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Faith's Influence on Leadership: Lessons from George Washington's Legacy
Uncover the profound connection between faith, morality, and leadership with insights from Tim Barton at the ProFamily Legislators Conference. This episode promises to enlighten you on how George Washington's Farewell Address underscored the vital role of religious principles in shaping the moral compass of a nation. Learn how Washington's leadership during the American Revolution was not only strategic but deeply rooted in Christian values, influencing his directives to the army and the enduring principles of the United States.
Our discussion journeys through historical narratives featuring figures like Daniel Webster and George Washington, who understood the critical importance of religious instruction and moral grounding for America's success. By revisiting Washington's miraculous survival during the French and Indian War, we explore the idea of divine providence and its impact on his leadership. Such stories highlight how Washington's faith-oriented perspective provided a steadfast foundation during times of adversity, serving as a guiding light for the nation.
As we conclude, we emphasize the pressing need to harness current opportunities for cultural change. Drawing inspiration from the lessons of history, we encourage listeners to engage with resources from the Patriot Academy and WallBuilders, advocating for education and action to make a meaningful difference in today's world. Let this episode inspire you to take informed steps toward contributing positively to your community, as we collectively strive to uphold the moral principles that have long underpinned successful societies.
Rick Green [00:00:07] Welcome to the WallBuilders Show, where we're taking on the hot topics of the day from a biblical, historical and constitutional perspective. I'm Rick Green, America's Constitution coach, normally here with David and Tim Barton both. But today's going to be Tim Barton because we're sharing his presentation from the Pro-family Legislators conference. Yesterday, I told you more about it. Not a lot of time today to talk about it, but you can definitely go to wallbuilders.com and learn more not only about that conference to get your legislator there but you can get your Christmas shopping done there so check out wallbuilders.com today for all of that Christmas shopping lots of great swag lots of good educational materials. But we're going to jump right in where we left off yesterday with Tim Barton speaking at the Pro-family Legislators conference on George Washington and his farewell address.
Tim Barton [00:00:49] When we think of the revolution at this point, the fighting is largely over. The history of Paris has not yet been signed. But he gives another general order. And this one he says, injustice to the zeal, inability of chaplains as well as to his own feelings, meaning his Washington as the commander in chief, thinks it a duty to declare the regularity and decorum with which divine service is now performed. So so encouraging. Right? Make sure you're going to the church and chapel services. And then he goes on and giving detail. I've abbreviated it, so we're going to pick up at the end of the concluding of that paragraph of why he's saying why he says it will reflect great credit on the army and general tend to improve the morals and at the same time to increase the happiness of the soldiery and must afford the most pure and rational entertainment for every serious and well disposed mind. He's giving the benefits of going to church after he says make sure everybody is going to church. This is so interesting. That is the beginning. The middle, the end of the revolution, Washington says. Right. Being a Christian is the most important thing. Chaplains, church. The Bible don't even swear because it brings down our morality. This is how impactful Christianity was. Not just that you had pastors doing church know what? When it's so impactful that your commander in chief says, we're not going to swear in the military. That is a very impactful thing. Well, this is before the peace treaty, Paris peace treaty. Paris comes 1783. If you have never seen it up in Washington, D.C., it's in the State Department. It's up on the sixth floor is the John Quincy Adams State drawing room. If you see in the top left, there's Article ten. If you go down the bottom left, you see all the signatures. David Hartley, the top on the blue ribbon. But then below it you have John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay. This is the document that ended the American Revolution, brought peace between us and Great Britain. It established America as a free and independent nation. And look at the title in the name of the most holy and undivided Trinity. America became a nation in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. And this is the weirdest title for a peace treaty I've ever seen. Why would you put that is genuinely like, why are you putting that as a title? Then you make sense. Except as possible. Somebody had read Proverbs three recently that in all your ways acknowledge him, right? And he will direct your steps. They kept God first. And so much of what they did that that faith was so important to them, they