What united a loosely connected group of individual colonies into a single people with a common identity as Americans? The answer: George Whitefield and the First Great Awakening. After three decades of anointed, tireless preaching, a remarkable 80% of the population of the American colonies experienced Whitefield's ministry at least once. The impact was profound. His preaching served as a great social leveler because everyone, rich or poor, kings or commoners, must be born again. His message was also a great uniter of the people as they found their identity not in race or denominational affiliation, but in Christ. We are living in what some have called "the divided states of America." We need something or someone to restore our common vision and purpose. Only Jesus is big enough. We need a third Great Awakening. Find out more at https://ron-johnson-discipleship-podca.pinecast.co

Americans are freedom loving people! Our founding Fathers did a magnificent job securing our liberty by winning the Revolution. They secured and ordered those liberties by giving us a Constitution. The real issue before us now is how do we sustain the precious freedoms we have inherited? We discuss a powerful idea called "The Golden Triangle of Freedom." It's the secret sauce of sustainable freedom and a recipe we must rediscover if we hope to enjoy liberty for generations to come. Find out more at https://ron-johnson-discipleship-podca.pinecast.co

Today we begin our discussion of Eric Metaxas' best-selling book, _If You Can Keep It: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty. _In 1776 a nation was formed in a way that was absolutely unique in human history. It was something entirely new: the nation as an idea. It was nothing more and nothing less than this singular idea that held America and Americans together, and the idea in which they believed was, in a word, liberty. True freedom must be an “ordered freedom,” at the center of which is what we call “self-government.” The ordered freedom given to us by the Founders was meant to enable the people to govern themselves. This idea of a self-governed people was unheard of in its day. Freedom, after all, is fragile. How could a government by the people withstand the test of time? We talk about the necessary ingredients in our podcast today. Find out more at https://ron-johnson-discipleship-podca.pinecast.co

Some have suggested that America is in her twilight. The sun is setting, and darkness is quickly encroaching. Are we doomed to a future of moral debauchery and depravity? What we are witnessing is the fruit of a godless, materialistic worldview which reduces people to biochemical machines. We are simply the products of our chemistry and environment. Life is ultimately meaningless. Power is the goal. Fatalism and despair are the results. But thankfully, this does not have to be our future. We can experience a national resurrection. In our podcast today, we'll show you how. Find out more at https://ron-johnson-discipleship-podca.pinecast.co

When Christians share the good news of the gospel with others, especially those from different cultures, we are often accused of being ethnocentric or imperialistic. Our modern culture chides us for thinking one culture might be doing things better than another culture. Who are we to impose our values on others! Cultures should be judged by their own standards. Our biblical exclusivism, thinking that our way is the right way, has no place in our culturally pluralistic world. However, when you cut through all of the progressive groupthink, it's easy to see that culture matters. Ideas do have consequences, and some ideas have better results than others. Ideas rule the world. Ideas create culture. And the ideas of the Bible liberate nations! Find out more at https://ron-johnson-discipleship-podca.pinecast.co

While we prepare to celebrate another national birthday, it's important to understand the cause for American strength and stability. Thankfully, America is not a democracy, because democracies don't last long. Our founders opted for a constitutional republic which required both the people and their rulers be constrained by the rule of law. And it was God's law, immutable and transcendent, which formed the foundation of our national law. Our American pillars of liberty - freedom of conscience, freedom of speech, checks and balances, the rule of law, an independent judiciary, constitutionalism and representative government - all came from one source: the BIBLE. Find out more at https://ron-johnson-discipleship-podca.pinecast.co

Why are some nations so poor and others so rich? Do cultural beliefs and values condemn whole cultures to poverty? Does inner wealth produce material wealth? What type of worldview is necessary to inspire engineers and entrepreneurs to create labor saving devices to serve the poor and needy? What is the Protestant work ethic and how did it lead to unparalleled prosperity in the West? Today we explain how the ideas found in the Scriptures created the intellectual capital necessary for wealth creation and innovation. There are reasons why some nations thrive and others, with the same natural resources and talented people, seem to be forever mired in poverty and corruption.

Compassionate care for the sick, the weak and the elderly has become a hallmark of America. Why is this the case? Other worldviews show little concern for the weak and infirmed. Medical knowledge alone does not create a caring, compassionate culture. It was the Bible that revealed God as “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort.” Jesus became the Messiah for the sick, the sorrowing and the suffering. Medicine does not flourish in cultures where people are viewed as burdens. The compassionate care for others requires a community committed to the glory of God and the good of your neighbor. We can thank the Bible for that.

Four decades after the failed French Revolution, Alexis de Tocqueville, a French magistrate, came to the United States seeking explanations for the success of American democracy. He published his findings in his two-volume classic, Democracy in America. You might be shocked with his conclusion. He said the chief cause of our "extraordinary prosperity" and "growing power" is due to "the superiority of their women." What was so exceptional about American women? He added that the strength of American character and culture could not be understood apart from the Bible's teaching on gender roles, sex, marriage, and family life. Strong women are produced from a biblical understanding of morality and freedom. Find out more at https://ron-johnson-discipleship-podca.pinecast.co

Corruption is a cancer to any healthy society. It not only destroys a nation's economy, but it also destroys a people's soul. Empirical data shows that countries most influenced by the Bible are the least corrupt. Why is this true? And is there any hope for America as the headlines reveal a nation steeped in corruption, sexual perversion and a host of other social maladies? We discuss the parallels between Britain before and after the leadership of John Wesley and George Whitefield and our current state of depravity in America. A revival of biblically saturated spirituality transformed an entire nation. If God did it once, there is hope that He will do it again in our times.  Find out more at https://ron-johnson-discipleship-podca.pinecast.co