Racism an Enduring Christian Blindspot?

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Ivan G Thompson

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The Making of a Great America Where the Church and the Founding Fathers Fell Short

Religion & Spirituality

synopsis

Synopsis
"Make America Great Again" has quickly become one of the most divisive phrases in our nation. It most certainly begs the questions when was America great, what things made it great, and what things need to be done to restore its greatness? The answers to the questions above have driven me back to study the Founding Fathers' vision of America and what they set out to achieve. I am a born-again Christian. As such, I share the belief that America's greatness is inextricably connected to its foundational aim, as expressed in the pledge of allegiance, to be "one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." I know that for non-Christians, these words may have a myriad of interpretations. This book is not written for them. This book is written for those who profess the lordship of Jesus Christ and acknowledge the inerrant doctrinal authority of the Bible: 2 Tim 3:16 (NKJV) "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 2 Pet 1:16, 20-21 (NKJV) "For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty…knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. I believe that the Scriptural principles reflected in the pledge of allegiance were valid long before it was created and are still relevant today. As I study the Founding Father's application of these principles; however, I believe that they did not go far enough in their pursuit of the tenets of liberty and justice for all. Though these Founding Fathers were great visionaries, likely the greatest visionaries our country has ever known, their revelation of God's plan for our nation was incomplete. I will show in this book how the Founding Fathers had difficulty extending the application of these principles outside themselves (British settlers). They had difficulty extending these principles to native Americans, enslaved Africans and even to other European immigrants (Irish, German, etc.) Why would I go to the trouble of pointing this out? I do so to point out that many of the issues that we are dealing with today (division along racial lines, racism, distrust of immigrants) are not new issues. Ecclesiastes 1:9 (NKJV) says, "That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun." The central point of this book is that America will never achieve the greatness that God envisioned if today's leaders in government and the church make the same mistakes as the leaders of America at the time of the Founding Fathers.

bio

Author Biography

Ivan is a seasoned author with over 35 published titles. His books are available on Amazon.com, and many are available as audiobooks on Audible.com. Ivan’s Christian books give Scriptural advice on such topics as being a Christian in the workplace, being a better father, discovering your purpose, finding the “Next” step in your purpose, God’s healing power, growing in confidence, recovering from brokenness and increasing your skills and abilities in any area. Several of these books and audiobooks are also available in Spanish.
Ivan’s three exceptional books about diversity in the Air Force books have garnered rave reviews and are available on Amazon (one also on Audible). Ivan has over 25 years of experience consulting, conducting senior leadership off-sites, and strategic planning sessions. He served as Deputy Director of the Defense Business Practice Implementation Board. As the Deputy, he helped facilitate Task Groups for the Secretary of Defense comprised of senior DoD civilians and retired and active Fortune 500 CEOs.
Ivan is also a singer/songwriter, actor, business consultant, and inventor. He is a retired Air Force officer with five adult children and resides in New York City. He graduated with military distinction and as the Outstanding Cadet in Organizational Behavior from the United States Air Force Academy in 1986 and earned his Master’s in Management from Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1995.

Follow Ivan on Instagram/Tik Tok at ivanlive360 or on Twitter at Ivan Thompson.

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Author Insight

Racism an Enduring Christian Blindspot?

When I started writing “The Making of a Great America” series, I was so grieved that the Church in America had so downplayed the “sins” of racism and division that somehow these were now acceptable in exchange for advancing other worthy objectives. As I did the research for this book, I found that what I saw emerge in 2015 was not a new phenomenon in American history, just a repackaging and regurgitation of themes and sentiments as old as the Founding Fathers themselves. We built a nation on ideals that assumed that “secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity” did not include the Native Americans or enslaved Africans. These understood exclusions initially included the Germans and Irish and later grew to include the Chinese and Japanese immigrants. When I read the words of the Founding Fathers, it was clear that America was originally envisioned as a “New England” for the English colonists and no one else. Those narrow and exclusionist views of who America is and isn’t for still exist today, even amongst people who are descendants of immigrants themselves and claim the lordship of Jesus Christ. We all have blind spots. I believe this is a blindspot that is common to many Americans, particularly in the body of Christ. This book is available on Amazon and Audible.

Book Excerpt

The Making of a Great America Where the Church and the Founding Fathers Fell Short

The quotes below are from the Preface and The Sins of Division and Discord :

Preface excerpt:

"Since the time of the Founding Fathers, matters of race have framed divisions in our nation. These issues have once again moved into the forefront— today, these issues are disguised as divisions along political lines, but at their root, they are divisions centered on matters of race. As such, they are heart issues. Who better to address heart issues in our nation than the Church?"

The Sins of Division and Discord excerpt:

I was in a church recently, and the pastor was talking about the authority and power of the body of Christ. He said something along the lines that this message might be the most important message for the body of Christ at this time. Had I been in another church, I might have heard that the most important message was holiness or healing, being filled with the Spirit, evangelism, being baptized, or giving.

I believe that in America, there may be no more important sermon or message in this hour than unity. Racism, discord, and division threaten to tear our nation apart. It is at such a time as this that the Church needs to speak.
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Ivan G Thompson

The Making of a Great America Where the Church and the Founding Fathers Fell Short

Synopsis

Author Biography

Author Insight

Book Excerpt

The Making of a Great America Where the Church and the Founding Fathers Fell Short

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