Real Patriotism Holds Steady In Hard Times

A Bible can feel like a private book until you read how it was treated as a public necessity. We start with Psalm 119, where God’s words are “sweeter than honey” and steady enough to light a path, then we press that question into real life: what happens to a person, a marriage, or a nation when Scripture stops being the standard and becomes background noise?

We move through Ephesians 5:22-33 and talk plainly about Christian marriage roles, sacrificial love, respect, and why popular marriage advice collapses when it contradicts God’s design. Then we read John 18 and sit with the moment Jesus is arrested: He doesn’t hide, He doesn’t posture, and He doesn’t let chaos dictate His obedience. Alongside Proverbs 16, the thread is clear: we can make plans, but the Lord determines our steps, so faith has to be more than talk.

From there, we turn to American history and civic courage, quoting Thomas Paine’s American Crisis and his warning about “summer soldiers” and “sunshine patriots.” We also dig into the Aitken Bible of 1782 and the documented ways early U.S. Congress supported Bible access during Revolutionary War shortages. If you care about Christian patriotism, the Bible in early America, biblical worldview, and how faith shapes public life, this conversation connects the dots in a way that’s hard to ignore.

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Transcript

Psalm 119 And The Sweetness

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Psalm one nineteen, starting with verse one hundred two. I haven't turned away from your regulations, for you have taught me will. How sweet your words taste to me, they are sweeter than honey. Your commandments give me understanding. No wonder I hate every false way of life. Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.

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June. Twenty twenty five.

SPEAKER_01 0:38

Actually May. Between May 2025 and July 2025. Rihan Wayne Johnson, Newport News, Virginia. Eleven-year-old child Johnson was the primary caregiver. Sexually exploited the child, including recording sexual acts on his cell phone. Police responded in July of 2025 found him with a victim. 38, an illegal immigrant from the Bahamas. You know, we don't. That's one of the first ones over the last several months that we've been doing this on the podcast from the Bahamas. And just like with with Islam, it's really important to note here that geography is not indicative, folks. Just like skin color is not, ethnicity is not, geography is not indicative of character. But the willingness to exploit via illegal immigration, for example loopholes, people, right? You see it with covered in the news with the Somalis so much, you know, and it goes hand in hand with Islam, but but that association that you see with leftism, communism, Nazism, fascism, socialism, right, Marxism, Leninism, that whole just den of vipers and Islam. They're always tied together. And and that's the determining factor.

Welcome, Gratitude, And Opening Prayer

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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. Sure to appreciate you joining me. Very grateful for those of y'all that continue to listen and share the podcast, tell others about it. For those of y'all who continue to uh pray for me and for the podcast, thank you so much. Very, very grateful for your prayers. 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 through the merit of your son Jesus Christ. Thank you for the people you put in our lives, Father, that did encourage us on this road. Help us to support one another, to encourage one another, to help each other stay on the narrow path all the way home to you. Help us to stay away from those who cause division inside your body. Help us to care for the widow and the orphan, the poor and the needy, for those who have less than we do. Be with those listening to the podcast, be with their families, bless their marriages, their children, their nation, wherever they are around the world listening. Help us to turn to you first. Be with our leaders in the pulpit and in the state. Give them wisdom and courage. Help them to rule in fear of you, Father. And guide my words here, please. Your son's name we pray. Amen. Marriage

Marriage Roles In Ephesians 5

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verse verses for today, Ephesians 5, 22 through 33. For example, wives should submit to their husbands as if to the Lord. A husband is the head of the wife, like Christ is the head of the church, that is, the savior of the body. So wives submit to their husbands in everything, like the church submits to Christ. As for husbands, love your wives just like Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. He did this to make her holy by washing her in a bath of water with the word. He did this to present himself with a splendid church, one without any sort of stain or wrinkle on her clothes, but rather one that is holy and blameless. That's how husbands ought to love their wives in the same way as they do their own bodies. Anyone who loves his wife loves himself. No one ever hates his own body, but feeds it and takes care of it just like Christ does for the church, because we are all parts of his body. This is why a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two of them will be one body. Marriage is a significant allegory, and I'm applying it to Christ and the church. In any case, as for you individually, each one of you should love his wife as himself, and wives should respect their husbands. Again and again, folks, whatever your marriage advice, wherever you're getting it from, if it doesn't line up specifically with God's word, which is very clear on our roles and responsibilities as a husband and wife in marriage. And again, that's the only relationship that God commands us to be one flesh, to be united as one flesh, to cleave to one another. You need to get rid of that marriage advice if it doesn't line up. Whether it's your friends, your parents, the greatest marriage counselor in the world, according to the world. If it doesn't line up with God, it's just heading for disaster.

