KHCS Radio - Joy 92FM - The Desert's Christian Radio

November 2003

Dear friend of KHCS,

Let’s give thanks to God! Each November Americans set aside a day for giving thanks. We usually think of the Pilgrims and the celebration of their first harvest in the New World, but they didn’t invent the concept. Harvest celebrations have been going on for centuries, if not millennia.

Thanksgiving has been celebrated throughout the history of the United States. The Pilgrims observed June 29, 1676 as a “day of Solemn Thanksgiving and praise to God,” so that “this whole people offer up our bodies and souls as a living and acceptable service unto God by Jesus Christ.”

Congress proclaimed Thanksgiving observances throughout the Colonial era. See the Library of Congress website, http://lcweb.loc.gov/ exhibits/religion

Which leads me to a further observation: Sometimes you will hear a disbeliever in America’s Christian heritage say, “According to the Treaty of Tripoli, ‘The government of the United States is not founded on the Christian religion.’” Let me quote the entirety of Article 11 in the treaty of 1796 -- “As the government of the United States of America is not in any sense founded on the Christian Religion,-as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Musselmen,-and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.”

The perplexing phrase was omitted when the Tripoli treaty was revisited in 1805: “As the Government of the United States of America, has in itself no character of enmity . . .” etc. Thus, there is only one reference that makes the claim that the government (not American society, but the government) was not founded on Christianity.

On the other hand, there is an enormous amount of documentation that proves America’s Christian foundation. See the Library of Congress website.

In 1892, the United States Supreme Court, in its Trinity decision examined the history of America going back to Christopher Columbus and declared, “[T]his is a religious nation.” “[W]e are a Christian people, and the morality of the country is deeply ingrafted upon Christianity, and not upon the doctrines or worship of those impostors.” (i.e. Mahomet & the Grand Lama) And the court concluded, “These and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation.”

This is, of course, not the only document that supports the Christian heritage of the United States. Atheists are truly grasping at straws when they offer only one phrase, taken out of context, to support their belief.

So this Thanksgiving Day, and every day, let us offer thanks to God for blessing us with a nation where we are free to serve and worship Him according to our own conscience.

And let us be vigilant to protect those freedoms which have been bought with the lives of those who fought to give them to us.

By listening to KHCS, you keep aware of threats to your freedom to worship and witness. But this service is only made possible because listeners like you contribute financially. I do need to inform you that listener contributions to this ministry have not kept up with our actual needs in 2003. Your tax-deductible contributions are urgently needed now so that we will be able to end the year with adequate funding.

We could prompt you with an offer of a book, tape, key ring or some other premium. But we would rather that you be prompted by the Holy Spirit. And, last time I checked, I’m not Him! So, right now, please pray about how much you can contribute, and then give as the Lord directs. Thank you also for praying for KHCS and sharing us with others.

P.S. It’s time for us to work up our programming lineup for 2004. Please fill out and return the survey as soon as possible. Just click the link below to open a PDF document you can print out and mail in (you will need Adobe Reader - a free program from Adobe). Click logo below to download Adobe Reader. Thank you!