Jim Huntzinger | On September 14, 2015

St. Luke’s Church in Smithfield, Virginia (built 1632)

In 1788 Pastor Samuel Langdon preached wisdom which resonates to this very day which righteously warns, “Do not let openly irreligious and immoral men become your legislators. How can you expect good laws to be made by men who have no fear of God before their eyes, and who boldly trample the authority of His commends?” Langdon is foretelling that ungodly men will make ungodly laws – that is laws which are not held to the standard of Natural Law and His Word. We are witness to this very prophesy today in the United States. “Will not,” continues Langdon, “the example of their impiety and immorality defeat the efficacy of the best laws which can be made in favor of religion and virtue? If the legislative body is corrupt, you will soon have bad men for counselors, corrupt judges, unqualified justices, and officers in every department who will dishonor their stations.”[1] We are watching before our very eyes Langdon’s forewarning unfold and the dismissal and dismantling of the standard of the law. We have become a nation of men, not of laws. “We must obey God rather than men!”[2]

Pastor James Dana in 1779 just after the forming of the American Union made a similar prophecy and warning. “May we never see the time in this Christian State,” orates Dana, acknowledging the Union as a center of Christiandom, “when the contemnors of a religion so beneficial to communities shall be possessed of public trust. This would be to advance men who publicly insult their country, and the cities of our God; who defame the brightest character that ever appeared in human form, the friend of all mankind, God manifest in the flesh.”[3] The colonial clergy of the Union understand that those against the Christian foundation of the Shining City would work to destroy it from the inside-out.

In 1801 Founding Father and America’s first President, Elias Boudinot, would issue great concern and prophesize a similar warning as Dana did 22 years earlier. Boudinot directly references 2 Peter (Chapter 2, verses 1-20), writing, “They seem to be set forth as full evidence to all mankind, of the truth of the prophetic declaration, that in the latter day:

…false teachers should come among them, who privily should bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction; and many should follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth should be evil spoken of – that they should despise government – be presumptuous, self willed; not afraid to speak evil of dignities – they are spots and blemishes, sporting themselves with their deceivings – having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin – beguiling unstable souls – having hearts exercised with covetous practices – cursed children – these are wells without water – clouds that are carried with a tempest, to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever – for when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those who were escaped from them; who live in error; who while they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption.[4]

Yet Dana and Boudinot were not alone in this regard. Our Founding Fathers, as well as our Forefathers, knew the necessity of abiding to this standard – abiding to the fear of God. All those entering into civil government must obey and uphold God’s Laws. As Pastor Chauncey Whittelsey declared in 1788:

And finalle, the special smiles of heaven ordinarily attend…people, whose Rulers, and chief men, are such as truly fear God, men of real piety. This observation is abundantly supported by the history of the Children of Israel, from the days of Moses to the times of their dispersion. When their chief men, whether Judges or Kings, did that which was evil, inequity abounded, and some public calamity soon took place. But if their leading men were virtuous and religious, this usually had a happy influence upon the whole body of the people, and procured the special protection and smiles of heaven: And the same God still governs the world.[5]

The only valid civil government in one abiding and obeying Natural Law; that is God’s Law.

[1] Samuel Langdon, 1788, “The Republic of the Israelites and Example to the American States,” taken from Joel McDurmon, 2015, God’s Law and Government in America, (Powder Springs, GA: American Vision, Inc.), pp. 140-141. Elias Boudinot, 2009 (originally published in 1801), The Age of Revelation: The Age of Reason Shewen to be an Age of Infidelity, (Power Springs, GA: American Vision Press), p. 69.

[2] Guideposts, The Guideposts Parallel Bible (Carmel, NY: Guideposts), New International, Acts 5:29, p. 2772, emphasis added.

[3] James Dana, 1779, “On the Providence of God in the Rise and Fall of Empires,” taken from Joel McDurmon, 2015, God’s Law and Government in America, (Powder Springs, GA: American Vision, Inc.), p. 101.

[4] Elias Boudinot, 2009 (originally published in 1801), The Age of Revelation: The Age of Reason Shewen to be an Age of Infidelity, (Power Springs, GA: American Vision Press), p. 69.

[5] Chauncey Whittelsey, May 14, 1778, “The Importance of Religion in the Civil Ruler, Considered,” A Sermon Preached before the General Assembly of the State of Connecticut at Hartford, On the Day of the Anniversary Election, (originally printed by New Haven, CT: Thomas and Samuel Green), copy printed 2015 by Sabin Americana, pp. 12-13. . Pastor Whittelsey uses an Old English “s” which looks like the letter “f” without the crossbar, , but it was not used in this writing due to it not being available in the fonts used. So I have changed it where used to an “s.”

Jim Huntzinger

Jim Huntzinger began his career as a manufacturing engineer with Aisin Seiki (a Toyota Group company and manufacturer of automotive components) when they transplanted to North America to support Toyota. Over his career he has also researched at length the evolution of manufacturing in the United States with an emphasis on lean’s influence and development. In addition to his research on TWI, he has extensively researched the history of Ford’s Highland Park plant and its direct tie to Toyota’s business model and methods of operation.

Huntzinger is the President and Founder of Lean Frontiers and a graduate from Purdue University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering Technology and received a M.S. in Engineering Management from the Milwaukee School of Engineering. He authored the book, Lean Cost Management: Accounting for Lean by Establishing Flow, was a contributing author to Lean Accounting: Best Practices for Sustainable Integration.