put it at the top of their document. Now, I'm not saying you should do this. I think it'd be interesting, though. If at some point you ran some kind of deal or something, Right. And you put a title in there like, how dare you? And you'd be like, I'm just doing what, America? Bechet like teacher to Paris, right? People wouldn't lose their minds. I can only imagine the woke left is the ACLU. Everybody else. You can't do that. Well, this wasn't my idea, right? Like this was actually, John has been Franklin George's idea. This is America. Like this is. This is how far removed we are from the truth of our history, that we don't recognize the reality. And and this is why also, when you actually study and know history, it actually makes sense what John Adams told Jefferson like that. The way we did this, it was the principles of Christianity that was the foundation we built on. That's what helped bring us success. And this is what the Founding fathers knew and were so clear on. In fact, let me go back. George Washington farewell address. Part of how he closes the thought of religion and morality. This is what he says about it. Let us with caution, indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. I have. Debated and had conversations with many people that were skeptics, maybe even atheists. And they're like, well, we we don't need religion. We don't need Christianity or the Bible because we're good people. Right. Washington dealt with that, too. It's like just with caution. When someone says, no, I can be good without religion. Just be cautious about that now. Here's why he said. Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle. Reason inexperienced. So logic would be like, that's not going to work very well. History, Experience. All of history shows that doesn't work very well. So if you can think and if you know anything about history, you're like, this isn't going to go well. If you say I'm a good person and don't need religion, then how would you define good? Right. Like, what moral code are you using? Because if it's not an objective moral standard, it has to be subjective or collective. And either one of those have major faults and failures. It's not going to succeed. This is why Washington said you have to have religion and they link the two, right? Because where do we learn the moral values it's from? It's from the Bible, Christianity, religion. That's where you learn it. And they link these things. And as I say, that this is where I would encourage, in the midst of everything, you do understand that part of the battle we are dealing with now legislatively, you you have so many things on your plate, so many problems that we need to help resolve that you can be very biblically based And some of your tax policies, immigration policies, I mean, there's a lot of things we can be directed and motivated by the Bible. But but this is where I would go, even beyond legislation. This is why your faith is so important and why are you sharing your faith and helping disciple? People are so important because there's only so many legislative solutions we can offer. The heart of man is where precedes all the wicked, the evil, the sin, the murders, the rage. That's what the Bible tells us. If we don't understand the more fundamental issues, then we're going to be coming up with the wrong solutions, not really properly identifying what the problem is. And as we finish this up, I'm going to give you a couple verses and then give you a couple more historical things from these verses. I'm going to wrap this up. And Jeremiah 29 seven. There's such good advice Jeremiah gave, but most people know verse 11, if I ask them, I know a verse from Jeremiah 29, we might know. Well, I know the plans I have. He declares Lord plan as a promise me not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. That's the one that most of us have heard of before. If I said okay, what did he say before? That most of us would be lying. I don't know. Jeremiah 29. He starts off and he says, I'm writing to all who are being carried away captive in the Babylon. So people slaves going somewhere they don't even want to be. And he's writing a message of hope and encouragement. Don't despair. He says don't don't stop getting married. Don't stop having families and raising kids. Don't stop planting in your gardens and crops. Don't stop living a life. God's called you to live because you're in this place. He think is the verse seven, and he gives him additional encouragement. He says instead, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it. Because if it prospers, you too will prosper. What you are doing. Is fulfilling. Jeremiah 29 seven. The reality is, as people of faith, we we believe that this is not our home. We are only passing through, Which means you're in exile. For some of us already. We want to be here. And really, sometimes I look at the news and I'm like, Jesus, just please, like, right now, come on. I don't want to be here. Let's get this thing over with. We're in exile.
Rick Green [00:08:45] Our first quick break. We'll be right back. You're listening to The WallBuilders Show.
Rick Green [00:09:55] Welcome back to the WallBuilders Show. Tim Barton is giving a presentation at the Pro-family Legislators conference. We going to jump right back in with him.
