by Jay Therrell, Conference Superintendent

JULY 1, 2026 

I’m a student of politics. One of my bachelor’s degrees is in political science. Before I practiced law, I was a congressional aide. I’ve also been an aide to a member of the British House of Commons. I enjoy following local, state, and national issues.

On November 30, 2011, I was given the privilege of serving as guest chaplain to the U.S. House of Representatives. It was just for the day, but it included giving the invocation for that day’s House session. On that day, I finished my prayer by saying, “God, please continue to bless America, but please help America to bless You.”

It was an overwhelming experience. I still smile when I think about standing in the House chamber and praying from the very spot where so many presidents of the United States give the State of the Union address.

This week, as our nation celebrates its 250^th birthday, I’ve been thinking about that prayer and how America blesses God. I want to offer a few ideas.

Doing Our Homework

We need to be better students of our own history. Often today, I hear people say something like, “We are in the most divisive time in our country’s history.” For the record, I abhor today’s political discourse, but it’s hardly the worst it’s ever been.

We literally fought a civil war from 1861 to 1865 that pitted brother against brother and father against son. Depending on which scholar you go with, 620,000 – 750,000 Americans died. We forget that the sitting vice president of the United States, Aaron Burr, shot and killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel. We no longer remember that in 1856, after U.S. Senator Charles Sumner gave a fiery speech against slavery, a member of the U.S. House beat Senator Sumner with a cane on the floor of the Senate. Congressman Preston Brooks beat Sumner so badly that he almost died, suffered severe injuries, and was unable to return to regular Senate duties for nearly three years. Oddly, Brooks resigned from the House, but he was immediately re-elected by his constituents!

History reminds us that human sinfulness is no respecter of eras. It also humbles us. It keeps us from the dangerous self-righteousness of believing “our side” is uniquely virtuous while the other is uniquely wicked.

Why does that matter, and how does knowing it help our country to bless God? It allows us to put things into perspective and stop using hyperbole. It informs us and helps us to tone things down. It reminds us that, sadly, humanity is prone to all sorts of horrific incivility – and even violence.

To honor God, we need to treat one another better. As the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 2:1-5:

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

That doesn’t mean we have to agree on everything. We don’t have to abandon conviction or retreat from the public square. Legitimate Christians can disagree, at times, over the best course for our country. It does mean that we have to seek unity by treating one another with tenderness and compassion. It demands that we put our own ambition aside and pursue the best for our nation instead of our political party. It requires us to value people who disagree with us as better than ourselves and look to their interests, too.

A nation that blesses God is one where Christians refuse to let political loyalty displace their first loyalty to King Jesus.

Our Theology MUST Inform our Ideology – Not the Other Way Around

I love our country, and I’m humbly proud to be an American. I’m looking forward to celebrating on July 4^th with fireworks and good food. Before, I’m an American; however, I’m a follower of Jesus. He comes first. I love our Constitution and am a fierce proponent of it, but the revealed Word of God is the guiding norm for my life. I respect our elected officials, but I have only one King: the Son of the Living God.

My theology forms my ideology. It’s never the other way around. I fear these days that we often first look to our political party or favorite elected leader to see what our position on an issue should be. Instead, we should look to scripture and then discern through prayer what our stance is and how we should vote.

Paul taught us in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Our political parties and their platforms don’t drive our decisions. God’s will does.

Paul also wrote in Colossians 2:8, “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” Jesus is our King, and His teachings are the beacons that should guide our lives.

The wisdom of Proverbs 3:5-6 reminds us, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” The Holy Spirit guides our paths, not presidents, legislators, or pundits.

How does America bless God? Before we speak, we stop and reflect on Jesus’ teachings and the rest of Scripture. Are we making a decision that honors Jesus and is centered on Him? Or are we letting talking heads persuade us toward a position that might be antithetical to the Gospel? Have we done inductive Bible study and then considered what orthodox biblical scholars share? Or do we let headlines and clickbait decide our stances?

A nation that blesses God is one where Christians refuse to let political loyalty displace their first loyalty to King Jesus, and where we allow our theology — rooted in Scripture and the teachings of Christ — to shape our ideology, rather than the other way around.

We Must Reject Cynicism

The American experiment turns 250 years old this week, and for the most part it’s been successful. We have, no doubt, gotten things wrong. Slavery will always be our great national sin. We have harmed people during our two and a half centuries of existence. We must continue to work hard to bring the words of our founding document into fruition, that all people are created equal. On the whole, however, I truly believe that God has used our “experiment” to be a great force for good, freedom, and the release of people from subjugation around the world.

Today, however, I hear many voices speaking of our country as if it is fundamentally a force for evil — as if we should primarily apologize for who we are. Much of this, I believe, is driven by a growing spirit of cynicism.

Cynicism breeds distrust. Distrust engenders a national malaise. When that happens, the Enemy wins. Yes, I believe Satan is behind much of this. If he can drive us to become mistrusting and cynical, our country will decline and cease to be the force for good it has been.

I’m not advocating for blind trust. Only Jesus should receive our unconditional acceptance and love. I do think, however, we have to be very careful about falling victim to being down on who we are and forgetting our mission to be a blessing to others.

Paul taught us in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” The writer of Hebrews warned us in Hebrews 12:15, “See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” American Christians who want to bless God must combat negative, cynical thinking by focusing on what is good…and there is much good.

There are plenty of critics of our country. We need to listen to some of what they say. We can’t, however, let it prevent us from fighting for the ideals upon which the United States was founded: “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” To do so lets the Enemy win, and others be mired in depression, brokenness, and oppression.

A nation that blesses God learns from its mistakes and presses on toward the goal of equality of opportunity and an infinite ceiling of growth.

In God We Trust

It’s no accident that the official motto of our country is: In God We Trust. If it’s true, then we must learn our history and ensure our loyalty to Jesus comes before our loyalty to country. It demands that we let Jesus’ teachings be our guiding beacon, not the talking heads and influencers on the internet. It requires that we reject cynicism and focus on what is good, and there is so much good.

Happy Birthday, America. God, please continue to bless us. Far more importantly, help us to bless You.

All God’s love,

Jay