Watchman on the Wall

Narrator: Welcome to Watchman on the Wall, a daily outreach of Southwest Radio Ministries and swrc.com. God is still on the throne and prayer changes things. Today, we continue our deep dive into the life and times of George Washington. Then a little later, we'll have an important ministry update.

For more than nine decades, Southwest Radio Ministries has been a trusted voice pointing people to Jesus Christ and the truth of God's word. Generations of believers have turned to this ministry for biblical teaching, prophetic insight, and encouragement during some of life's most difficult moments. Every day, we hear from listeners whose faith has been strengthened, whose understanding of scripture has grown, and whose lives have been touched through this outreach.

Those stories are possible because faithful friends chose to stand with us. Today, we're asking you to be one of those friends. If Southwest Radio Ministries has been a blessing to you, would you prayerfully consider helping us continue this work? Your gift today will help us reach more homes, more families, and more hearts with the hope of Christ. Please give today at swrc.com or call 1-800-652-1144. That's 1-800-652-1144. Thank you for helping us carry God's truth to the next generation. Here's our host, Dr. Larry Spargimino.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: We are back with Scott Ash, discussing the book George Washington: A Life Lived for God and Country. The historian Henry Adams said this about Washington: His true greatness was evidenced in the fact that he never sought greatness, but rather service. I think that's very true, especially if you heard Scott in the previous broadcast. Scott, thank you for being back with us once again. I know we're really in for a treat, and I appreciate your work on the book and also the time you are spending just doing these shows. Here's a very interesting question. Is it true that Washington stopped taking communion in later life?

Scott Ash: That is sort of a half-truth that skeptics like to put forward to prove that Washington wasn't really a Christian. Like we talked about in the last broadcast, Washington did regularly take communion early in his life. But when the war broke out, there was a period of time where he was not partaking of communion. He would get up and leave the church service during communion. So the skeptics want to claim that he never took communion again, and that's supposed evidence that he wasn't a true believer.

But that's not the whole story. The fact is that there are multiple eyewitnesses that saw Washington taking communion during the war and even during his presidency. So first of all, the claim that he stopped altogether is just a false claim. Now, why did he stop taking communion for a time? That is a valid question. And the fact is we don't really know for sure because Washington never gave us the reason.

But of all the theories that are out there, there's one that is the most compelling to me. Washington was a member of the Anglican Church, which is what we today would call the Episcopalian Church. And who was the head of the Anglican Church? It was the King of England, the very monarch that Washington was waging a war against. Could it be that Washington felt that in good conscience he could not take the Lord's Supper while waging a war against the head of that church?

That explanation really seems to make sense to me, and especially if you consider that the times when he did take communion, often they were in churches of other denominations and not the Anglican Church. So at any rate, I think the claim that this proves Washington was a phony Christian just doesn't hold water.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: And I would think as far as I'm concerned that it would actually prove that he is a true Christian and that he understood communion in a very, very serious and deep way, especially some of the things that the Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11. You really want to make sure you're not messing around here. This is serious stuff. But your explanation is excellent.

I'm not sure how he handled the British saying long live the king or God bless the queen. Knowing that he was such a gentleman, he was probably very tender. But there are several other things that we could talk about. What was one of the most remarkable events in Washington's life?

Scott Ash: A number of historians point to one event. They all point to the same event in Washington's life as being really quite remarkable. And some would even say that it's the most remarkable event in the period of America's founding. And it was the moment when Washington resigned his commission at the end of the War for Independence. Now, that might not sound that remarkable to us, but put it in context.

Throughout ancient history, a conquering general typically becomes the king or a dictator. He claims power for himself. Which, by the way, many of Washington's officers wanted him to do just that. It would have been very easy for him to do that. He had the loyal support of his army behind him. He was very popular with the American people. He had just defeated the greatest empire in the world. He easily could have been king.

Yet what did Washington do? He came before Congress and surrendered his authority. Then he went home to Mount Vernon to go back to farming. He wanted to go back to life as a private citizen and live out the rest of his days as a farmer. I think this shows tremendous humility and is truly a remarkable event in our history.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: And that was in 1783, right at the end of the war when he came to Annapolis to Congress. I think that's significant and as you point out, the next step for an evil man would be to say, okay, I'm a monarch now. We were fighting monarchy and now you've got a new one.

There was one thing about people. A lot of people thought that in Washington's day anyhow that he was destined for greatness. Was it so obvious that he was different, that he had leadership skills and he was going to do something really important?

