400th Anniversary of Pilgrims' New World Arrival: How Their Faith in Liberty Shaped a Nation
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- [Paul] Plymouth, Massachusettsand its Pilgrim re-enactors
are going all out this Summer
for the Pilgrim's 400th anniversary.
- Historic tours, seminars, workshops,
dramatic musical, and actuallyre-enacting the landing
in front of PlymouthRock on Tuesday, June 30.
- [Paul] Paul Jehle, of thePlymouth Rock Foundation,
will even preach an old Pilgrim sermon.
He points out they were fervent disciples,
dedicated to the God of liberty,
who promised his truth
would set them free.
- Internal liberty, liberty of conscience,
freedom from sin.
That's why they said that Godbegan to reform their lives
by his grace.
And this one the most important thing
the Pilgrims began with,
because they were remnant aspart of the great revival,
known as The Reformation.
So here they were at thepeak of that revival,
and they were very conscious of this.
- [Paul] While God gavethem spiritual liberty
on the inside,
on the outside they werepersecuted in England,
and granted no religious liberty.
They sought potential for that liberty
in the new world.
After storms blew themto an isolated coastline,
the Pilgrims had to come up with
their own from of government,
and gave the future ofAmerica civil liberty
in the form of the Mayflower Compact.
- Because it was thebeginning of self-government
here in America.
Bottom up liberty.
When you read the Mayflower Compact,
it says in the name of God.
Amen.
We whose names are underwritten,the subjects of the king.
So it's God to the peopleand then to the king.
- [Paul] Jehle saysthat order of authority,
God over the people,
the people over the king,
was the order presented for all of America
in the Declaration of Independence.
It was one gift of many
from the Pilgrims.
- Whether it's economic liberty,
civil liberty, religious liberty,
self-rule, Thanksgiving,
the idea of giving thanks to God
even in the midst of suffering.
- [Paul] Jehle says fans arewelcome at the end of June
to come to Plymouth andcelebrate the Pilgrims
and what they gave America.
Paul Strand, CBN News.