Tim Barton [00:10:02] But as long as we are here, wherever place God has put us, I'm going to seek the best for the place where God has put me. In fact, I'm going to pray the Lord for it, because if it prospers, so my family. So all my kids, so my grandkids. Now, the reason I want to bring this up is because, well, how do we seek the peace and prosperity? It's tied to religion and morality. Right? That's where part of that comes from. Daniel Webster, one of the most noted leaders in the early and mid 1800s. He served in the House and Senate for 30 years, uses Supreme Court attorney. I mean, just so many brilliant things about Daniel Webster. But one of the things he acknowledged, he says, if we and our posterity reject religious instruction in authority, if we violate the rules of eternal justice, if we trifle with the injunctions of morality and recklessly destroy the political constitution which holds us together. No man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity. If you remove religion and justice and morality and the Constitution. We're going to lose the whole thing buried. In profound obscurity. This was his advice in the midst of it. The reason, again, I'm highlighting some of these thoughts is none of them thought we would be prosperous or successful without religion and morality. None of them thought America would succeed without that foundation. And this is also where it should be kind of obvious to us, even from the Bible, because improper is 127 one when it says accept the Lord, build the house and labor in vain to build it. It's obvious, right? If God's not a part is not going to be successful. Now, also, that should give you a little bit of peace on some level, too. The victory doesn't come from you. You've been called to be faithful. If it doesn't go well. Your state's not doing it. Your committee is not favoring it. It's not on you. Your job is to be faithful and you leave the rest in God's hands. And this is also where, even through the revolution, they knew that without God's help, they would never succeed. Which is why in 1778, when George Washington wrote Thomas Nelson Jr a letter about what they had seen and how much they had seen God moving on their behalf in the midst of the revolution. Part of what He wrote in the letter, he said, The hand of providence has been so conspicuous in all this, and he must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith and more than wicked that has not gratitude enough to acknowledge his obligations. So if people if people see what we've been seeing in the revolution all these times God showed up, all these times God protected us. If they see these battles and can't acknowledge what God has done, they must be worse than an infidel, an unbeliever, or more than wicked. Do not acknowledge God. Well, his next line is my favorite of this letter, he says. But it will be time enough for me to turn preacher when my present appointment ceases. And therefore I shall. I know more on the doctrine of Providence. Washington is like, I've seen enough miracles I could become a pastor. But for now, I'm going to focus on trying to win the war. My present appointment. Right. This is where he's coming from now. If anybody understands God's miracles in battle, it was George Washington. And especially, like you said, of the revolution, It is crazy how many times this guy should have died. But even before the revolution, if you go back, one of our favorite stories of Washington is in the French and Indian War. Washington was a young 23 year old colonel. This is when the British and the French are fighting for who's going to control the Ohio Valley territory. In the midst of this. And so the British come and they're going to go drive the French out. And on this march, their caravan was so long was like four miles long. The British had divided up in different sections and Washington joined with 100 Virginia boxcars. They were like the rednecks. And they were used to having at times to fight some of the natives who were these fierce warriors. And they said, Hey, do you want us in a scouting party? You had to, like make sure the roads clear. And General Braddock said, Nobody can overtake our force. We are too big or too powerful. So he would not allow any scouts to go forward, which seems like a really dumb idea. They had to go through a very narrow valley, high hills, trees on both sides, and a much smaller force of French and Indians had set up. And they were only going to try to be a delaying force to slow the advance of the British down. But the British were used to fighting European theater style. And so when there was an engagement, you line up shoulder to shoulder and you face you're literally in the middle of the valley. They huddle together. This would have been the easiest thing for an opponent ever. You can't miss somebody point in that direction and pull the trigger. Right. It ended up being a slaughter. It was so bad every single officer was shot down on horseback, every single one except George Washington. General Braddock, when he was the last commanding officer shot down George Washington, is now the only officer mounted on horseback who has survived. And so Washington is now in charge. Washington realizes, is dumb to stay here in the middle of