Only in America can a family go from cotton to Congress in one lifetime. My grandfather saw his grandson win elections in the birthplace of the Confederacy. A state that once pledged allegiance to the Confederate states elected a Black man to the United States Senate.
In one lifetime, by the grace of our Almighty God and the evolution of the southern heart, we saw the change America was destined for and a future that expanded the promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to all Americans.
As we come together to celebrate our nation’s 250th birthday, we must remember the progress we’ve made and the struggle we must undertake for our nation to continue to prosper. If in the last 250 years we have made America great, we need to remember what made us great in the first place: faith, freedom, and opportunity.
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Even in our country’s struggles, faith and freedom have always been at the core of who we are as Americans.
With the first beats of America’s heart in 1776 came the soul of a nation defined by its rare proposition that all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator, not their government.
Our founders knew that when we lived up to our highest ideals and viewed one another as beings created by God with inherent value, then we would point to our true north and fulfill the promises of our Declaration of Independence.
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Dr. King called America back to that same promise. He did not lead from merely a podium – he led from the pulpit. His dream was not a political speech. It was a sermon. He said, “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:24). He called America not to be a new nation, but to honor its founding promise, echoing the words of Frederick Douglass in 1852 in the face of slavery, “The principles contained in the [Declaration of Independence] are saving principles. Stand by those principles, be true to them on all occasions, in all places, against all foes, and at whatever the cost.”
They didn’t want a different America. They wanted America to be all that we said we were meant to be.
It took conviction, courage, and a willingness to stand up for the truth to transform this ideal into a reality for all Americans. Thank God Almighty for brave men and women of good conscience who committed themselves to advancing these principles. They did not abandon our founding principles; they challenged America to live up to them.
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America needs those same convictions today. We must recommit ourselves to the Judeo-Christian values that have made our nation great in the pursuit of a more perfect union. Those enduring principles are what make America the greatest nation on God’s green Earth, and that foundation will never fail, no matter what challenges we face.
Nothing good ever comes easy, and America is no exception. Only by the grace of God and leaders who unapologetically speak the truth can we ever make progress and more fully realize America as the land of opportunity where every American has the chance to reach their God-given potential.
For America to continue to flourish, we must humble ourselves and remember the truth and values that our nation was founded upon. It doesn’t mean attacking those around us, but as Ephesians 4:15 says, “speaking the truth in love.”
Love is a commitment to what? To truth. Therefore, love does not mean that we compromise our ideals or sugarcoat the truth.
It means we encourage what is right, confront what is wrong, and remain open to correction ourselves. When we put God first, rededicate ourselves to our founding ideals, and stand up for what is right, we can surely experience the blessings of faith, freedom, and opportunity in South Carolina and the whole of the United States today, tomorrow, and for the next 250 years.
