The tide is turning in America as constitutional principles make a powerful comeback. Trump's second administration has wasted no time implementing changes that reflect a return to the vision of the founders—and the results are both immediate and impressive.

From the judicial branch to the southern border, we're witnessing what happens when leadership applies constitutional principles in practice. New judicial nominees with solid conservative credentials, like Whitney Hermendorfer for the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals (who previously clerked for Justices Alito, Barrett, and Kavanaugh), signal a renewed commitment to constitutional interpretation. These appointments will shape American jurisprudence for decades to come, with better vetting processes in place than during Trump's first term.

The border crisis that seemed intractable just months ago has seen a remarkable 99.9% reduction in illegal crossings—without any new laws. By simply enforcing existing immigration laws, deploying 9,000 troops to the southern border, and ending programs that flew illegal immigrants directly into the country's interior, the administration has demonstrated that political will, not additional legislation, was the missing ingredient. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's clear message that "criminals are not welcome" represents a dramatic shift in tone and policy.

Fiscal responsibility has returned with the defunding of constitutionally questionable programs like NPR and PBS, along with hundreds of millions in cuts to bizarre initiatives like a $620,000 Department of Agriculture grant for studying transgender menstrual cycles. The administration is recommitting to the constitutional understanding that government should protect innovation, not fund it—letting the market determine which enterprises succeed.

Perhaps most encouraging is the spiritual renewal happening alongside these policy changes. The American Bible Society reports 10 million more Americans reading Scripture outside of church, with dramatic increases among millennials (29%) and men (19%). This spiritual awakening mirrors the constitutional restoration, suggesting that America's legacy of liberty grounded in virtue may be experiencing a renaissance.

Join us as we continue tracking these positive developments and exploring how a return to founding principles creates tangible benefits for all Americans. The good news isn't just that policies are changing—it's that America seems to be rediscovering its constitutional soul.

Support the show

The idea that federal judges have "lifetime appointments" is deeply embedded in our national consciousness, but is it actually true? In this eye-opening episode of Foundations of Freedom Thursday, we dive into what the Constitution actually says and what the founders genuinely intended for the judicial branch.

When the Constitution states judges "shall hold their offices during good behavior," it established a carefully designed balance that's been lost in modern interpretation. Through rich historical context from the Constitutional Convention debates, we uncover how figures like Alexander Hamilton, James Wilson, and John Dickinson wrestled with competing concerns about judicial independence versus accountability. This wasn't a monolithic view among the founders, as they debated vigorously about the proper role and tenure of judges.

The conversation shifts to another timely constitutional question: what rights do non-citizens illegally present in the United States actually possess? We break down the Constitution's precise language—"We the People of the United States"—and contrast statutory procedures with constitutional protections. The perfect analogy emerges: if someone illegally moves into your home, would they be entitled to years of "due process" before removal?

Most fascinating is our exploration of how deeply the founding fathers disagreed with each other while still operating within constitutional boundaries. Jefferson and Adams represented opposing political visions so stark that artists depicted them stepping on each other's feet, yet both faithfully executed their constitutional duties according to their understanding of the document's meaning.

Want to understand how our judiciary was meant to function? Looking for clarity on constitutional rights versus statutory procedures for immigration? This episode provides the biblical, historical, and constitutional foundations you need to navigate today's most contentious debates.

Support the show

cefonline.com

Child Evangelism Fellowship stands as a remarkable yet often unheralded force in faith-based outreach, serving 20 million children annually across 192 countries worldwide. Founded in 1937, this organization has grown to employ over 2,000 staff members globally while maintaining a steadfast commitment to sharing biblical teachings with young people.

The WallBuilders team discovers a particularly compelling aspect of CEF's work: their Military Children's Ministry. This specialized program addresses the unique challenges faced by military families, whose children navigate frequent relocations, parental deployments, and the constant uncertainty of military life. Through partnerships with base chaplains, CEF brings stability and spiritual grounding to these young people at approximately 30 military installations across the United States.

