We the Church
- Gary Click
- Mar 29
- 3 min read
Andy Griffith once stated that one of the best bits on the Andy Griffith Show was when Barney Fife claimed that he had memorized the Preamble to the Constitution. As he prepared to demonstrate his acumen on the topic, he hesitated and asked for the first word.
"We," Andy coached his deputy.
"Weeeeeee," Barney drew out the word, hoping the next one would come to him quickly.
Andy gives him the second word.
"The."
"Weeee the....We the..." Fife takes a couple runs at it until Andy delivers the third word.
"people."
"Weeee the people," he pauses once more, as Andy patiently feeds him each word to the exasperated deputy, who ultimately finishes the task, proudly stating that when you know something, you truly know it!
This timeless comedic sketch has been utilized in numerous history classes to introduce the Constitution to young students across America with a touch of humor.
The first three words of the United States Constitution were revolutionary. For the first time in the world, a government was formed from the bottom up rather than the top down. For the first time, the government was to serve the people rather than the people serving the government. That did not happen by accident.
The design and determination that formed this new government, however, was not completely new. The principles were contained in an ancient text of literature still prevalent in America's colonial years - the Bible.
According to a study conducted by Donald S. Lutz, the Bible was the most commonly resourced text, followed by the writings of John Locke, Montesquieu, and Blackstone. The writings of these three were rooted in their Christian faith, making them secondary sources to the primary source - God's Word.
Inside the United States Capital, legislators, tourists, and passersby often slip past a statue of John Peter Gabriel Muhlenburg removing his clerical robes to reveal a military uniform beneath. Muhlenburg stepped away from the pulpit and took 300 recruits with him to fight for liberty. His brother Augustus rebuked him at first, but to no avail. In fact, he soon took to politics himself when the British used his church for a stable, and while others were burned or worse.
Meanwhile, Elder John Leland spent time and devotion convincing Madison of the necessity of a bill of rights that specifically embraced religious liberty through the separation of church and state. Without the influence of this hidden figure from history, the Constitution would have never been ratified, nor would our nation enjoy the Bill of Rights.
In the nation's capital, both Muhlenberg brothers were elected to Congress. Augustus, the hesitant one, was chosen by his colleagues to be the first Speaker of the House. When the Bill of Rights was ratified, this pastor's name appeared on the document alongside Vice President John Adams. With such divine influences on our founding, it is unsurprising that the Constitution aligns with the Ten Commandments, recognizing the Lord's day as a day of rest and dating itself "in the year of our Lord."
Though secretly an unbeliever, Thomas Paine appealed to the biblical arguments of his colleagues when he penned the famous pamphlet that helped spark the Revolution, "Common Sense." When he publicly scourned the Christian faith in a latter work, he was sternly rebuked by Franklin, who suggested that he burn the work before anyone else could read it. Washington alluded to him in his farewell speech when he stated that "religion and morality" are indespensible pillars of patriotism and that it would be vain for a man to claim patriotism while seeking to subvert those firmest props.
While not every citizen identified as a Christian, these and other historical accounts inform us that the founding of our nation would have been drastically different without the church if it were to happen at all. The pilgrims that braved the ocean on the Mayflower were a church body that ventured to this continent for religious liberty. The Mayflower Compact was modeled after a church covenant with the opening words, "In the name of God, Amen."
As the scribe penned those original opening words, "We the people," those people were inseparable from the church. No church - no people. No church - no nation. No nation - no constitution. No Constitution - no Bill of Rights.
The challenge has not changed today, nor will it in our children's generation. America's original generation sought to secure the "blessings of liberty" for themselves AND their posterity - that is us. The church owes no less to the next generation. Not only must we work to preserve those liberties for ourselves, but We the Church, are obligated to pay it forward for our posterity,
That is why "We the Church" exists as a ministry today.
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