The American Soul
The American Soul
Seeking the American Soul: Finding Unity in Christ, Not Labels
Jesse Cope explores the tension between denominational differences and Christian unity, examining how our founding fathers navigated religious diversity while maintaining commitment to shared Christian principles. Through historical examples and scripture readings, he demonstrates that what matters most is faith in Christ, not denominational labels.
• Scripture reading from Titus 2:1-8 on teaching sound doctrine and appropriate conduct
• Reading from 1 Timothy 2:1-15 on prayer, faith, and the roles of men and women
• Exploration of Psalm 87 and Proverbs 25:18-19 on citizenship in Jerusalem and harmful speech
• Medal of Honor tribute to William Bensinger, Civil War hero
• Story of Samuel Adams advocating for prayer at the Continental Congress despite denominational differences
• Discussion of George Whitefield's "Father Abraham" sermon on Christian unity
• Reminder that Christ is the only mediator between God and humanity
• Warning against putting faith in denominations rather than in Christ
Check out my middle-grade fantasy series "Countryside" for clean, wholesome family reading along the lines of Narnia or The Hobbit.
The American Soul Podcast
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Hey folks, this is Jesse Cope, back with another episode of the American Soul Podcast. Hope y'all are doing well, wherever y'all are and whatever part of the day you're in. Sure do appreciate you joining me, giving me a little bit of your time and attention, a little piece of your day. I know y'all have other things vying for your attention, so I appreciate it. For those of y'all that continue to share the podcast with others, tell others about it, thank you so much, very grateful for that, and for those of y'all who continue to pray for me and for the podcast, thank you Very, very great for your prayers. Need them and want them, father. Thank you for today. Thank you for you, father, and your Son Jesus Christ, and your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your love and your mercy, your grace and your forgiveness of sins, not because of anything we've done, father, but because of the merit of your Son Jesus Christ. Help us to take his yoke upon us because it is light, and to put the weight, the worry of our salvation and eternal life on you, father, and your Son, not on us. Help us to truly realize that there's nothing we can do to earn or to lose salvation and eternal life outside of accepting, choosing to confess Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior or rejecting him. Forgive us our sins, father. Forgive us when we fall short, when we fall into the same old traps and temptations. Forgive us when we fall short, when we fall into the same old traps and temptations Our lust, our covetousness, our greed, our selfishness, pride, arrogance, gossip, slander. Forgive us for the sins that we acknowledge and the ones that we don't, for whatever reason. Thank you for all your many blessings, father. Thank you for this nation here in America that you have raised up. Thank you for all the blessings you've given us as a nation. Forgive us when we forget those blessings, when we're not grateful for them. Be with those families who are suffering, who are hurting because they've lost loved ones, lost jobs, sick, injured. Comfort them. Be with those around the world who are suffering, being persecuted because they stand for your son, jesus Christ, and help us to stand with them as much as possible. And be with those listening to the podcast, wherever they are today, father, across the nation, here in America and around the world. Be with their families, bless their marriages, guide their children. Be with them as they are children, father, god, their children. Be with them as they are children, father, guess we're all your children. Father, god, my words are your place In your son's name. We pray Amen.
Speaker 1:Have you made time for God today? Have you made time to read his word? Have you made time to pray, to talk to him, to listen to him? Is that your first priority? Do you claim it's your first priority or is it somewhere down at the bottom of the list? And if you're really struggling with something, folks, whatever it is, are you really talking to him about it? And maybe, maybe, if you are now really talking about him, did you wait until you got into it?
