Dennis L. Finnan Commentator
"The World, the Word & You! Broadcast"

WASHINGTON'S CHRONICLES

“IN THE FAMOUS WALT DISNEY SNOW WHITE STORY, A WICKED WITCH CHANTS, ‘MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL, WHO’S THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL?’ WELL, TODAY WE SHALL ANSWER THAT TO THE CHAGRIN OF THE PC POLICE IN NEW YORK …”

I’m Dennis Finnan , host and speaker on the World, the Word and You! Broadcast and in a moment we’ll talk about America ’s greatest founder, GEORGE WASHINGTON…

…On January 16^th 2002 , an historic event took place in New York City in the Borough Hall of Brooklyn.  The Borough President Marty Markowitz declared the time had come to remove the portrait of George Washington from the walls of his office. He ordered the sacred picture to be trashed. The reason? He stated to the New York Post, “ It’s time to achieve some ‘diversity’ in the hall… so we’re taking down the old white guys.” 

For 225 years, America has honored what is believed by the vast majority of its citizen’s down through the years, to be the greatest of the founding fathers, who gave us the United States of America and its freedoms we enjoy to this day. Yet, this rash and anti-American action by the Politically Correct police, reflects the terrible disinformation being spread these days about the nation’s heroes who just happened to be “Christians.” Well, after we pause for another moment of delightful music, I’ll return to talk with you about ‘that old white guy,’ in my message entitled: WASHINGTON ’S CHRONICLES…

… When the Brooklyn Borough President Markowitz, tore down the picture of George Washington in New York , the Battle of Brooklyn began. The New York Post  newspaper, was flooded with letters of deep outrage at the political correctness fad gone amok. However, this has not been the only attack against our founding father of the nation, George Washington. You see for years criticism of our forefathers who were Christians, has been an issue with the anti-American atheists who resent the fact that America was founded by Christians as a Christian nation. This was one of the reasons Congress established an “All President’s Day” holiday, in the hopes of appeasing this crowd, by removing the particular celebration of Washington’s Birthday on February 22^nd of this week.  But today, I want to answer the long debated question and smear against what the majority of American’s still believe was our greatest hero, our founding father George Washington, The question we face today is – was he really a Christian?

To find out, one has to go back through historical records and discover what drove the man, and what motivated his morality and zeal for establishing a new nation, “under God.” Now time will not permit me to quote all the sources, but suffice it to say, there is on record sufficient evidence that any honest person must conclude that Washington , throughout his life, declared he was a follower of the Lamb of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s begin.

Well, George Washington born in year 1732. He was the first-born son to a well-to-do Virginia farmer, Augustine Washington , by his second wife, Mary Ball. The Washington family was descended from two brothers, John and Lawrence Washington , who emigrated from England to Virginia in 1657. Little is known of Washington 's early childhood spent largely on the Ferry Farm on the Rappahannock River , opposite Fredericksburg , Virginia . However, as Washington grew to manhood, his exploits and zeal for honesty and the Christian virtues began to evidence themselves in his life.

When Washington ’s elder half-brother Lawrence died in 1752, under the terms of his will, George soon acquired the beautiful estate of Mount Vernon, in Fairfax County , one of six farms then held by the Washington family interests.  It was through Lawrence that Washington came to enter the world of military service. We all know his later role as the first General of the Continental Army and then the fledgling nation’s first chief executive, and president. All these things are not contested, but the fact that it is claimed he was a Christian, is hotly rejected by the new secularist today.

Now I’ve read much about this question which is contested by the non-Christian crowd. They  hope to dispel the supposed myth that our nation was founded by godly Christians for Christians. Yet their vain attempts and works are shallow, and ring of personal hopes rather than positive proofs.

For instance. It is claimed that Washington never participated in a local church in his life, and rarely attended any. In addition they say he was frequently profane in his speech, not to mention was at best only a “Deist.”

About a year ago A&E Television network produced a docudrama entitled “The Crossing,” a TV version of Howard Fast’s novel, which showed the life of George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Interestingly enough, while saying this movie portrayal of Washington was accurate, it attempted to mix fiction with truth. Of course, the fiction was that Washington was a profane man rather than a pious god-fearing man.

The funny thing about it was the filmmakers inserted profanity onto the lips of Washington , implying he was a swearing man. But how foolish and plain stupid they were. The profane language that came out of Washington’s mouth used in the movie, were actually words of recent origin having no previous historical usage, not to mention historical fact. It was nonsense glorified as truth in the vain attempt to discredit this godly hero of our country.

So let’s dispel the rumors and attempts to trash yet another American hero by telling it as it is, and correcting the politically correct crowd who basks in their foggy, dimmed and yellow light of history.