John 18 And Jesus Arrested

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John 18, 1 through 24. After saying these things, Jesus crossed the Kidron Valley with his disciples and entered a grove of olive trees. Judas, the betrayer, knew this place because Jesus had often gone there with his disciples. The leading priests and Pharisees had given Judas a contingent of Roman soldiers and temple guards to accompany him. Now with blazing torches, lanterns, and weapons they arrived at the olive grove. Jesus fully realized all that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward to meet them. Who are you looking for? he asked. Jesus the Nazarene, they replied. I am he, Jesus said. Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. As Judas said, I am he, they all drew back and fell to the ground. Once more he asked them, Who are you looking for? And again they replied, Jesus, the Nazarene. I told you that I am he, Jesus said, and since I am the one you want, let these others go. He did this to fulfill his own statement. I did not lose a single one of those you have given me. Then Simon Peter drew a sword and slashed off the right ear of Malchus, the high priest's slave. But Jesus said to Peter, Put your sword back into its sheath, shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me? So the soldiers, their commanding officer, and the temple guards arrested arrested Jesus and tied him up. First they took him to Annas, since he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas the high priest at that time. Caiaphas was the one who had told the other Jewish leaders, It's better that one man should die for the people. Simon people, Simon Peter, followed Jesus, as did another of the disciples. That other disciple was acquainted with the high priest, so he was allowed to enter the high priest's courtyard with Jesus. Peter had to stay outside the gate. Then the disciple who knew the high priest spoke to the woman watching at the gate, and she let Peter in. The woman asked Peter, You're not one of that man's disciples, are you? No, he said, I am not. Because it was cold, the household servants and the guards had made a charcoal fire. They stood around it, warming themselves, and Peter stood with them, warming himself. Inside the high priest began asking Jesus about his followers and what he had been teaching them. Jesus replied, Everyone knows what I teach. I have preached regularly in the synagogues and the temple, where the people gather. I have not spoken in secret. Why are you asking me this question? Ask those who heard me. They know what I said. Then one of the temple guards standing nearby slapped Jesus across the face. Is that the way to answer the high priest? he demanded. Jesus replied, If I said anything wrong, you must prove it. But if I'm speaking the truth, why are you beating me? Then Annas bound Jesus and sent him to Caiaphas, the high priest.

Loving God’s Law In Psalm 119

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Psalm 119, 97 through 112. Mem. Oh, how I love your instructions. I think about them all day long. Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are my constant guide. Yes, I have more insight than my teachers, for I am always thinking of your laws. I am even wiser than my elders, for I have kept your commandments. I have refused to walk on any evil path, so that I may remain obedient to your word. I haven't turned away from your regulations, for you have taught me well. How sweet your words taste to me, they are sweeter than honey. Your commandments give me understanding. No wonder I hate every false way of life. None. I will obey your righteous regulations. I have suffered much, O Lord. Restore my life again as you promised. Lord, accept my offering of praise and teach me your regulations. My life constantly hangs in the balance, but I will not stop obeying your instructions. The wicked have set their traps for me, but I will not turn from your commandments. Your laws are my treasure, they are my heart's delight. I am determined to keep your decrees to the very end.

Proverbs On Plans And Providence

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Proverbs 16, 8 through 9. Better to have little with godliness than to be rich and dishonest. We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. Father, please guide our steps. Show us how to go in the way that you want us to. Keep us on the narrow path all the way home to you and your son's name we pray. Amen.

Crimes, Asylum Hotels, And Exploitation

SPEAKER_01 10:50

November 2024, in the evening, Hyde Park, Central London.

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Not going to try and say this name.

SPEAKER_01 11:02

Abuela, I think, is the last. 42-year-old Egyptian national entered the UK illegally in April 2023 and claimed asylum. Living in taxpayer-funded asylum accommodation, a migrant hotel for about 17 months at the time. He's married, father of one, uh approached a woman walking alone, engaged her in conversation, lured her to a secluded area where he raped her in the park. Judge described it as predatory. He had prior convictions in Egypt, including links to a Muslim Brotherhood bombing making bomb-making cell. Islam, folks. It's there there is no peace, folks. You're not we are fooling ourselves if we think that peaceful coexistence with followers of leftism or Islam is possible inside the United States or inside the UK.

Medal Of Honor Spotlight

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Medal of Honor. For today, Joseph A. Cable Indian Campaigns, Private Highest Ranked Corporal, India Company, 5th U.S. Infantry, U.S. Army, October 21st, 1876 through January 8, 1877. Cedar Creek, Montana, among other places. Gallantry and Action. That's the citation. Credited to Madison, Dane County, Wisconsin, not awarded posthumously. Presented July 18, 1877 at parade at the Cantonment at the Yellowstone and Tongue Rivers, Montana Territory by General William T. Sherman. This must have been along with the other one we've read recently. Born 1848, Cape Girardo, Missouri, died October 15, 1877, Bear Paw Mountain, Montana. Oh, just later that year. Later that year, just a few months. Buried Custer Battlefield National Cemetery, Crow Agency, Montana. Joseph A. Cable.

