Principled Ideas from the Centennial Institute Publisher, Dr. Donald W. Sweeting Volume 11, Number 2 • February 2019 Editor, Jeff Hunt • Assistant Editor, Antonette Smith MONUMENT TO THE FOREFATHERS, With everyone pointing at each other I’m thinking, who’s THE RECIPE TO AMERICAN GREATNESS got the right answer? Truth is, people wait years, spend fortunes and risk their lives to come here. Maybe we Kirk Cameron, WCS18 have just forgotten what made us great in the first place. We need to go back and recapture some of these things that are worth saving. Wouldn’t you love to talk with the people who built this nation? I would ask our founding fathers and founding mothers, ‘If you were here now in our situation, what would you do? What are the non-essentials? What do we have to get back to? Do you have a secret recipe to address our struggles?’ I have a friend who is a historian, and I went with him on a trip to retrace the escape route of the pilgrims. I learned about who they were: out-of-the-box conservative faith- driven people who got a hold of the word of God and it transformed them. It was like rocket fuel in their veins. They weren't content to live in the English system, which was anything but free. King James made a great Bible but Kirk Cameron at the 2018 Western Conservative Summit. he made a terrible king. There was tyranny on steroids there. I thought today we might talk about freedom. I love He was the head of the Church, head of the State, and he the concept of freedom but did not understand it until controlled everything. The pilgrims were desperate to escape recently. I didn’t grow up thinking much about such things. from under the rule of King James. My family was not a political family. They managed to get to Holland where It took an experience I had making they lived 12 years under the guidance a documentary film that helped me of their pastor, John Robinson. understand freedom. The Word of God Robinson is called the founding father I made a documentary called of the forefathers. He taught them the “Monumental” filmed in Plymouth, was like rocket nation building principles of internal MA. I wasn't interested in the fuel in their veins. and external freedom, and they political side of things as much as I brought those lessons with them on was concerned for the future for my the Mayflower across the ocean to this children. Chelsea and I met on the North American continent. set of the TV show Growing Pains; It was such a dangerous journey. They actually set sail on two we were boyfriend and girlfriend on the show. We've now ships but the Speedwell sprung a leak and had to go back. been married for 27 years, which is something like 270 in Half the congregation and the pastor had to say behind while Hollywood years. We have 6 children, and I'm concerned the rest sailed on a little wine ship that was only designed to for the world they are growing up in. You have to admit it go port-to-port in England not all the way across the Atlantic. seems to be getting worse, financially, morally, spiritually, and politically. What do we do? Actor, director and Christian evangelist Kirk Cameron shared the story of the I remember looking for answers and finding that the news filming ofMonumental, a documentary about the Monument to the Forefathers just confused me because it seems everyone was yelling and in Plymouth, MA. screaming and playing the blame game. The right blames Centennial Institute sponsors research, events, and publications to enhance the left, the left blame the right. The rich blame the poor, public understanding of the most important issues facing our state and nation. By proclaiming Truth, we aim to foster faith, family, and freedom, the poor blame the rich. Hollywood blames religion and the teach citizenship, and renew the spirit of 1776. Church blames Hollywood. The challenges continued. The timing of their trip was poor. It actually served as one of the inspirations for the Statue of They ended up going through a storm and being blown off Liberty. It spells out a Biblical worldview for the building and course. It was so bad they were praying and preparing to meet securing of a free society. When I saw it, my jaw dropped. I their maker. Somehow they were able to fix the broken beam first felt inspired and then I felt anger that no one had shown that held up the mast to the ship, and they made it across the this to me before. sea. Once here, they faced harsh winters, no food, illness, and I want to explain this monument to you because it's more. And one more thing. They started in the new world life changing. under a socialist form of government. The monument is made up of five statues. The tallest and But the early years taught them a great deal, and they drafted largest statue is on the top and her name is Faith. Below a new agreement called the Mayflower Compact. They began her, creating the base, are four more statues gracing the four to rely on individual self-government according to the word corners of the monument. of God. They created a form of government that served as a Faith is standing tall and she is pointing to Heaven and to the blueprint for what later became our Constitution. And they one true God of Heaven. She's holding the Geneva Bible, the passed on principles that brought about freedom, prosperity, Bible that was brought over by the pilgrims on the Mayflower. blessing, and protection. Its pages are being blown open by the wind of the Holy Spirit. She has a star on her forehead which symbolizes wisdom. The pilgrims believed that faith was about loving God and trusting him with all of your heart and also about reasoning with God's word and engaging your mind. Finally, Faith has her foot firmly I wonder where the planted on the rock representing William Bradford's Plymouth Rock. are today? Let me turn now to the statues making up the four corners of the monument. The pilgrim’s faith was expressed first internally. For that reason, the first corner statue is morality. Morality is depicted as a woman sitting on a chair. Her eyelids are closed because morality is an internal thing. In one hand, she holds the The Monument to the Forefathers in Plymouth, MA. Ten Commandments showing Exodus chapter 20 and in I wonder, where are our William Bradford’s today? And the other, the scroll of Revelation. Morality has a medallion then my friend showed me something I had never heard of around her neck representing the 12 Tribes of Israel. To her before. It was a monument. The largest free-standing granite left is a relief etched into the granite reading ‘evangelist’. On monument in America, The Monument to the Forefathers her right is another relief that says ‘prophet’ featuring Moses holding the Ten Commandments. It’s hidden behind a forest of trees in a residential neighborhood on a hill overlooking Plymouth Rock and nobody knows it's Our forefathers believed that true faith would first express there. Most Congressman and Senators don't know it is there, itself internally by transforming the heart through the Gospel. never heard of it. Most of the press that I met with for the Once you have morality, anchored in the heart internally, and film had never heard of the monument. And yet it may be the you have this standard by which you know good from evil, most important monument in the nation. you can turn to the next statue which is law. CENTENNIAL REVIEW is published monthly by the Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University. The authors’ views are not necessarily those of CCU. Designer, Justin Jones. Illustrator, Benjamin Hummel. Subscriptions free upon request. Write to: Centennial Institute, 8787 W. Alameda Ave., Lakewood, CO 80226. Call 800.44.FAITH. Or visit us online at centennial.ccu.edu. Please join the Centennial Institute today. As a Centennial donor, you can help us restore America’s moral core and prepare tomorrow’s leaders. Your gift is tax-deductible. Please use the envelope provided. Thank you for your support. - Jeff Hunt, Director Scan this code with your smartphone to read this and previous issues online. Centennial Review ▪ February 2019 ▪ 2 Law is a judge sitting on his seat at his bench and he's holding the Book of Law. That book is directly under the book held by Faith, which is the Word of God, signifying that no law man ever makes will be higher in authority than the law of God. The relief on his right is ‘justice’ with Lady Justice and her scales showing equality. Lady Justice is also holding a sword showing that the government and justice does not bear the sword in vain. On his left is the relief ‘mercy’. The judge has the ability to extend both justice and mercy because he has wisdom. Once you have laws that codify good morality, you have civility in your society and you can turn to the next statute, which is education. Education is symbolized by a woman seated with a wreath of victory around her head. She has the Book of Knowledge in her hands. To her right is the relief ‘youth’ showing a young Actor, director, and Christian evangelist Kirk Cameron at the 2018 Western child that she's teaching.