For starters, I guess the best attested to fact of Washington ’s Christian faith is from shall we say the horse’s mouth? In other words, from someone who was closest to him, shall we say a daughter who grew up by His side? Yes, George Washington’s adopted daughter Eleanor (Nelly) Parke Custis, was one who spent twenty years with the man, George Washington, living in his home traveling by his side, and watching and listening to this man of God so impugned these days. In her memoirs and a letter written to a 19^th century biographer, Jared Sparks, who wrote “The Writings of George Washington,” published in the 1830’s, she wrote to Sparks the following excerpts:

“He [Washington] was a silent but thoughtful man who never spoke of himself. He attended church regularly and in New York and Philadelphia he never omitted attendance in the morning…His life and his writings prove he was a Christian, which I never doubted.” 

She further wrote to Sparks …

“I should have thought it the greatest heresy to doubt his firm belief in Christianity.”

Her letter, a documented fact of history, goes into great details about Washington ’s moral and pious life that gave her the best Christian example. But in addition, to this first hand testimony of this woman who grew up in the Washington household, all one needs to do is read Washington’s own writings to see that almost every piece is flavored with praise and conscience of the God of Christianity in his every thoughts. For instance by 1778 Washington had so often witnessed God’s intervention in his life that on August 20^th he wrote Thomas Nelson and said,

“The hand of providence has been so conspicuous in all this, that he must be worse than an infidel that lacks faith, and more than wicked, that has not gratitude enough to acknowledge his obligations.”

On June 1, 1774 George Washington made this entry in his diary…

“Went to church and fasted all day…”

On May 1, 1777 , news finally came that France was joining the side of America . In his announcement to the troops Washington paused and prayed this prayer publicly before all…

“And now Almighty Father, if it is Thy holy will…bless us with Thy wisdom in our counsels, success in battle and let our victories be tempered with humanity…Grant  the petition of THY SERVANT, for the sake of Him whom Thou hast called Thy beloved Son; nevertheless, not my will, but Thine be done.”

Another instance of Washington ’s Christian emphasis of life is found while he was encamped on the banks of a river, as he was approached by Delaware Indian chiefs who desired that their youths be trained in American schools. George Washington said these words to them,

“You do well to wish to learn our arts and our ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people...”

Friends, these are not the words of a godless profane man as Hollywood and television would have us remember him. In fact, Washington had a clear aversion to profanity. He even passed military orders to flog anyone of his troops who were caught using profanity and worse blaspheming the name of God.

Yes, there are other facts about George Washington I will not ignore. First of all he was a man, and as a man he was born a sinner, estranged from God. In this state every man, woman and child is born and lives out their lives until they are confronted with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is then, they must make a decision to either follow God the Creator, His revelation and teachings, and embrace God’s plan of freeing us from our sins, or walking away from God and rejecting His morals, ways and teachings. George Washington chose to follow God, but like so many of his time and ours, we don’t always fulfill our role as a Christian. It was reported that George Washington was a member of the Masonic Lodge, a cultic organization that denies Jesus Christ, that teaches a works salvation, and the universal brotherhood and goodness of man without the one true God, Jesus Christ. Why even today there are tens of thousands of Christians who are tied to the Masonic Lodge, not realizing such membership is contrary to their faith in Christ, the God of Christianity. But Washington, it is reported, in later life stayed away from the Masons and their secret society and religious persuasions. Perhaps he learned the wrongness of it. One cannot say, but to use that as a source of His not being a Christian is foolish nonsense.

Secondly, as Brooklyn New York , Borough President Markowitz stated, he was getting rid of the “old white boys.” He was referring to the fact that Washington like many of his time owned slaves. Surely this was wrong. But the truth is Washington inherited many of them in his estates. Records show he treated them with great respect and kindness and worked to abolish slavery. At his time era, this was almost impossible, so he wrote in his will upon his death all would be freed. That doesn’t sound like a dyed in the wool morally corrupt slave master does it? Yet, these things are used to say Washington was no Christian and at times worse. Why is this not so? Let me tell you what it means to be a Christian.

First of all, Christianity is not really a religion at all. A religion is the following of some rules, rituals and regulations that bind one to a philosophical belief in a god who rules over the one who worships. Usually, by obeying a set of rules and regulations established by the religion, one can obtain favor with the god or gods worshipped, and usually it is taught that when one dies, they receive forgiveness of transgressions by such obedience to the laws of their faith.

Christianity is different. True Christianity teaches that one does not have to attend church, be baptized, tithe, worship on Saturday, eat selected foods and avoiding others, nor do good works to be saved from their sins, granted full and forever forgiveness, and obtain Heaven and eternal life. Imagine that! Sound too good to be true? Well, that’s the good news of Christianity! All one has to do to be saved, and to be rightly related to the Creator God is -- exercise “faith” in God’s plan of salvation, executed by the Person of Jesus Christ who accomplished it. Listen to God’s teachings on the matter…

Eph 2:8-9 (NASB)  For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, that no one should boast.

Christianity teaches that all mankind has sinned against God. First, by being born a sinner, and second by our very nature, we can do nothing but sin against God’s holiness and perfection. The Scripture says,

Rom 3:23 (NASB)  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Rom 3:10 (NASB)  “ as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;

Gal 3:22 (NASB)  But the Scripture has shut up all men under sin…”

George Washington believed this, that he was a sinner. This is why He prayed so earnestly for God’s aid, help and direction in everything he did. He knew that by himself he could not please the God of Heaven. When one comes to this understanding, the Bible calls it the “conviction of sin,” where one is able to see that divine help is needed for a life, living and an eternity pleasing to God.

