America’s 50-year Jubilees and God’s Providence

In this 250th anniversary of America’s independence, it is interesting to look back on the major “jubilee’ moments in its history. In the Biblical history of Israel, a year of Jubilee was to take place every 50 years. The Bible verse Leviticus 25:10 about proclaiming liberty throughout the land is inscribed on the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia.

A quick look back in American history shows interesting seasons of national division, prosperity, gloom and joy around the time of each 50 year anniversary.

In 1826, there were 24 states in the union which had suffered through another war with Britain. Then an era of “good feelings” emerged and President John Quincy Adams participated in anniversary events in Washington. But sad news soon was heard of the death of both John Adams in Massachusetts and Thomas Jefferson in Virginia on July 4th.

In 1876, there were 38 states and the country stretched coast to coast. The union survived the Mexican war and the horrific Civil War with unbelievable loss of life. In the decade just before the centennial anniversary, there was Lincoln’s assassination, impeachment of President Johnson, and martial law in the South. The presidential election of 1876 was one of the most divisive and controversial because electoral votes were denied and a special commission decided to name R. B. Hayes as president over the popular-vote winner Tilden with a deal to end martial law in southern states. It was a compromise that avoided a new war, but few were happy. Custer and troops were defeated at Little Big Horn that year. President U. S. Grant presided over Centennial exhibitions and world’s fair in Philadelphia but the nation was largely gloomy and on edge.

In 1926, there were 48 states and President Calvin Coolidge presided over the Sesquicentennial exposition in Philadelphia. The nation had endured two more wars (Spanish and W.W.I) and blacks especially suffered in the South under segregation and Jim Crow laws put in place by state governments led by the Democratic Party. But women had received the right to vote and sale of alcohol had been prohibited by Constitutional amendments. The economy was roaring and people were optimistic again.

In 1976, there were 50 states and the nation was again divided and troubled. It suffered through three wars (WWII, Korean, Vietnam) and the Great Depression, assassinations (JFK, RFK and MLK) and riots. A president resigned and the President Gerald Ford who presided over the Bicentennial was not even elected by the people (chosen by the Senate instead). Segregation was abolished by the courts and congress but the Court also legalized killing of the unborn and banned prayer and bible from public schools.

1976-2026 – The Hand of God in the Last 50 years

This year’s anniversary finds us again as a nation very troubled and divided. We won the Cold War but experienced the Gulf War and then wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, etc ever since the 9/11 attack. The Court ended abortion as a constitutional right, but granted mariage rights to homosexuals. Impeachments of Clinton and Trump marked the political climate, with polarization and cancel culture in the social media era.

In each of the 50 year periods there were religious revivals that sparked social action. The Great Awakening of 18th century led to the American Christian Revolution and independence. The Second Great Awakening occurred prior to the first Jubilee of 1826. The Finney revivals and the Fulton Street Meetings happened before the Centennial and motivated much of the anti-slavery movement. The Holiness and Pentecostal outpourings came before the Sesqucentennial and influenced the temperance and women’s rights movements.

The Jesus Movement and Charismatic movement emerged just before the Bicentennial but did not yet significantly impact social activism by 1976 except that it likely is why Carter the “born again” candidate was elected that year. The major impact of those revivals of the 1970s came to the fore in 1980. Washington for Jesus (WFJ) was held that year in April and hundreds of thousands gathered in prayer and repentance. I was there as a 24 year old pastor.

The turning point for America however was when the religious revival shifted into social activism. A few months after WFJ thousands of pastors and Christian leaders gathered in Dallas, Texas for what was called a National Affairs Briefing. I had never been interested in politics before that year, but after praying for God to turn our nation around, I, like many other Christians, realized we had to get involved. I went to that Texas gathering in July 1980.

This last week

Earlier this week a man I had never heard of before the Dallas event in 1980 graduated to heaven. James Robison was well known to many others as a Baptist evangelist having already reached many in crusades similar to Billy Graham. I came from a different background as a non-denominational pastor shaped by the Jesus movment and the charismatic renewal. But I will never forget the sermon that Robison preached at that gathering with presidential candidate Ronald Reagan on the stage behind him (see above pic of them along with Presbyterian D. James Kennedy).

Robison impressed me as a figure in the mold of Biblical prophets Amos or Jeremiah demanding that the nation repent. It moved me to political action when I returned home – not for partisan purposes – but for God’s kingdom purposes in America.