Thomas Paine On Sunshine Patriots

SPEAKER_01 13:24

We're going to get back into the uh Aikens Bible a little bit today, but I wanted to read something first. A quote by Thomas Paine. I've seen some videos of all the people cheering on the World Cup, and you just see a lot of this year, which is a good thing, folks, patriotism. But it's easy to be patriotic when everybody else is being patriotic. It's very hard, just like following Christ, is much harder when you're doing it alone than when everybody else is going along doing it too. And this quote from Thomas Paine summed it up from the American Crisis number one, published in December of 1776, I believe. These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country. But he that stands it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered. Yet we have this consolation with us that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. This was a pretty dark period in the American Revolution. Continental Army was suffering defeats, shortages in supply, low morale. And this was written particularly toward the short-term militiamen, these sunshine sunshine patriots, summer soldiers who were abandoning the cause during these dark times. Washington theoretically read these words to his troop before the crossing of the Delaware River and the victory at Trenton in December of 1776. Folks, if you don't love America, if you hate America, you don't belong here. So

Aitken Bible And Congress’s Endorsement

SPEAKER_01 15:43

this Aikens Bible that we talked about, I think, on the previous podcast, that was published in 82, I believe, Congress put something in the front of it. The United States and Congress assembled highly approve this pious and laudable undertaking of Mr. Aiken as subservient to the interest of religion, as well as an instance of the progress of arts in this country. They recommend this edition of the Bible to the inhabitants of the United States, and hereby authorize him to publish this recommendation in the manner he shall think proper, signed by Secretary Charles Thompson. This is Congress in an official act supporting the printing of the Bible. Not the Quran, not the Torah, not any Hindu or Buddhist or atheist, secularist, not Karl Marx's book, the Bible. This is the beginning of the country, and our Congress supported that. And if we get a chance, we're going to talk about kind of what drove this a few years earlier. That was 1782, back in 1777, when this Bible shortage was originally noticed early on in the Revolutionary War, and there was concern there. And there were a couple of Philadelphia Presbyterian clergymen, Francis Allison and John Uwig and William Marshall. And they submitted a petition to Congress talking about the fact that these Bible, these Bible shortages were going to cause some major problems. Schools weren't going to have enough, right? Schools, they taught the Bible in schools, as it should be today. If any public school is going to get any taxpayer money, there were going to be shortages for families. It was going to cause problems in public worship in churches. And so they asked that Congress print a Bible. And it didn't end up being, I'm going to go ahead and finish this today, folks. It didn't end up being, they couldn't do it at the time. It wasn't practical for a number of reasons. They sent this petition to a committee, including John Adams, Daniel Roberto, and Jonathan Bayard Smith. And the committee came back and said, there's lots of problems. It's going to be hard to get the paper, the font type, printing this many copies. And the committee actually recommended that the use of the Bible is so universal and its importance so great that your committee refer the above to the consideration of Congress. And if Congress shall not think it expedient to order the importation of types and paper, your committee recommends that Congress will order the Committee of Commerce to import 20,000 Bibles from Holland, Scotland, or elsewhere into the different ports of the States of the Union. And so again, you see Congress acting in an official capacity. This is 1777 again, right? About five years prior to the Aiken Bible saying, hey, we can't print it ourselves right now, but it's so important and it's so universal in our country. That echoes Calvin Coolidge's quote in the early 20th century, right, about the fact that if those principles of the Bible are not practically universal, our country's going to fall apart as it is. But the Bible's so important and so universal that we need to go ahead and import Bibles from wherever we can get them, since we can't print them, since that's not practical. And that ended up having problems too, because the war was having so many, they were having so many issues. British forces came into Philadelphia soon after this, and Congress had to flee, and it just, there were a lot of problems.

Putting The Bible Back Center

SPEAKER_01 19:50

The point, though, is in both cases, Congress, as a political body, at the beginning of our nation was supporting the printing of the Bible only, not this multicultural coexistence nonsense, not pretending that all faiths were equal, because they're not, because everything else is an imposter. Everything else is false. And to give attention to it, even as the president has done recently, within the last year or so, last six months, right? To pretend that Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, atheism, that they're all the same, it's going to bring problems on our nation. Because we're in effect doing the same thing that the Israelites did in the Old Testament, turning our back on God and chasing after demons, false gods, imposters. Right? We have to turn back to God. We've got to put God and Jesus Christ and the Bible back at the center of our individual lives, our marriages, our families, our institutions publicly. Education, military, law enforcement, courts, judicial system, etc. Sorry I took you all over today, folks. I just wanted to go ahead and finish that. Our Father,

Lord’s Prayer And Farewell

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who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not to temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. God bless y'all. God bless your families, your marriages if you're married, your children, your nation, wherever you are around the world listening. God bless America, folks. We'll talk to y'all again real soon. Looking forward to it.