Letter to the churches of Lancaster County, South Carolina

The only way for America to be great again is to restore God to His rightful place in our nation. This move of God must start in the church house and your house – not the White House. Three years ago, (at the direction of the Lord) I personally handed out nearly two hundred copies of my book “The Bible is the Higher Law in America” to churches in Naples, FL.

Today, my wife and I are living in Buford, SC attending a local church of about 300. My pastor recently read the book and was impressed, telling me “every pastor needs to read this!” Being encouraged by my pastor’s words, I am once again prompted to personally distribute the book to all the churches of Lancaster county SC. The letter below will accompany it – I pray it brings Glory to God! 

If you are interested, we will send you and/or your pastor a copy of the book along with this letter. Go to the Order Book / Donate page to order – feel free to email me as well to provide more information.

To the churches of Lancaster County –

Americans have forgotten who we are and where we have come from. This is especially true with our government that God has entrusted the church, ministers, and Christians to have stewardship over. Our forgotten past has left many to believe our Founders were responsible for our independence. Quite the contrary, John Adams himself declared it was ministers such as Reverend Dr. Jonathan Mayhew and Reverend Dr. Samuel Cooper and many others who were the “most conspicuous, the most ardent, and influential” in the “awakening and revival of American principles and feelings” that led to America’s independence. When Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18), our Founding Fathers and early church ministers took His Words literally, and that “all means all” including authority over civil government.  Pastors would often open state legislative sessions preaching on Biblical principles regarding lawmaking. Afterall, God is the Great Lawmaker, and the church and state are institutions He created. It was also a common practice for ministers to serve directly in the legislature – something Thomas Jefferson encouraged. This should come as no surprise, since the Bible gives examples of God’s ministers interacting with civil leaders about civil issues. Many pastors during the Founding Era were also members of Congress and helped frame the Bill of Rights.

Early church ministers and our Founding Fathers promoted the same governing philosophy -“righteousness exalts a nation” (Proverbs 14:34). Ministers gave sermons teaching Christians the character qualifications for our representatives should come from God. America’s leaders (of the state) were once the product of the pulpits (of the church) and must be again. How can our leaders be a “minister of God for good” and a “terror to evil” without the inspired Word of God spoken to them? They cannot.

Today, the problem in most American churches, they have voluntarily silenced themselves by pursuing a 501(c)(3) status. Under their 501(c)(3) status, these “state churches” are subject to the government (Johnson Amendment), preventing them from speaking out Biblically on political and cultural matters. What many pastors and Christians fail to realize is – ALL churches are automatically tax exempt under 508(c)(1)(A), making them a “Free Church.” The “Johnson Amendment” violates Biblical and historical precedents. It violates the “Free Exercise Clause” and the “Free Speech Clause” of the First Amendment and should have been repealed decades ago!

While reading this book, please keep in mind, 244 years ago our founders delivered us from a state-controlled church. My prayer and hope are that pastors will rise up, and be led by the Holy Spirit to once again be the moral compass of our nation and begin to “take back from Caesar what is God’s,” not to make America great again – but for the glory of God!

“Yet from the days of your fathers You have gone away from My ordinances and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you” Malachi 3:7

In the year of our Lord 2021 –
Blessings, Tom Hughes
President, Alliance for Religious Freedom, LLC
[email protected]