Their approach combines three distinctive program models tailored to military community needs. "Party Clubs" offer holiday-themed events with games, snacks and biblical lessons. Weekly "Good News Clubs" provide consistent after-school gatherings throughout the academic year. Summer "Five-Day Clubs" function similarly to vacation Bible schools, often led by teenagers who previously participated in the programs themselves – creating a beautiful cycle of discipleship and leadership development.

What makes this ministry particularly powerful is how it creates immediate connection points for families transitioning between bases. When military children find familiar faith-based programs at their new location, it provides a sense of continuity and belonging during otherwise turbulent transitions. The organization's careful coordination with military chaplains ensures proper authorization while meeting the specific needs of each base community.

Military families seeking support for their children can easily connect with existing programs or even help establish new ones by contacting their base chaplain or visiting cefonline.com . As we observe Military Appreciation Month this May, this ministry reminds us that supporting our military extends beyond thanking service members – it includes caring for the children who also sacrifice for our freedom. Ready to help military kids find stability through faith? Learn how you can get involved today.

Support the show

Ever wondered why Christianity can produce such tremendous spiritual experiences but often fails to transform culture? The answer may lie in what Charlie Lewis calls "The Kingdom System" - a profound revelation that Jesus' central message wasn't about religion but about bringing heaven's government to earth.

When Lewis was prompted to read everything Jesus taught with fresh eyes, he discovered something revolutionary: Christ's teachings centered almost exclusively on the Kingdom of God. Not as an abstract spiritual concept, but as a comprehensive system for ordering human affairs. This perspective changes everything.

While America's founding demonstrates the stark contrast between merely professing faith (Jamestown) and thoroughly applying biblical principles (Plymouth), modern believers have often retreated into compartmentalized faith. We've mastered redemption but failed at restoration - bringing God's governance into education, business, media, family structure, and civic life.

The Bible itself isn't fundamentally religious; it's governmental. Scripture provides "the values, principles, and established precedents that we agree to use to govern ourselves" - functioning essentially as a divine constitution. When communities embrace these principles, they naturally experience greater harmony and flourishing.

This paradigm shift transforms how we define success. The world system teaches that achievement is asset-based, time-driven, and pursues money. The kingdom system is purpose-based, eternity-driven, and focuses on meaningful outcomes. As eternal beings designed for eternal purposes, we'll never find fulfillment in purely temporal solutions.

One practical step toward kingdom thinking is daily declarations - reprogramming our minds by speaking God's truths. This isn't just positive thinking; it's aligning our spirits with heaven's perspective. When we view circumstances through God's eternal lens rather than temporal ones, our decisions naturally align with divine principles.

Ready to discover what happens when faith escapes religious boxes and transforms every dimension of life? Listen now to uncover the system that could revolutionize your walk with God and impact on the world.

Support the show

A shocking reality lurks within the libraries of America's schools, affecting communities of every size and demographic. What began as one woman's startling discovery has evolved into a nationwide awakening about the explicit materials readily available to our children—materials so graphic they're banned from prisons but somehow deemed acceptable for students.

Bonnie Wallace takes us deep into her journey examining 157 school libraries across America, revealing that not one was free from highly inappropriate content. These aren't just books with mature themes; we're talking about materials containing explicit sexual imagery, promoting pornography to children, and even including QR codes that direct young readers to sex shops and pornographic websites. Most disturbing is that many of these books are specifically targeting children as young as elementary school age, hiding behind awards like "12-year-old book of the year" from the American Library Association.

The psychological damage these materials can inflict is profound. Research from the Texas Public Policy Foundation has found pornography to be more addictive than heroin or cocaine, rewiring developing brains and establishing harmful patterns that can last a lifetime. Parents are often unaware of what their tax dollars are funding, assuming their children's schools, especially in conservative or rural areas, would never contain such content.

This battle requires courage and persistence. When confronted with the evidence, many officials initially deny or dismiss concerns. Yet when parents and community members stand firm, positive change becomes possible. The spiritual dimension of this fight cannot be overlooked—turning away from evil once you've seen it brings consequences, while standing firm with conviction brings protection and results.

Want to make a difference in your community? Start by investigating what's actually on your school library shelves. Connect with organizations fighting this battle, obtain lists of problematic titles, and attend school board meetings. Your voice matters in protecting not just your child, but all children from harmful materials masquerading as education.