the open while they're in cover. So he calls retreat. Let's get out of here. This is not where we want to be. He leads the retreat. Well, because of the wagons and Caribbean and all they have, it takes him a little bit to get back to the British fort. Well, on their way back were two runners have already gone ahead about how bad this massacre was. Every officer has been killed and he gets back and finds out words are to going out. Every officer died. He's like, I didn't die. Well, he writes his mom a letter and he says, Mom, you might have heard these exaggerated rumors. Everybody died. I did not die. But part of what he wrote her in the letter, he says, I now exist and appear in the land of the living by the miraculous care of providence that protected me beyond all human probability or expectation. I had four bullets through my coat and two horses shot under me, yet escaped unhurt. Now, some of you were wearing sports jackets. His would have been buttoned. If you button your sports jacket, there's not a lot of wiggle room anywhere on that jacket. He unbutton took it off and he's like, There's bullet holes in my jacket. That would have been the most surreal experience, right? This is when he's like, wow. Because in the middle of battle, you would have recognized Everybody is dying on my dying horse goes down, I get up, another horse horse goes down, I get up another horse. I mean, you would have already seen God's protecting me. But then you take that jacket off. You're like, my gosh. Well, word gets out that that he miraculously survived even this close encounter. Bullet holes. The most famous pastor in Virginia at that time was Reverend Samuel Davies, and he delivered a sermon. It was the religion and patriotism contingent of a good soldier. In this sermon, he was talking about what it means to be a Christian soldier and how you do that. Well, in his sermon, you see that little kind of. Asterisk down there at the bottom. This is what he wanted to draw attention to in his sermon. As a remarkable instance of this, I may point out to the public that heroic young Colonel Washington, whom I cannot but hope Providence has hitherto preserved in so signal a manner for some important service to this country. Now, Washington is a nobody yet and maybe is like when when God miraculously saved somebody like that. We had to watch because God's probably not done with this guy.
Rick Green [00:17:35] One more break today, folks. Stay with me. You're listening to The WallBuilders Show.
Rick Green [00:18:46] Welcome back to the WallBuilders Show, jumping in for the conclusion of Tim Barton, speaking at the Pro-family legislators conference.
Tim Barton [00:18:53] But about 15 years later, George Washington is going back. He's with his friend Dr. Craig. And as as they're going through one night, they're camping out. And as they're camping, there's a group of natives that approaches the fire. And as they come up, there's several chief center there. And they say, you don't know us. But about 15 years ago, we were in these woods together and we had warned and we singled you out. We knew if we could kill the officers, we could scatter the troops. So we were killing every single officer. And you were the last one. And we told all our Braves focus on him. And our gods couldn't bring you down. One chief, as he explained. He said, I called to my young man and said, Quick. Let your aim be certain. And he dies. Our rifles were leveled. Rifles, which but for you knew not how to miss. Twas all in vain. A power mightier far than we had shielded you. I am come to pay homage to the man who is the particular favorite of heaven and who can never die in battle. Right. I had to meet the guy that was bulletproof. Right. But also, he said the great spirits protected you beyond all probability. Another chief said to Dr. Craig, the guy who was there explaining what happened as they're having conversations that night around the campfire. He says Washington was never born to be killed by a bullet. I had 17 fair fires at him with my rifle and after all, could not bring him to the ground. I cannot imagine how many hundreds of musket balls were shot at this dude, right? Are you kidding me? The reason also it's interesting is because Washington wrote Thomas Nelson Jr and said in the revolution, he said, it's so obvious what God has been doing. But also Washington was noted throughout the revolution that as the Americans would line up and the British would line up, Washington would be on a horse in front of the troops between both lines of muskets, and he would ride the horse up and down, encouraging his men not to discourage. Don't give up. You're literally in the midst of a that's a dumb place to be. And Washington was never shot. And again, you study there so many stories where he should have been killed, where there were assassins and snipers that came for him and like he was never shot. Well, part of what those chief said is he was never born to be killed by a bullet. And they acknowledged that he can never die in battle. Now, that's also a story very well documented. My dad wrote a book about this, The Bull of George Washington. Super fun. But one of the things I want to remind you is that when Samuel Davies talked about when you see Providence hither