Scott Ash: Yes, I think part of it was who he was, his character and his virtue. But one of the most compelling reasons why they thought that was there were multiple occasions throughout his life, especially during the French and Indian War, where his life was providentially preserved. Where he should have been killed, but he was not.

One time in 1755, he wrote to his brother John Washington. And in that letter, he gave an account of his surviving a battle while his companions were being killed all around him. And in that battle, he said he had four bullet holes through his coat and two horses shot out from under him. Yet he was unharmed. And that wasn't the only time it happened. But it's events like that throughout his life that seemed to show that God was preserving him for some future great purpose.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: You have an account in your book where one of the chiefs of a large group of Indians was speaking about Washington, how great he was, and then the chief said something like the Great Spirit protects him. The Great Spirit of course is the Lord, but even the Indians were taking notice that this guy is in the heat of battle, four musket balls went through his outer garment, two horses shot down. There's something special about this. So I think that's all very true.

But my next question I think is really significant, very important. And that is this: Why did Washington believe that virtue is necessary for liberty?

Scott Ash: That is a great question. And it wasn't just Washington, but I think it was a generally a consensus among the Founding Fathers that Christian virtue is essential for liberty. To answer why, I think we need to properly define liberty. I think if you ask most people today what the word liberty means, you're going to get an answer something like the freedom to do whatever I want.

But that's not how the Bible defines liberty and that's not how the Founding Fathers would have understood liberty. True liberty is freedom from the bondage of sin and the freedom to worship God without interference from the state or anyone else. With that definition in mind, it really becomes clear why you need to have Christian virtue to have liberty.

If you give freedom to a people that lack virtue, you're going to end up with a society that indulges in every form of debauchery and perversion. And it's going to lead to chaos quickly. Washington actually took it a step further and said that you can't have virtue or morality, as he called it, without religion. And to prove the truth of that, all you really need to do is compare the American Revolution and the French Revolution.

In both cases, they talked about liberty. It was all about the rights of men and equality. They were talking in similar terms, but the results were vastly different. And that's because the French Revolution was largely about overthrowing Christian morality and bringing in a revival of paganism. It was William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, who said this: Those who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants.

You can see that clearly playing out in the French Revolution. It ended with Napoleon, the dictator, coming in. But during America's founding, the story was completely different because we had a culture that was largely influenced and shaped by Christianity. During the time of the American War for Independence, I don't think you could really see that stark difference until the French Revolution started. Before the French Revolution and their talking about liberty and freedom, it all sounds very similar. But the difference between a virtuous people and a non-virtuous people really began to show itself once the French Revolution started.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: Right, and certainly the further we get away from Christian virtue, the more masters we need. If we're not going to rule ourselves from within, then we've got to have somebody who's going to rule us. And I'd rather rule myself from within than have some government bureaucrat who's probably a bigger sinner than I am tell me what to do.

And we see that in America, I think, because the moral standard is in decline and guess what's happening? Government wants to take over more and more. They've got the technology, the surveillance, they know who we are, where we are with our cell phones and so forth. And most people think that's pretty cool. Well, when you find out what they're going to do with that, it's not too cool. It's rather hot.

Friends, I know you will want the book George Washington: A Life Lived for God and Country. Our toll-free number is 1-800-652-1144. We are visiting with Scott Ash, the editor and publisher. Scott is a very keen historian and very much against historical revisionism, and so am I. History has been recorded, but revisionists are rewriting it to fit a more appealing agenda, at least according to those who hold to a revisionist agenda. Their agenda is not interested in truth, but rather in an ideology. And of course, as Scott pointed out in the previous program, that's one of the things about this book and about the people who put it together. He was very careful in getting the way the original authors had put it together. There is no revisionist agenda in this book. 1-800-652-1144.

The Americans allied with the Roman Catholic French. In other words, we were friends with the Roman Catholic French against the British. So how did Washington downplay the religious issue to maintain good relations with France? Because I know back in that time, the Protestants, the Anglicans and all, they made an effigy of the Pope and smashed it and did all kinds of things. So what did Washington do to just kind of remove all that negative stuff and to strengthen our relationship?

Scott Ash: I think part of the answer to that is the Founding Fathers were being expedient. We needed to have an ally against the greatest empire in the world and at that time was Britain. And France was an old enemy of Britain, so it made sense to have an alliance with them. But also, as we see in our Constitution with the First Amendment and also the writings of the Founding Fathers, they really saw a great value in religious liberty.

