~Insights and Analysis from Mark Burrell, Author of ‘Rediscovering the American Covenant~
On February 20th, most Americans will celebrate Presidents Day, honoring two of the most important presidents in American history w George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Some will get a day off from work, while others will drive by and ignore signs for multiple car dealers and mattress sellers to cash in.
PUBLIUS SPECIAL GUEST: Mark Burrell, author of Rediscovering the American Covenant: Roadmap to Restore America.
For the past several years, voices have grown louder and more strident to abolish the holiday altogether. It is true that in federal law, the holiday is still designated as “Washington’s Birthday” (which is actually February 22nd). Abe Lincoln’s February 12th birthday gets thrown in for good measure, and President’s Day became a thing. And, as great as they were, both Washington and Lincoln had very major flaws, when you look at their lives in totality through the lens of today.
Author and historian Mark Burrell says that all the talk about canceling President’s Day and other figures from the past actually serves a very valuable purpose.
“When people get all worked up about what our past leaders did and didn’t do, and which statues to keep and which to take down, it causes a widespread awakening of interest in our history…and I think that’s a very good thing”, says Mark Burrell, author of “Rediscovering The American Covenant”.
“When you watch a movie ‘based on true events’, it’s many folks first instinct to grab their phone and Google what really happened while the credits are still rolling. The more we learn about the past, the more lessons people living today can draw from the lives of people who died a long time ago,” says Burrell.
Mark points out that:
-It was the Biblically informed principle of liberty that was captured in the Declaration of Independence, but is often ignored today
-Lincoln actually spoke out AGAINST equality between blacks and whites during the famous 1858 Lincoln-Douglass debates, before having a major change of heart in the run up to and aftermath of the Civil War. Does that mean he shouldn’t still be revered for his role in keeping the country united during the most divisive time in our nation’s history?
-Although the Bible informed the principles of Declaration of Independence, there is plenty of room for Christians and Non-Christians alike in American life
-How we should balance the ideas of history we’re all taught starting in elementary school with clearly defined “good guys” beating the “bad guys”, which always had a patriotic lesson at the end…with deeper dives to see history as it really happened, and learn the good and bad from it
Burrell’s book shows how liberty and other founding principles come directly from the Christian faith, and believes we need to recommit to the original founding principles in the Declaration.
PLUG BOOK: Rediscovering the American Covenant: Roadmap to Restore America
BIO: Mark Burrell, author of Rediscovering the American Covenant: Roadmap to Restore America, is originally from Pennsylvania and grew up in the Episcopal Church where he accepted Christ as a teenager. He attended Penn State University and met his wife, Charlene, in 1980. They married in 1983 and moved to northeast Pennsylvania a year later where Mark began his career in the private sector. While living there they helped start several independent Bible churches that continue today.
In 1987 Mark developed a mentoring relationship with an experienced pastor and spent several years studying Systematic Theology. He began a teaching ministry in the early 1990’s covering a variety of topics, and in the late 90’s became interested in Biblical aspects of the American founding.
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Mark Burrell, author of Rediscovering the American Covenant: Roadmap to Restore America