250 Years of Liberty: Reflections on Faith, Freedom, and the Future of America

July 3, 2026

"So this is how liberty dies... with thunderous applause." — Senator Padmé Amidala

Two hundred and fifty years.

For a nation, that is both a remarkable achievement and a sobering reminder.

Empires have risen and fallen. Republics have flourished and faded into history. Yet for two and a half centuries, the United States of America has endured—through war, division, prosperity, hardship, and tremendous change.

As we celebrate America's 250th anniversary, we do more than commemorate a date on a calendar. We remember a story.

Like many great stories in science fiction, America's story began with hope.

A group of imperfect men dared to believe that liberty was not granted by kings, governments, or empires, but by God Himself. The Declaration of Independence boldly proclaimed that all men "are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights."

Those words changed history.

America was never founded as a perfect nation. The Founding Fathers themselves would have been the first to acknowledge their imperfections. Yet they understood a truth that remains just as important today as it was in 1776:

Freedom cannot survive apart from virtue.

Many of the principles woven into our founding documents—human dignity, equality, justice, individual responsibility, and the value of every human life—find their roots in the biblical worldview that shaped early America.

For that, we should thank God.

We should thank God for the men who pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to establish this nation.

We should thank God for generations of Americans who sacrificed to preserve it.

And we should especially thank God for those who continue to stand watch today.

To every soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, Guardian, Coast Guardsman, law enforcement officer, public servant, and elected official who faithfully serves with integrity: thank you.

Freedom has always carried a cost.

Many paid that cost with their lives.

Others continue to bear it in service every day.

For me, this gratitude is deeply personal.

My family's story, like the story of many American families, has been shaped by men who answered the call to serve.

My grandfather was present at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, a day forever etched into our nation's memory. He later served in the South Pacific as part of the "Splinter Fleet," hunting enemy submarines across dangerous waters during World War II.

My stepfather, Roger, faithfully served in the United States Army during the mid-1960s, a time when military service often carried unique challenges both abroad and at home. Many men and women who served during that era did so without the gratitude and recognition they deserved.

My father-in-law, David, also answered the call to military service, beginning his service in 1956 during the uncertain years of the Cold War, when countless Americans stood ready to defend freedom in a world shadowed by global tension.

These men, along with countless others from every generation, remind me that freedom is never free. Behind every holiday, parade, and celebration stand men and women who willingly sacrificed time, comfort, safety, and, for many, their very lives so that future generations could live in liberty.

To them, and to all who have worn the uniform of the United States Armed Forces, I offer my deepest gratitude.

Thank you for your service.

As followers of Christ, Scripture calls us to pray for those in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-2), honor those who serve, and seek the welfare of the nation in which God has placed us.

Yet anniversaries are not only times for celebration.

They are also times for reflection.

Science fiction often reminds us how fragile freedom can be.

Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, as the Republic gives way to the Empire, Senator Padmé Amidala quietly observes:

"So this is how liberty dies... with thunderous applause."

Her words resonate because history repeatedly demonstrates that nations rarely lose freedom all at once. More often, liberty erodes gradually when truth is abandoned, virtue is neglected, and citizens become indifferent.

Star Trek: Enterprise offers a different vision.

The formation of the United Federation of Planets did not emerge from conquest or oppression. It was built upon shared principles, mutual sacrifice, cooperation, exploration, and the hope that diverse peoples could unite around common values.

While fictional, these stories remind us that civilizations are shaped by the values they choose to uphold.

America's future will be no different.

A Call to the Church

Pastors, elders, ministry leaders, and believers across America: now is not the time for silence.

The Church must remain firmly anchored in biblical truth.

We must boldly proclaim the Gospel.

We must disciple the next generation.

We must defend the dignity of every person as an image-bearer of God.

We must encourage believers to engage faithfully in their communities, pray for their leaders, and cherish the constitutional freedoms that allow us to worship openly and proclaim Christ freely.

The Constitution is not Scripture.

But it has provided extraordinary protections that have allowed the Gospel to be preached, churches to flourish, and religious liberty to thrive.

Those freedoms should never be taken for granted.

John Adams famously wrote:

"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

Whether every founder fully lived according to the Christian principles they espoused is a question historians continue to discuss. Yet there is little doubt that biblical ideas profoundly shaped America's founding and its understanding of liberty, human dignity, and self-government.

The Founding Fathers understood something many have forgotten:

Self-government requires self-control, and liberty requires virtue.

As we celebrate 250 years of America, may we recommit ourselves not merely to preserving a nation, but to living faithfully within it.

Because our ultimate citizenship is not found in Washington, Philadelphia, or any earthly capital.

It is found in the Kingdom of God.

Still, while God has placed us here, we have a responsibility: