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America is great because America is good. If America ceases to be good, she will cease to be great. Those words often attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville (though in truth their origin remains much murkier) cut right to core of what makes America great: her goodness. But today, too many Americans reject the very idea that America is good. Our schools poison students with the lie that our American experiment has been flawed from the beginning because of sins such as slavery and that, as a result, we must replace the founding values of faith and freedom with a fundamentally new and different system of values often based on Marxist ideologies. This shift makes some sad sense when you consider that America’s goodness has always been tied to the Godliness of her citizens. The author of the quote attributed to de Tocqueville says that he searched for America’s greatness in many places but “not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power.” To be sure, there’s always been great variation among the religious beliefs of Americans, and Americans have always valued—and enshrined in our constitutional order—a respect and a demand for religious liberty. But there’s little doubt that today church attendance and even adherence to a Christian worldview are declining. Once prominent mainline Protestant denominations are poised to fade away within a generation. And no wonder. They often espouse views in direct contradiction to Biblical decrees and take theological positions that would be anathema to congregants only a few generations ago. Today’s pulpits don’t so much flame with righteousness as flirt with feel-good messaging. The results have been dire. As Americans have fled from churches and Christianity, so too has our nation fled from God—or at least public acknowledgments of Him and His attributes. In a series of diktats dating back to the 1960s, the Supreme Court banned prayer in public schools, banned the Bible from those schools, and banned displays of the Ten Commandments on governmental grounds. Somehow, the justices contorted the First Amendment’s establishment clause, which prohibits Congress from establishing or endorsing any particular religion, to mean that any mention, tangentially tied to any governmental entity, of God, Christianity, or especially Jesus Christ in the public sphere is forbidden. This ahistorical interpretation of the establishment clause can’t be squared with the understanding and practices of our founding generation who regularly gave thanks for God’s blessings and invoked pleas for God’s mercies in a variety of public and private places. More tragically, this capacious view of the establishment clause has given short shrift to the First Amendment’s free exercise clause. For over half a century, Americans’ ability to freely exercise their religious beliefs in the public square has taken a backseat to the fear that a school teacher saying a prayer might establish a religion. But there’s hope. The Supreme Court in recent years has overturned many—but not all—of its problematic precedents in the establishment clause context. And many Americans are rightly outraged that Jack Phillips, a Colorado cake baker, has spent nearly a decade in litigation for merely living his life in accordance with his religious beliefs. More Americans too are recognizing that it’s not discriminatory to talk about basic biological differences between men and women. And that it’s morally wrong to treat people differently based on their race despite what DEI advocates proclaim. But there are flashpoints, particularly around abortion. After the Supreme Court overturned its problematic precedent that created a constitutional right to abortion—something unknown throughout America’s history until Roe v. Wade in 1973—the issue has been returned to Americans and their elected representatives to decide. Would a nation fearful of God’s judgment allow the unmitigated murder of unborn children? Doubtful. And yet that’s exactly what some states like California and New York have done. There’s no denying that laws and systems of government reflect the mores and values of the people who establish them. So what do ours say about us? As John Adams famously wrote to his wife, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Without God, there can be no goodness. And without goodness, there can be no greatness—at least none worth having. May we, like our founding generation, pray for God to guide us and to bless us with His goodness and His greatness. Without that, little else matters. The post America Can’t Have Greatness Without Goodness. And There Is No Goodness Without God. appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Online leftists tried to create a "gotcha" moment for former President Donald Trump during his speech at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Thursday night, but it didn't work. During his speech, the GOP presidential nominee spoke for the first time about the assassination attempt during his rally in...

The Gardiner Brothers tap dance in a dazzling dance routine to the Bee Gees’ classic ‘Stayin’ Alive.’ Classic songs withstand the test of time. Even decades after their initial release, they are still beloved and sung by everyone within earshot. Only a handful, a minority of songs, ever go on to become classics. RELATED: Gardiner Brothers Stunning Dance Routine to Taylor Swift's ‘Can Do It With A Broken Heart' Certainly one of those tunes that belongs in that special, exclusive category is the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive." Seconds into the song, moments after starting, everyone recognizes the song and will be singing along to the Disco-era track. It's one of the most recognized and easily identifiable songs of all time. Gardiner Brothers Tap Dance to ‘Stayin’ Alive’ In a clip posted on social media, the Gardiner Brothers-Mike and Matthew-turned in an outstanding and delightful dance performance to the Bee Gees classic. The short video begins with the song and the young men in full swing. They both strut their stuff, staying entirely in sync with one another. Neither of them misses a single step throughout the entire clip. RELATED: Gardiner Brothers Stun with a Jaw-Dropping Dance to Usher's Hit Song, ‘Yeah' Their feet move at a rapid pace, slapping the boards underneath them rhythmically. It's a wholly mesmerizing display. They even managed to incorporate a few moves that look like they would have been performed during the Disco-era. Their moves and routine remind fans of another iconic image when "Stayin' Alive" was being played. No one will be able to watch this clip and not think about John Travolta making his way down the sidewalk during the opening scene of the film "Saturday Night Fever." Like all their other videos, the two talented young men don't just dance anywhere. In this clip, Mike and Matthew are in Australia. They dance with the Sydney Opera House right behind them. YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: 2 Brothers Stun As They Perform Irish Step Dance to ‘September' by Earth, Wind & Fire Matthew and Mike are incredibly gifted dancers, as they show with each new video they record and post on social media. Psalm 149:3 "Let them give praise to his name in the dance: let them make melody to him with instruments of brass and corded instruments of music." WATCH: Gardiner Brothers Bring ‘Stayin’ Alive’ to Life with Dazzling Dance Routine View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gardiner Brothers (@gardinerbrothers) LISTEN: Bruce Springsteen Signed Student's Note to Excuse Absence | Michael W. Smith Performs Rendition of ‘In Christ Alone' h/t: GodTube Featured Image Credit: Instagram/gardinerbrothers The post Gardiner Brothers Tap Dance to ‘Stayin’ Alive’ In Dazzling Dance Routine appeared first on GodUpdates.

"Why are we still listening to Radiohead? It's not because of the last record they brought out"

XTC's most commercially successful album Skylarking will be reissued on vinyl and CD/Blu-ray in September

A court in Russia on Friday sentenced Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, to 16 years in a high-security penal colony. The court said this would end his espionage case but possibly open the way for a prisoner swap between the United States and Russia. The harsh sentence represented the first espionage […] The post “Disgraceful” “Sham” 16 Year Sentence for Evan Gershkovich appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.