Speaker 1:You know, too often we, we confuse eternal forgiveness with earthly consequences, wiping away earthly consequences. You go rob a bank. You can have forgiveness for theft and greed from god through jesus christ, but that doesn't mean that you're going to be able to avoid the earthly consequences of robbing a bank. You commit adultery. There's forgiveness, as we see in Scripture, with Jesus Christ and the woman caught in adultery through Jesus Christ, but that doesn't mean you're going to avoid the earthly consequences of your actions. The proverb that talks about we, you know. Basically I'm paraphrasing we make our own bed, but then we want to rage against god? It really is true. And if you're married, does your spouse know it? Do you act like it? Do you? Do you show them each day that they are your top priority, or do they wonder? Or do they not wonder? And they know that they are not your top priority after only God and Jesus Christ. Actions folks, actions always tell the tale. Marriage scripture for today is Titus 2, verses 1-8.
Speaker 1:Doing good for the sake of the gospel. You, however, must teach what is appropriate to sound doctrine. Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled and sound in faith, in love and in endurance. Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanders or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God. Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled In everything. Set them an example by doing what is good. By doing what is good and your teachings show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
Speaker 1:All you have to do folks to see whether somebody really wants to follow Christ or not today in the church often is these all you have to do is quote these scriptures that we go through on a daily basis in the podcast about roles and responsibilities of men and women, and you get an idea extremely quickly of whether they're really that interested in following Jesus Christ or not. The daily scripture reading, day first Timothy, chapter 2, verses 1 through 15. I urge you first of all to pray for all people, ask God to help them, intercede on their behalf and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority, so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God, our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth, for there is one God and one mediator who can reconcile God and humanity the man, christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time, and I have been chosen as a preacher and apostle to teach the Gentiles this message about faith and truth. I'm not exaggerating, just telling the truth.
Speaker 1:In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy, and I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do. Women should learn quietly and submissively. I do not let women teach men or have authority over them. Let them listen quietly, for God made Adam first, and afterward he made Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived by Satan. The woman was deceived and sin was the result. But women will be saved through childbearing, assuming they continue to live in faith, love, holiness and modesty.
Speaker 1:Psalm 87, verses 1-7 On the holy mountain stands the city founded by the Lord. He loves the city of Jerusalem more than any other city in Israel. O city of God, what glorious things are said of you. I will count Egypt and Babylon among those who know me, and Philistia and Ty, and even distant Ethiopia. They have all become citizens of Jerusalem. Regarding Jerusalem, it will be said Everyone enjoys the rights of citizenship there and the Most High will personally bless this city. When the Lord registers the nations, he will say they have all become citizens of Jerusalem. The people will play flutes and sing. The source of my life springs from Jerusalem. Proverbs 25, verses 18 through 19.
Speaker 1:Telling lies about others is as harmful as hitting them with an axe, wounding them with a sword or shooting them with a sharp arrow. Putting confidence in an unreliable person in times of trouble is like chewing with a broken tooth or walking on a lame foot. So we got a few things to get through here In Proverbs, chapter 25, verse 19,. Putting confidence in an unreliable person in times of trouble. This is why the most dangerous thing in America today is Christless conservatism, the left leftism, followers of leftism, socialism, communism, nazism, fascism, islam. They're open about their hatred and revile of Christ and America and liberty. You know not to depend on them. But people that claim to love America and claim to be conservative but reject God and Jesus Christ and those principles that founded our nation, those are the ones that are dangerous, because when time of trouble comes and we really need those people to stand by us and we turn to those people, we really don't know how they're going to act. That's exceptionally true with the whole socially liberal but fiscally conservative. You definitely don't have any real trust in the socially liberal but fiscally conservative because you have no idea when that socially liberal part is going to take over and they're going to decide that they can just do whatever they want for that day.
Speaker 1:Verse 18, telling lies about others is as harmful as hitting them with an ax, wounding them with a sword or shooting them with a sharp arrow. How often do we pick and choose which sins are really bad and which ones aren't right? We like to pick and choose the ones that are really bad, that we aren't tempted by, and we choose the ones that are really hard or aren't that bad, the ones that we are tempted by. Right. Maybe sexual immorality is a big problem for you. Maybe greed is a big problem for you. Maybe gluttony is a big problem for you. Maybe gossip, telling lies, is a big problem, and we like to downplay those that are a big problem for us. And then it's easy for us to point the finger at others and say, oh well, you can't believe you do that, and this is one of those that I think we do often the gossip, the lies and yet here in Proverbs God tells us it's as bad as hitting somebody with an axe or a sword or an arrow a sword or an arrow.