So I think they just saw a political expediency joining with France and didn't really want to make an issue of their religious differences. It's also, I think, worth noting too that there were a significant number of Roman Catholics living in America, especially in Maryland. They were not the majority by any means, but they were here. So I think the desire to have religious liberty was really what was playing in there.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: He was a military leader and he realized that we can have our theological differences, but winning a war is a little bit different than that. I think that was part of his being very, very practical and keeping the goal in mind. And the goal was of course to break away from King George.

Scott, why are people today rewriting history? And I'm sure you can maybe give us some examples and what all that means to history.

Scott Ash: Sure. One example would be the effort to erase Christopher Columbus. Take away Columbus Day and change it to Indigenous Peoples' Day. There are statues of historical figures that are getting removed because they want us to forget about what they did. Rewriting history has always been the tactic of Marxist revolutionaries. Because if you rewrite history, you cut the people off from their roots and you're making us easy prey then for the refashioning of society to their liking.

I think we don't think enough about the fact that what we believe about the past has a way of shaping the way that we live now. For example, if you think you're the product of random chance processes over millions of years of evolution, you're going to live very differently than if you believe that you're created in the image of God. If you believe that the Founding Fathers of America were secular, non-religious hypocrites and just really bad men, you're going to live being embarrassed of American history instead of being thankful to God for our rich Christian heritage. There definitely is an agenda there and that's what we're trying to work against.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: And we do see a lot of Marxist ideologies in the left today and in the Democratic Party. As you pointed out, Marxist revolutionaries are really high on the agenda of who the real hero is for these people. But supposing you were given an opportunity to write an American history curriculum for a Christian school. You want to get the truth in there. What are some of the points that you would want to bring out and some of the men and women that you would want to talk about?

Scott Ash: Wow, that is a great question. There's so many heroes in American history that I'd want to talk about. I'd want to talk about Davy Crockett, of course George Washington. There's good men and women through history and even some not so good that we need to talk about as well because it's important to learn from bad examples as well as good ones.

Really what I would want to do if I was making a curriculum for American history, it would be to emphasize the providence of God in all of these events. That these are not random events that are happening by chance, but it is God working out his plan through fallible human people. That can be an inspiration to us and it helps us to see that we're not just mavericks floating around out there with no purpose or meaning. But God has a plan.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: It really does and that affects especially youth. So many young people out of the church or who do not go to a Christian school do not have Christian parents. It's kind of, well, you know, I'm here. Wow, life is an adventure. I want to stay and I want to live with mom and dad. We have a lot of people that are 40 years old and they kind of like the idea of the government being a good big brother and supplying you with everything you need. They make no distinction of a good government or a bad government. And in that way, we keep on sliding and sliding and sliding. But a true Christian history of our country would do a lot to stop that slide. We only have a few minutes. Why is it important to study history?

Scott Ash: History has a way of grounding us and helping us to see that our lives are part of a larger plan that God has. Without history, we tend to live in the moment and we reinvent the wheel and we make the same mistakes that our forefathers made because we just don't know that they made them. But when we study history, we can clearly see that ideas do have consequences. You can trace out how someone introduces a bad idea like Karl Marx or Charles Darwin or Rousseau and then 50 or 100 years later, you can see the bad consequences of those ideas.

Studying history really gives us context for our lives and helps us avoid making bad choices. I think also history teaches us about God and how he works among nations. You know some people like to call it His story. And so it's really important to look at. It's something that Scripture actually commands us to study. The word "remember" appears over 200 times in Scripture. And sometimes that's referring to God remembering something. But often it's God's people that are told to remember what God has done. That is history.

Dr. Larry Spargimino: Yes, and I'm thinking of the 12 memorial stones that were put in the Jordan River in the book of Joshua. And the reason is so that their children could look back and remember all the wonderful things that the Lord had done. Here's proof of it, we remember it, here's a pile of stones that was there at that time.

Scott, we're out of time for this broadcast. We're looking forward to reading the book and that's going to be a lot of fun for a lot of people. Once again, the book is George Washington: A Life Lived for God and Country. Scott, thank you so much for your scholarship and also for these two programs.

Scott Ash: Thank you so much, Larry. I really appreciated the time.

Narrator: What made George Washington one of the most respected leaders in world history? It wasn't wealth, it wasn't political power or personal ambition. George Washington: A Life Lived for God and Country takes readers beyond the myths and legends to discover the character, faith, and convictions that guided Washington through the Revolutionary War and the founding of the United States.

