There are many ways to fittingly recognize the 250th anniversary of our country’s founding this July 4. Barbecues and fireworks, friends and family, are obvious favorites. If your style is a little more reflective, there are countless choices of things to read or watch. The website EndowedbyOurCreator.com has a variety of book recommendations. John West’s Endowed by Our Creator highlights the science that supports the convictions reflected in the Declaration of Independence. The site also includes a range of videos, and a link to a survey by Discovery Institute with some reassuring, and some unsettling, results.
We have just released Stephen Meyer’s conversation with Kerby Anderson from our Dallas Conference on Science and Faith. Dr. Meyer has a great reading suggestion.
The authors of The Federalist Papers argued for the Constitution, which translated the Declaration of Independence into the terms of a practical system of government that survives today. But The Federalist Papers itself is a hefty tome: if you have time to read only two of them, says Meyer, read Nos. 10 and 51, both by James Madison (pictured at the top). He also reflects on the religious faith of the Founders, who he explains included Christians and, not deists (as you often hear), but “Christian-friendly unitarian theists.” One of those, says Meyer — Benjamin Franklin — gave a remarkable and brief address at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 that had lasting consequences.
© Discovery InstituteIf you are really short on time, all these themes are compressed into in an effective image, above, that you can click on and expand, read, and share through social media and other networks. It includes the “55 Words that Changed the World,” the ways in which Declaration is under attack today from the political Left and Right, and even from some Christians, a summary of the Founders’ principles and how those are undergirded by the best science of today, and more. Happy reading and happy Independence Day!