The second thing necessary for Christianity to be real and effective in our lives, is to seek out another way to be rightly related to God, than presenting our own righteousness. That way, friend, is not by works, for we have already failed; And, in our failure the Bible tells us God grants us another and better way, through Jesus Christ man’s substitute for our sins.

Thus, we must all acknowledge the Person and work of Jesus Christ as the only means of being rightly related to God and to be forgiven of all our sins and granted Heaven and eternal life. The Bible says again,

Mat 20:28 (NASB)  just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

2 Cor 5:21 (NASB)  He [God the Father] made Him [Jesus Christ] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Rom 5:8 (NASB)  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Having understood these two crucial points: 

(1) That we are all sinners under the judgment of God, and that we cannot save ourselves, 
(2) That God has provided a way of salvation not by works of our righteousness but by substitution, 

and through it we come to see God’s only way to receive it, 

(3) we must exercise “faith,” in the finished work of Christ, and acknowledge His right to rule and guide our lives.

In other words, all that is necessary for the saving faith of Christianity is to BELIEVE! -- that is trust and rely exclusively upon God the Son, Jesus Christ to free us from our sins, to grant us eternal life, and to make us a child of God for all eternity the moment we believe. The Bible says,

Acts 16:31 (NASB)  “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household.”

Acts 4:12 (NASB)  “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved.”

Acts 26:18 (NASB)  “to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’

Yes, George Washington may not have attended church every Lord’s day, he may have erroneously and foolishly joined the Masonic Lodge that falsely claims to support Christianity; he may have at one time, and only one on record in the heat of emotion redressed a General on the battle field for cowardly actions, with a profane word; he may have owned slaves given to him by inheritance. But these things did not characterize his life, nor where they consistent there. Washington knew he wasn’t saved by His good works, or the lack of them. He was saved, the only way you and I can be saved, by exercising faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.

Say friend have you done that? Well our greatest founding father did, as testified by the volumes of his own words, others writings and his own adopted daughter’s written testimony. Should we, can we, do anything less? Thank God salvation doesn’t depend upon our ability to live up to God’s perfection. Thank God, He has provided a way any and all can hear, believe and embrace  the Good News, that Christ died for our sins, and by our faith in Him, we can all be saved.

Don’t listen to the current politically correct crowd of secular revisionists who seek to destroy the godly heroes of our country and faith. Their goal through distorted or changed history is to try and convince Americans today that this nation was not founded by Christians and for Christians, rather for atheists and by atheists. But we’ll not allow Washington ’s faith among others to be sacrificed on the altar of their secularist agenda. Thus, we set the record straight.

Now, this week ahead honors the birthday of George Washington. He was indeed a Christian, a moral godly thinker and doer of the Word, who had vision and principle mixed firmly with integrity and Christian morality. He vested his life and fortunes in establishing this nation we enjoy to this day. Indeed George Washington likely was the greatest founding father of all. He was first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen to this day, except for Mr. Markowitz in Brooklyn New York who disrespectfully calls him one of “the old white guys.”

The truth is, if any man could have grabbed power, it was Washington after the war. He could have taken permanent command of America through the military, as some wanted him to do. However, he voluntarily gave up that power so that America would indeed be a nation of laws and not men. We all owe General George Washington our first President the great of gratitude and thanks for everything we have today in America was because of Him, and His God Jesus Christ, and if you were to say that to him today, He would shift your thanks heavenward to the God of His faith, the Lord Jesus Christ. May God so correct the record this month we celebrate the birthday of America ’s greatest man, who was indeed a Christian...

...Yes, the “politically correct” secularists are at it again trying to destroy America ’s Christian heritage. But they will never be able to do that, if we continue to tell the truth and believe it. America was founded as a Christian nation, because Christian men saw the need for a nation whereby they could live out their faith to the glory of God. Are you living for the glory of God? If not trust Jesus Christ today, call upon Him, confess your sins, claim His forgiveness and His gift of eternal life granted to all who come to Him. That’s the essence of true Christianity and the life George Washington lived and died for.

·         Radio talk #0702

·         Broadcast date: February 17, 2002

·         Speaker: Dennis L. Finnan, Commentator

·         Program: The World, the Word & You! Radio Broadcast

·         Address: P.O. Box 40133 Grand Junction, CO 81504

The World, the Word & You! Broadcast is a non-denominational ministry based on the historic fundamental evangelical interpretation of the Scriptures. A copy of our doctrinal statement is available upon request. These weekly radio commentaries are not exhaustive studies of any particular subject due to the time limit of broadcasting. Actual broadcasts can be heard in selected areas around the nation, as funding provides. Dennis Finnan has been the speaker for over 22 years, and serves as General Director.

These transcripts are available free of charge to all who desire them. Also available are actual radio cassette tapes and printed booklets of each message. A free listing of recent messages is available upon request also.

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