Support the show

What if everything you've been taught about America's relationship with slavery was incomplete? In this eye-opening episode of Biblical Citizenship in Modern America, Tim Barton challenges prevailing narratives by unveiling forgotten heroes and overlooked facts that paint a more nuanced picture of American history.

Barton introduces us to James Armistead, a Black patriot whose crucial intelligence work led to the decisive American victory at Yorktown, effectively ending the Revolutionary War. He draws a powerful connection: the American Revolution began with the death of Black patriot Crispus Attucks at the Boston Massacre and was won largely through the intelligence provided by another Black patriot. "You can't even fully tell the story of the American Revolution without including the contributions of Black heroes and Black patriots in American history," Barton emphasizes.

The episode traces how these vital contributions were systematically erased from our historical consciousness, particularly through the racist scholarship of Woodrow Wilson, who removed every Black person from his influential history books while promoting white supremacist ideology. This deliberate omission has distorted Americans' understanding of their own history for generations.

Perhaps most challenging to contemporary narratives, Barton presents compelling evidence of America's leadership in opposing slavery. America was the first nation to legally ban the slave trade (1807), the fourth nation globally to abolish slavery entirely (1865), and currently ranks second worldwide in fighting modern slavery. While acknowledging America's participation in "something that was very, very evil," Barton contextualizes this within the universal presence of slavery throughout human history while highlighting America's exceptional record in working to end it.

"If you look at any atrocity in American history and ask 'how did it end in America?', what you will always find is the reason those atrocities ended is because Christians stood up and said 'we can't do this anymore,'" Barton explains. This moral foundation, rooted in biblical principles and constitutional values, has enabled America to correct its course faster than virtually any other nation.

Ready to discover the complete story of America's founding and development? Explore the full Biblical Citizenship course at biblicalcitizens.com and equip yourself to become part of preserving and extending America's legacy of freedom.

Support the show

Dive deep into the untold story of America's founding as we challenge the popular but incomplete narratives being taught today. The heart of America's origin isn't found in 1619 with the arrival of enslaved Africans, but in the competing legacies of two foundational colonies: Jamestown and Plymouth. While both settlements influenced American development, their contrasting approaches to slavery and liberty have shaped our nation in profoundly different ways.

Did you know Plymouth Colony outlawed the transatlantic slave trade in 1641, decades before our nation's founding? When enslaved Africans arrived in Plymouth in 1646, authorities imprisoned the ship's crew and freed all the captives - a remarkable stand against slavery rarely mentioned in modern historical discussions.

Even more compelling are the stories of Black American heroes who helped forge our nation from its earliest days. You'll meet Reverend Harry Hoosier, whose powerful evangelism during the Second Great Awakening led to so many conversions that Indiana eventually became known as the "Hoosier State." You'll discover patriots like Wentworth Cheswell, elected to multiple offices by predominantly white communities; Prince Estabrook, who fought at Lexington Green; and James Armistead Lafayette, whose spy work provided the critical intelligence that led to American victory at Yorktown. These extraordinary individuals embodied America's founding ideals long before they were fully realized for all citizens.

By examining our history through a more complete lens, we gain a deeper appreciation for America's founding vision—not as a nation built on oppression, but as one founded on revolutionary principles of liberty that generations of Americans of all backgrounds have worked to fulfill. Join us as we rediscover the full richness of our shared heritage and the ongoing pursuit of America's founding promise.

Support the show

What happens at the intersection of faith and culture? In this captivating exploration of Biblical Citizenship in Modern America, we uncover the profound biblical foundations that shaped America's founding documents and continue to guide our nation today.

At the heart of this episode lies a powerful revelation: the Castle Doctrine—the principle that "a man's house is his castle"—stems directly from biblical teaching and natural law. Through fascinating historical insights, we trace how this concept went from Scripture to the courtrooms of colonial America, where attorney James Otis's passionate defense against British "writs of assistance" in 1761 sparked what John Adams later called the moment when "American independence was born."

Discover how this biblical understanding of property rights and individual sovereignty influenced multiple Constitutional amendments. The Second Amendment protects our right to defend our homes, the Third Amendment prevents government quartering of troops in private homes, and the Fourth Amendment guards against unreasonable searches—all reflecting the biblical principle that God establishes distinct jurisdictions for different institutions.

