Independence Day

In the movie Independence Day, Will Smith kills a bunch of aliens who attack the United States with giant killer UFOs. There are quite a few good one-liners and some awesome action sequences, but no one remembers any of those; they only remember the scene where the White House is blown to smithereens, and if they're old enough, they remember how everyone in the theater cheered at that moment.

That's the kind of independence most people are after these days—freedom from law, not freedom under law. What they seem to forget is that the Founding Fathers weren't a bunch of anarchists who simply wanted to do whatever they wanted without England butting in. The Founding Fathers only wanted England to treat the U.S. equitably as part of the British monarchy.

When England essentially refused to do so, the American Patriots decided to take matters into their own hands. Yes, there were other prominent motives for throwing off the yoke of English rule, most of them economic, but ideologically the Revolution was fuelled by a desire for a national government that was answerable to the people and inherently limited in scope and sovereignty.

Over the years, the United States have drifted away from the initial ideals of men like Madison, Jefferson and Adams. That doesn't mean we don't enjoy basically the same model of government they set up, and it certainly doesn't mean that we've lost any significant amount of liberties. We remain a checked-and-balanced nation that values freedom and responsibility, and we celebrate it every July 4th.

Sure, we still remember the formation of our country, the signing of the Declaration of Independence and all that. But nearly two and a half centuries later, the celebration of Independence Day is less about the origins of our nation than it is about its continuing commitment to liberty, freedom of conscience, and justice at home and around the world.

None of us at Exodus Books are flag-waving fanatics, nor do we support everything the U.S. does or stands for. Wars on foreign soil may or may not be justified, and as a nation we've certainly turned from biblical morality toward reprobate license. At the same time, the fact that we can worship Christ on Sunday without fear, preach His name to others, and still vote when the time comes is reason enough to light off some fireworks and eat fried chicken at the beginning of each summer.

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18 Penny Goose
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America in the Time of George Washington
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America's Ethan Allen
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American History for Young Students I
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America at War Series
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Amos Fortune, Free Man
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Childhood of Famous Americans
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Childhood of Famous Americans
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Early Thunder
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Far Frontier
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Fighting Ground
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Flags to Color from the American Revolution
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Seeds of America #2
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Fourth of July Story
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Francis Asbury
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From Colonies to Country with George Washington - Book Only
My American Journey
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From Colonies to Country with George Washington - Set
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George Washington
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Heroes of History
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George Washington
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George Washington - Coloring Book
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George Washington You Never Knew
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George Washington's Breakfast
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George Washington, Spymaster
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George Washington: Our First Leader
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Give Me Liberty
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Give Me Liberty!
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Give Me Liberty!
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Glorious Days, Dreadful Days
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Golden Book History of the United States Volume 3
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Golden Book of the American Revolution
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Great Little Madison
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Guns for General Washington
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Haym Salomon: Son of Liberty
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Heroes and Heroines of the American Revolution - Coloring Book
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Heroines of the American Revolution
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History News: Revolution
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History Pockets: American Revolution
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How and Why Wonder Book of the American Revolution
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How Our Nation was Born: The American Revolution
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