35 years later in 2015 I had the privilege to do something with Robison after the new racial tensions emerged following 2014 riots in Ferguson, and rise of Black Lives Matter, etc. I was part of the late Bishop Harry Jackson’s council at that time and we began working with Robison, T. D. Jakes, Gordon Robertson, etc, on how to build “bridges of peace.” I was honored [and scared to death!] to serve as moderator of a panel with those three men as the speakers (and thankful to share a table and dialogue over lunch with Martin Luther King’s family – Bernice and Alveda King). To my surprise, Robison made kind remarks about things that I said there he thought were significant.

Back to the 1980 meeting. It not only changed me, it changed America. It led to the new movement of conservative Evangelical Christians in politics, eventually shifting about 80% of the Christian voters to become regular supporters of Republican Party candidates and eventually become the dominant influence in the party.

The whole reason that in the last 50 years we saw the Supreme Court overturn Roe v Wade, was because of this shift. Pro-life Republican Presidents appointed Pro-Life judges that took about 40 years to finally change the majority of the Supreme Court.

This past week brought back these memories of how all these things shifted in the last 50 years. I attended Rededicate 250 in Washington, D.C. This event was not on the scale of Washington for Jesus in 1980 or other gatherings on the mall (like the massive Promise Keepers event in 1997 that was attended by at least 700,000 men). But this event was important for America spiritually, in my opinion.

Representatives of many denominations were there along with government officials, and even “Jesus” was there from The Chosen. But to hear the content of the in-person or pre-recorded video messages prepared by the highest leaders in our government was amazing. I have heard many speeches by government leaders over the pat 50 years, but this was different.

President Trump read the Bible passages from 2 Chronicles 7 referring to God’s promise to heal a nation if it repents. VP Vance spoke of our Christian foundations as a nation and explicitly to the faith of our Founders in Jesus Christ. Similar messages were given by Hegseth and Gabbard, and others. That kind of overt thankfulness and recognition of our nation’s Christian history was something never quite seen in generations and perhaps almost never since our Founding era.

But to me the most spiritually significant of all was to have Speaker of the House Mike Johnson there in person at the event on the Mall, and to have him, being the highest official after the President and Vice-President in our nation’s government, to lead in a prayer that explicitly rededicated our nation again to God and Jesus Christ. Words matter, especially when they are done by those holding real civil authority. It was a renewal of the covenant our Forefathers made with God. In the halls of heaven, these things matter.

Of course, those who worry about so-called “Christian Nationalism” are apopletic. The new book by Jerry Newcombe and I on Thomas Jefferson and the God Who Gave Us Liberty gives proof that our Founders unabashedly referred to Jesus and God but it was not something dangerous. On the contrary, their “Christian Americanism” (as I describe it) secured freedom of religion and civic rights to even non-religious citizens. Their religious devotion increased liberty instead of harming it (see info on book later).

From that 1980 meeting of James Robison and others to this past week’s meeting on the Mall called by Trump, there is a providential continuum. None of those speeches this week would have been heard during this 250th anniversary if Trump had not survived that bullet in 2024. This 250th year is a testimony of God’s hand in history even today. In Trump is NOT our trust, but in God. Yes, we have so many problems still ahead, and God’s people have to continue to humble themselves and repent and commit themselves to step forward into the gap for future generations, but God has given us the opportunity here now in 2026.

August 2, 2026

Save the date! I want to invite you to join in a rededication event. On August 2 this year I and some key organizations and ministries are co-sponsoring an online event to gather Americans, especially Christians, to make a pledge for future generations.

Although July 4th is celebrated as the date the Declaration of Independence was adopted, the Congress did not sign it until August 2, 1776. That is when they made their official pledge of their “lives, fortunes and sacred honor.”

A one-hour online live meeting will happen at 6pm on August 2nd where prominent Christian American historians and leaders will briefly give remarks on that commitment our Founders made to us, and then call on everyone nationwide to make their own pledge and sign their names to pray, educate and influence others for God’s kingdom purposes in America. A website is not quite ready but you can see a placeholder for it now at 250Declaration.com. We invite you that day to gather your family or your church or your organization in one place and connect to a live stream. At the end you can sign a facsimile of the Declaration in your location or do it online.

Pre-sale of my book!

And don’t forget to help me get the Christian history of America out to the nation, by ordering my new book (with co-author Jerry Newcombe) using the presale link here.

Thomas Jefferson and the God Who Gave us Liberty: Christian Nationalist? Secular Deist?. (Order now using this pre-sale link through Barnes and Noble for special price of $17.76. If enough people do it, it will likely lead them to stock it in their stores.) Don’t buy it through Amazon or elsewhere. Your purchase will help preserve knowledge of America’s Christian history for future generations. Buy now!.