As we examine the dramatic shift between colonial American values and today's prevailing worldview, we confront challenging questions about historical revisionism and the true nature of America's founding principles. Were America's founding ideals "false when they were written" as some modern narratives suggest? Or do they represent timeless truths about God-given rights that transcend our nation's imperfect implementation of them?

This episode offers more than just historical insights—it provides practical wisdom for how Christians can speak biblical truth into cultural issues and reclaim the heritage that made America exceptional. By understanding these foundational principles and their biblical roots, we're better equipped to preserve the freedoms purchased at such great cost by previous generations.

Ready to deepen your understanding of biblical citizenship? Visit biblicalcitizens.com to access our free eight-week course and discover how to host it in your home or church.

Support the show

The torch of freedom burns brightest when citizens understand their biblical responsibility to tend God's garden of civil government. In this illuminating episode from the Biblical Citizenship in Modern America course, David Barton reveals how America's founding principles derive from Scripture—not merely as religious influence but as the deliberate blueprint for our constitutional republic.

Why does America's constitution endure as the longest-lasting in world history when most constitutions historically survive only 17 years? The answer lies in Genesis, where God established three distinct yet interconnected spheres of government: self-government, family government, and civil government—with church government appearing later. Each institution has its unique jurisdiction and responsibility, yet they can cooperate to strengthen families, cultivate strong Christians, and develop educated citizens.

The evidence for America's biblical foundation is overwhelming. When researchers analyzed 15,000 writings from America's founding era, they discovered 34% of all quotes came directly from Scripture. The Declaration's principles—a divine Creator, fixed moral law, inalienable rights, and government's purpose to protect those rights—emerge directly from biblical teaching.

Perhaps most compelling is the founders' understanding of self-defense as an inalienable right based on "the laws of nature and nature's God." John Adams declared this right "indisputable" while James Wilson, a Declaration and Constitution signer, taught that "the great natural law of self-preservation cannot be repealed or superseded by any human institution."

Christians today have largely abandoned their responsibility to tend God's garden across all spheres of society. When mayors of major American cities win with just 2-6% of adults voting, we see the consequences of this retreat. As one participant powerfully noted, "Christian escapism is the stuff that fallen cultures are made of."

America stands at a crossroads. Will believers reclaim their biblical responsibility to engage civically, or will they continue retreating from the public square? The answer may determine whether this great experiment in liberty, built on biblical principles, will endure for generations to come.

Support the show

The relationship between faith and government remains one of America's most contested issues, with many Americans believing James Madison advocated for a strict separation pushing religion out of public life. But what if everything we've been told about Madison's views is fundamentally wrong?

Mark David Hall joins us to unravel the fascinating history behind Madison's "Memorial and Remonstrance Against Religious Assessments," revealing how this document has been weaponized to promote secular policies contrary to Madison's intentions. Rather than opposing religion's influence in public life, Madison was protecting Christianity from government control that he believed would corrupt faith itself.

The story begins in colonial Virginia, where all citizens were taxed to support the Anglican Church regardless of their personal faith. After the Revolutionary War, Patrick Henry proposed taxing citizens to support the Christian denomination of their choice. Madison opposed this plan not because he was anti-religion, but because he believed Christianity would thrive better without government entanglement. As Hall explains, Madison's concern was with government control over religion, not religious influence on government.

For decades, the Supreme Court cited Madison's Memorial and Remonstrance as justification for removing religious expression from public life—a complete misreading of Madison's intent. The First Amendment's Establishment Clause creates a one-way barrier restricting government interference with religion, not vice versa. Madison himself participated in numerous religious activities as a public official, including approving church services in the Capitol building and chaplains for Congress.

This profound misunderstanding has serious implications for religious liberty today. By reclaiming the founders' true vision, we can protect faith's rightful place in American life while still preserving the institutional separation that benefits both church and state. Madison's wisdom offers guidance for navigating these complex issues in our increasingly diverse society.

Share this episode with friends to help others discover the true history behind one of America's most misunderstood constitutional principles.

Support the show