convention, on June 28, 1787.
“I have tender reliance on the mercy of the Almighty; through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am a sinner. I look to Him for mercy; pray for me.” Alexander Hamilton’s last dying words, July 12, 1804.
“This is all the inheritance I give to my dear family. The religion of Christ will give them one which will make them rich indeed.” Patrick Henry in Last Will and Testament, November 20, 1798.
“We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind for self-government; upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.” James Madison The Father of the U.S. Constitution.
“It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge THE Providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and to humbly implore His protection and favor.” George Washington October 3, 1789 Proclaiming a National Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving.
“Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only Law Book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited… What a paradise would this region be!” John Adams, 1756.
“An appeal to arms and the God of hosts is all that is left us. But we shall not fight our battle alone. There is a just God that presides over the destinies of nations. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone. Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death.” Patrick Henry, 1775.
“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great Nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religious, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For that reason alone, people of other faiths have been afforded freedom of worship here.” Patrick Henry, 1776.
“I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus. I have little doubt that our whole country will soon be rallied to the unity of our Creator and, I hope, to the pure doctrine of Jesus also.” Thomas Jefferson, Written on the cover of his personal Bible.
“It is impossible to govern the world without God and the Bible. Of all the dispositions and habits that lead to political prosperity, our religion and morality are the indispensable supporters. Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that our national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.” George Washington, Farewell Speech, Sept. 19, 1796.
“Oh, eternal and everlasting God, direct my thoughts, words and work. Wash away my sins in the immaculate blood of the Lamb and purge my heart by thy Holy Spirit. Daily, frame me more and more in the likeness of thy son, Jesus Christ, that living in thy fear, and dying in thy favor, I may in thy appointed time obtain the resurrection of the justified unto eternal life. Bless, O Lord, the whole race of mankind and let the world be filled with the knowledge of thee and thy son, Jesus Christ.” George Washington, written in his personal prayer book.
“We have no government armed with the power capable of contending with human passions, unbridled by morality and true religion. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” John Adams, 2nd US President.
“The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity.” John Quincy Adams, 6th US President.
“The Congress of the United States recommends and approves the Holy Bible for use in all schools.” US Congress, 1782.