Speaker 1:Psalm 87, verse 6, just I took some comfort from this. Today, when the Lord registers the nations, he will say they have all become citizens of Jerusalem. At some point, folks, all of us, who put our faith in Christ are going to be citizens of heaven, and that's a great comfort. Verses 9 through really 15, I think, in 1 Timothy 2 are a perfect example of what we were talking about earlier. If you really want to know if people are interested in following God and Jesus Christ or not, those are some great verses to read in the church, particularly when you're talking about women today, feminism, but even men who subscribe to feminism.
Speaker 1:I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing, not worry about wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes or the way they fix their hair. They make themselves attractive by the good things they do. Women should learn quietly and submissively. They should not teach men or have any authority over men. Women should listen quietly, right, you can see the problem here in the modern context. It wasn't Adam that was deceived, but the woman was deceived.
Speaker 1:And then verse 5. Anytime somebody tells you folks, that you have to belong to their particular denomination, they are not following Christ, at least in that moment. And maybe not at all if that's really what they believe, because they're putting their faith in something outside of Jesus Christ. And what does verse five say? There's one God and one mediator who can reconcile God and humanity, the man, jesus Christ. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. It doesn't say anything about the Roman Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church for everyone. It doesn't say anything about the Roman Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, baptist, reformed, congregationalist, episcopalian, anglican, right, whatever you want. Church of Christ, there's no denomination there. You see no denomination. The Bible mentions no denomination. That's going to tie in really well to what we get back to at the end of the podcast today.
Speaker 1:Medal of Honor for today William Bensinger, private highest-ranked captain US Civil War Gulf Company, 21st Ohio Infantry, us Army, april 1862, georgia. One of 19 of 24 men, including two civilians, who, by direction of General Ormsby M Mitchell, penetrated nearly 200 miles south into enemy territory and captured a railroad train at Big Shanty, georgia, in an attempt to destroy the bridges and track between Chattanooga and Atlanta. Accredited to Macomb, hancock County, ohio, not awarded. Posthumously Presented March 25, 1863, washington DC by Secretary of War Edward M Stanton, Born January 14, 1840, waynesburg, stark County, ohio. Died December 19, 1918, macomb, ohio. Buried Macomb Union Cemetery 1-2-11, Macomb, ohio. Location of metal Macomb Public Library 1896 and 1904 designs William Bensinger.
Speaker 1:William Bensinger no-transcript, and it's recorded by John Adams, at least part of it. When the Congress first met, mr Thomas Cushing of Massachusetts made a motion that it should be opened with prayer. It was opposed by Mr John Jay of New York and Mr John Rutledge of South Carolina because we were so divided in religious sentiments Some Episcopalians, some Quakers, some Anabaptists, some Presbyterians and some congregations that we could not join in the same act of worship. It's interesting that both of these men right, and you see this in John Jay's comments later on but they were extremely religious, religious, faithful to Christ. But this was the divide at the time between different denominations. It was so, so strong.
Speaker 1:But what happened is, according again to John Adams. He was writing to his wife, abigail, on the 7th of September they're talking about the first day of the Continental Congress the 7th of September Actually that was the second day, anyway, I'm getting in the weeds Mr Samuel Adams arose and said that he was no bigot and could hear a prayer from any gentleman of piety and virtue who was at the same time a friend to his country. He was a stranger in Philadelphia but he had heard that Mr Ducey deserved that character and therefore he moved that Mr Ducey, an Episcopal clergyman, might be desired to read prayers to Congress tomorrow morning. President Adams goes on there. But a little side note I learned reading the American Founders Bible by the Wall Builder Association. I'm pulling these out of different sources. America's God and Country Encyclopedia quotes Patriot's Bible. I think has a little bit in it. But one of the interesting things is that Samuel Adams recommended Reverend Ducey, but Ducey was an Episcopal, adams was a Congregationalist and those two denominations at the time didn't necessarily get along right. Seventy years later, arguing before the Supreme Court, the United States Supreme Court made this comment.