to preserve somebody, it might be for some important service to the country. I was reminded of something. When God significantly saves someone, you can know God's not done with that person. Their story is not over. Right? The reason I'm telling this story, it connects back. It says, unless the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Had God not protected and done. And this is beyond nobody else. None of us can do this right. If God is not moving, is not going to be successful. So this is why, again, part of our understanding needs to be if faith is not part of our battle strategy, you have a bad battle strategy, right? If religion or morality are not part of the foundation, you're building on the wrong foundation. Then the Bible tells us the right foundation, righteousness exalted the nation. But sin is your approach to any people. The foundation is righteous in godliness. That is the foundation that lasts when the storms come and beat on the house. It didn't move was found on the rock that that is the foundation to build on. Noah Webster and very noted guy. He was part of the American Revolution. He's the one that standardized spelling is Lubeck speller He does a dictionary. Brilliant guy in lots of levels. One of the things he acknowledged is the moral principles and precepts found in the Scripture ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. Let me pause for a second. Constitutional laws are what you do. And this is the guy saying what should form the basis of that? The Bible, the principles and precepts from the Bible. That's the foundation for this. These principles and precepts have truth, immutable truth for their foundation. As he goes on explaining this, he then draws the contrast of why it matters. He says all the 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. Every problem we deal with comes from people not doing what the Bible says. This is why, again, in the midst of what we do, what matters is restoring a biblical, a moral foundation, religion and morality. And the last challenge I'm going to give you. When Nehemiah went back to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. And he said, I'm just trying whoever's willing come with me. And if you remember the story, they were told, this is too big a project, right? You're not going to be able to do it. There were skeptics. There were critics. Right. I mean, there were all kinds of issues. And he said, no, I'm just looking for whoever's willing. He got people to come live inside the wall with them. And he said, everybody just start doing what you can. In fact, even just in your own backyard, just start putting rocks in the wall, in your own backyard And in the you might actually tells us some of the people that were there. And it's interesting that it does not list a single engineer, architect, stonemason. It wasn't the professionals. It wasn't the experts. It was the normal people who said we're going to be part. I'm going to be part of the solution. And they showed up. And in 52 days, they completed the project that nobody could even be done. Well, part of Nehemiah is called at the very beginning Nehemiah 270. And he said, come, let us rebuild, that we will no longer be a disgrace. We are in need of rebuilding. I think God has positioned us in so many incredible ways to give us an opportunity to rebuild. And actually, like since the overturning of women, we have opportunities like never before in any of our lifetimes. It is amazing how God has positioned us and I want to encourage and challenge as part of our thought to go back and rebuild. The most important thing to the success of a nation, according to the Founding Fathers, was religion and morality. In the midst of everything else, you do understand that as we're doing tax, as we're doing whatever it is, read your immigration policies, your education policies, initiatives, resolutions, whatever it is, everything we're doing, we need to restore the religious, the moral foundation. And that happens more through connection, relationship and discipleship than it does through legislation. But legislation can create opportunities for some of that to happen, too. With a release time with chaplains, with different things where we can help once again re encourage this as a foundation for our nation. Everybody, we're.
Rick Green [00:26:00] Out of time for today. That was Tim Barton speaking at the Pro-family Legislators Conference on George Washington and his farewell address and the standard of morality. So much we can learn from that. So much we can apply right now in our culture. And don't forget, now's the window of opportunity. It's cracked open. We've got to shove it open and really gain ground. And we're asking you to do that right there in your communities. If you'd like to get trained to do that, come to the Patriot Academy campus. Go through our Patriot experience. If you want to just get some materials to study at home, go to wallbuilders.com and get your Christmas shopping done for all your friends and family and for yourself. And it'll be a twofer. You'll get that education, you'll get that inspiration to help save the country, but also knock out your Christmas list. Do that today WallBuilders.com. Thanks so much for listening to the WallBuilders Show.