Faith and Founders: God's Divine Providence in Guiding the US Forward

Ahead of the United States' 250th birthday, we reflect on the role of faith and Judeo-Christian values in defining our nation. NTD's Steve Lance sits down with author Cynthia Scott to discuss how faith and divine providence shaped the trajectory of American history. Cynthia Scott, thank you so much for sitting down with us. Thank you so much for having me. It's really wonderful to be able to have this discussion about your book that you've just written. It's called Celebrating God, Our Founder. You know, we often talk about how history is forgotten and we don't focus enough on history. Tell us about some of those critical moments that just sort of defy normal logic. I would like to start with the fact that the pilgrims came here to begin with. They wanted to worship God freely. You know that. They wanted to build a community and a government according to his ways. So it really started with God's impetus with those early settlers from England. And as we look at the way that they set up their representative self-government, for example, the pilgrims were blown off course. They ended up 100 miles north of where they were meant to land. They would have been under the Virginia Company, but they weren't. They got there and they had to make their own laws. They had to make their own way. So we see that God was intervening in their history, even from the beginning, putting them in a situation where they would need to figure out how to live together and have some sort of a covenant. So they covenanted with each other and with God. And that's where representative self-government came from. That's where it started way back then. And then they just built upon it over the years. You describe America, our country, our nation as an experiment. Yes. What would you say that experiment has proven thus far? I am constantly amazed when I think about this, that God, when he built a nation through his people, he built a nation where people could be truly free. It's the same kind of freedom that he gives you and I to believe in him or not. And this form of government, this constitutional republic with our set of laws has really provided for that freedom for 250 years. It's remarkable. I cannot get over it. As a matter of fact, no other constitution has lasted like ours has. It's not merely the work of men. It's the undergirding of divine providence that really brought us to where we are. Talk to us about some of those miraculous moments that you highlight in the book. So a lot of people love to talk about George Washington. So interesting. A man really appointed by God, a man for the hour. And in the French and Indian war, many people know this, but many don't. He had two horses shot out from underneath him and four bullets in his coat, but he was never touched. He, many generals and men died around him, but he wrote to his brother. It was divine. I paraphrase. It was divine providence that I have survived this unharmed. 15 years later, an Indian chief sought him out. He was on a mission expedition and he wanted to meet Washington and through an interpreter. He said, I just need to meet the man that, that the great spirit has protected. This is a man that my braves who he says he, they knew not how to miss. They were such great marksmen. They never could hit him. He finally told them quit shooting because the divine spirit protects this man and he will be the leader of a great empire one day. That's miraculous. God preserved Washington, not only through that French and Indian war, but he was the, he was the general of the continental army. He led the first continental Congress. He was the first president of the United States unanimously voted in only one. And that's all miraculous. That just doesn't happen on, on your own. So that's, and Washington, you know, he fought hard. He had many miracles during the battles. So the battle of Long Island, many have heard that he was trapped 30,000 to 8,000 men, the British, they had him surrounded and he decided his only option was to retreat. So at, at night he began this slow retreat. They had the marble headers who came in these, this regiment that was, they were trained oarsmen so they could navigate the waters and slowly they went across, but they didn't all make it in time for dawn. Now, God dropped a fog, a fog rose up actually over the water and over the land until they were almost all completely across. And by the time the British could see that there was a retreat, they were out of range. They couldn't fire at them. The same time, a big storm came up and there was a British fleet that could have come up on the water, but they were prevented. So there were many, many instances of God's hand of providence in the Revolutionary War. That's just one example. Faith has played a significant role in our nation's founding. All of our founders, deeply devout in their own way. Do you think that we as a nation and sort of a political system as we stand now have been sort of drifting away from those founding ideals? I think we have been, but I think there's a turning. I think we've seen in the last few years a turning back to God. I mean, look at turning point. This is an example of that turning. And Charlie Kirk was so involved in actually helping the president to place people in his administration. So I think we are, I think we've already passed the bottom. I think we're on the rise, but it's up to each and every one of us to make sure that we make it. We've got, we've got to get right with God. We've got to come back to God as a nation. We've got to rededicate this nation to God for the freedom of all people, for freedom for all. That's the beauty of freedom. They don't have to agree with Christ to enjoy the freedom that he provides. When we celebrate, as we celebrate the 250th birthday of our founding, how do we make sure that we keep faith and spirituality and God in the discussion and to best honor the nation in that way? I think we bring to light these facts. There are many more that work that obviously didn't fit in this book. We bring to light those, those instances where God was involved. We help people to understand that divine thread that leads through our founding and the sustaining of our nation. And then we pray, we honor him at the celebrations, praying, giving him thanks for what he's done in this nation, rededicating the nation to him, asking him to have his hand of favor and providence on us going forward and really put him in his right place. You know, we've had many sins as a nation. Slavery was one of them. Abortion is one of them currently, but I think maybe our greatest national sin is forgetting our God who really brought us to this place. And I think as we remember and give him his rightful place of honor in our nation, we will see him do miraculous things. Cynthia Scott, greatly appreciate you joining us. Thank you so much. It's been a pleasure to be on your show.