Speaker 1:Looking back at that time in our nation, at the meetings of the first Congress, there was a doubt in the minds of many about the propriety of opening the session with prayer, and the reason assigned was, as here, the great diversity of opinion and religious belief Until, at last, mr Samuel Adams, with his gray hairs hanging about his shoulders and with an impressive venerableness, now seldom to be met with rose in that assembly, and with the air of a perfect Puritan, said that it did not become men professing to be Christian, men who had come together for solemn deliberation in the hour of their extremity, to say that there was so wide a difference in their religious belief that they could not, as one man, bow the knee in prayer to the Almighty, whose advice and assistance they hoped to obtain and depend upon it, that where there is a spirit of Christianity, there is a spirit which rises above form, above ceremonies, independent of sect or creed and the controversies of clashing doctrines. Mr Adams, samuel Adams' comment led to Cushing's motion being seconded and passed. Mr Peyton Randolph of Virginia, our president, waited on Mr Duche. Accordingly, the next morning he appeared with his clerk and his pontificals. This ties in to a sermon that John Adams heard from George Whitefield, who was the leading preacher, or one of them, starting the Great Awakening in the mid-1700s, 1730, 1770, 1780. And Whitfield gave a number of sermons, thousands. One of them was titled Father Abraham.
Speaker 1:John Adams heard that sermon and had this comment. He, whitfield, began Father Abraham, whom have you there with you? Have you Catholics? No. Have you Protestants no. Have you churchmen no. Have you dissenters no. Have you Presbyterians no. Quakers no. Anabterians no. Quakers no. Anabaptists no. Whom have you there? Are you alone? No.
Speaker 1:My brethren, you have the answer to all these questions in the words of my text he who feareth God and worketh righteousness shall be accepted of him. Acts 10.35. God, help us all to forget having names and to become Christians in deed and in truth. It's hard to overemphasize the depth of so many of us today seem not to which is. What matters is being Christians in deed and in truth, not our denomination. It doesn't matter whether we're Catholics or Protestants or Anglicans or Congregationalists or Quakers or Presbyterians or Baptists or Amish or Mennonites. The question is do we confess Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, as the risen Son of God? Do we strive to follow his commands? Do we strive to follow his commands?
Speaker 1:If anyone tells you folks and it doesn't matter how high up the chain of the hierarchy in your particular denomination they are, it doesn't matter how famous they are, it doesn't matter what their role was throughout history if anyone tells you that there is any other mediator between God and humanity besides Christ Jesus, they are telling you a lie and you have to question whether they're really following Christ or not. By the same token, if they tell you that being part of their denomination is required for entrance into heaven, in that moment they are not following Jesus Christ and you have to question whether they are at all. If there are any of you out there that are seeking God and Jesus Christ, or if there's any of you out there that are struggling with this particular facet of squabbling between different denominations, I can't recommend anything more to you than to go and read scripture and see that our little man-made names don't have anything to do with us getting into heaven or not. It all goes back to Jesus Christ. And what a wonderful blessing and hope and what an easy yoke to carry. That is because Christ has paid everything he gave his life to purchase freedom for every one of us.
Speaker 1:If you get a chance and you're looking for a clean, wholesome, family-friendly, middle-grade fantasy along the lines of Narnia or the Hobbit Harry Potter, I would humbly recommend checking out Countryside. I've written a couple books in the series, working on the third one, and if you enjoy it. If you would leave a review somewhere, I would greatly appreciate it. God bless y'all. God bless your families. God bless your marriages. God bless y'all. God bless your families. God bless your marriages. God bless America. God bless your nation. Wherever you are around the world listening, we'll talk to y'all again real soon. Folks Looking forward to it.