Independence Day

On July 4th, 1776, the Continental Congress ratified the Declaration of Independence of the 13 American colonies from the Kingdom of Great Britain. It was an act fraught with destiny:

In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When, in the Course of human Events, it becomes necessary for one People to dissolve the Political Bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the Powers of the Earth, the separate and equal Station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent Respect to the Opinions of Mankind requires that they should declare the Causes which impel them to the Separation.

This was not a mere local rebellion, but it led to a broader European war, and it sparked revolution throughout the Western world.

How we ought to be governed? is an ancient question and Christian scripture does not give many clues, perhaps because we should seek the Kingdom of Heaven instead. We are told that we are to "render unto Caesar", but how should Caesar render unto God, and more importantly, how should citizens in democracies, little Caesars all, act?. Unlike the state religions in other parts of the world, Christians are forced to use reason and truth to find a proper government.