Learn how his belief in divine providence, personal integrity, and biblical principles helped shape both the man and the nation he served. At a time when America is searching for strong leadership and timeless values, Washington's example remains as relevant as ever. Order your copy of George Washington: A Life Lived for God and Country today. Visit swrc.com or call 1-800-652-1144. That's swrc.com or 1-800-652-1144.

So many wonderful ministry opportunities are happening here at Southwest Radio Ministries, all made possible by you. With the details, here's ministry president, Dr. Kenneth Hill.

Dr. Kenneth Hill: God is still on the throne and prayer changes things. Hi, this is Kenneth Hill. I'm president of Southwest Radio Church Ministries and I am delighted to be at the microphone today to be able to talk to our staff evangelist, Josh Davis. Josh, welcome.

Josh Davis: Thank you, Dr. Hill. It's a joy to be with you.

Dr. Kenneth Hill: You wear so many hats around here as the staff evangelist. We want to give a ministry update so folks will know what's going on with SWRC. Let's talk about the Prophecy in the News television program. I have watched it and watched it. It seems like it's been around for about a year maybe.

Josh Davis: Yes, we just celebrated a one-year anniversary for the Prophecy in the News television show coming back on the air. So that was a great blessing to be able to celebrate that milestone. It was a major step of faith for our ministry and our regular listeners know that we've had financial struggles and that's probably an understatement, I know it is. But still we took this step of faith trusting in the Lord and he's provided, and so we want to continue keeping it going.

Dr. Kenneth Hill: And it's been going for a year. I tell you what, I enjoy the program very much. I learn something every time I watch one of those broadcasts. So I would like to find out how I might be able to see the program on a regular basis. Tell me that and then give me some ideas of how we can do that as followers of Jesus Christ.

Josh Davis: Yes, we have a few good ways that people can watch every single episode. The new episodes are released every single Sunday, typically early in the morning and it's available digitally in a lot of different platforms, including our ministry website swrc.com. So the newest episode is there all week long right on the homepage of our website to make it so easy for people to access. That's swrc.com. Also on the Prophecy in the News YouTube channel, people can watch it there every single week. And that's a great place to be able to get all the episodes and go back and watch all of those.

Dr. Kenneth Hill: You sign up for that and it's free.

Josh Davis: It's free, yes, absolutely. And you can sign up and get it every week. You'll be notified that it's there. People can subscribe to the YouTube channel, Prophecy in the News YouTube channel.

Dr. Kenneth Hill: I've done that and that's the reason I can see the program every week.

Josh Davis: Good. And we also have our free mobile app, SWRC. So if people go to their App Store and type in SWRC, then they can get our free mobile app.

Dr. Kenneth Hill: Well, I'm thankful for your participation today, Josh, and giving us this ministry update. And I trust that our listeners have been inspired to check on some of these things that we've been talking about. And you can always go to the website swrc.com and you can find out what's going on every day. We've got plenty of information on that site for you. Or you can call 1-800-652-1144 if you want to call and ask questions, prayer requests, praying with our staff evangelists. I know you have a prayer time online.

Josh Davis: Yes we do.

Dr. Kenneth Hill: And you have that continuing. In fact I've joined you at least once I remember, and I was impressed. I really enjoyed that. I'm not always where I can be there live, but I can go in and still find out things that are going on. All of that is available for you, my friend. And we thank God for his provision. We'd love for you to participate in supporting this ministry. And you can call 1-800-652-1144 with your donation or you can go to the website and you can give online securely at swrc.com. God bless you friend.

Narrator: Who was George Washington really? Was he simply a brilliant military commander and America's first president? Or was there something deeper that shaped the character of the man known as the father of our nation? George Washington: A Life Lived for God and Country examines Washington's life, leadership, writings, and personal faith to reveal the biblical principles that guided him through war, sacrifice, and the founding of a new nation.

Drawing from Washington's own words and testimony of those who knew him, this compelling book paints a portrait of a leader whose sense of duty was rooted in his belief in God's providence and moral truth. As America celebrates another Independence Day, there has never been a better time to rediscover the faith, character, and convictions that helped shape our republic. Order George Washington: A Life Lived for God and Country today at swrc.com or call 1-800-652-1144. That's 1-800-652-1144.

Tomorrow we'll explore the miracles of the Revolutionary War with historian Bill Federer. Watchman on the Wall is a production of Southwest Radio Ministries and is supported by faithful friends like you. Visit swrc.com.