I want to immediately alert my friends to the release of a new book that I believe will be considered a classic for years to come. Published by Lex Rex Publishing, In The Name of God, Amen, by Dan Ford, is a large, visually gorgeous hardback book which brings a scholarly but accessible history and analysis of the influence of covenants and covenantal thinking on the family, the church, and the state. Put another way, In the Name of God, Amen is a history of freedom.

There is no subject more directly connected with the prosperity of the Christian home, the integrity of the local church, or the success of national governments than that of the covenantal nature of life, law, and relationships. The Bible begins and ends with the doctrine of covenant. The history of the world, of nations, and individuals can only be understood in terms of those who kept covenant with God, and those who did not. The family was birthed from God’s directive that man and woman become one through an indissoluble covenantal union. The Church is a testimony to the triumph of God’s holy covenant. Even the civil authority is a covenantal creation. And thankfully, from the perspective of the history of our own people, we can gratefully report that no nation in the annals of Western civilization was ever birthed from such a self-consciously covenantal model than the United States.

Centuries ago, a bank account was established for our nation. In this account was deposited a spiritual and intellectual treasure trove of the purest gold and silver. This treasure was not easily obtained. It was birthed in the furnace of reformation, baptized in the flames of persecution and martyrdom, and molded by holy hands intent on leaving a covenantal legacy of freedom for generations. Believing our treasure to be inexhaustible, we have drawn from this account for more than two centuries, with little thought toward replenishing our principle. The account is almost dry.

Today, and perhaps only for today, our own nation continues to enjoy the manifold blessings of prosperity, not because of any innate wisdom or righteousness of this present generation, but because of the cumulative efforts of our covenant-keeping ancestors who established a nation with the specific goal of securing the blessings of liberty for their posterity. This historic truth, the memory and honor of which is central to the perpetuation of our present freedoms, is all but forgotten today. Never before in our history have American lawmakers, pastors, and students been more ignorant of who they are and how they got here. I believe we have but a brief window of time to remedy this problem of ignorance and indifference. It must begin with the people of God. It is up to them to embrace these truths and argue the case on behalf of generations yet to be born.

I know of few better equipped to make this case than Dan Ford. For the better part of a decade, he has immersed himself in the original works of the Reformation and the Founding era of America. Dan is not only a walking encyclopedia capable of cataloguing at a moment’s notice the many examples of the providential hand of God in our nation’s history, but he is the personal owner of one of the most distinguished collections of Reformation and covenantal documents in the world. Consequently, unlike many commentators and historians, Dan not only reads the primary sources, he actually studies the past from the original documents. In fact, many of the rare images you see in this volume come directly from his private collection, making In the Name of God, Amen a truly unique and wonderful literary work.

For the last three years, Dan has been bringing hundreds of one-of-a-kind, premiere documents to the Vision Forum Ministries Witherspoon School of Law & Public Policy. His goal has been to inspire the next generation of fathers, lawyers, pastors, and lawmakers to love the Law of God and keep covenant with their Creator. The impact is electric. For many, it is as if “the lost book of the law” was opened for the first time. Students recognize the holy call of God to “remove not the ancient landmarks” and once again proclaim the charters and covenantal documents of our nation’s founding. In the Name of God, Amen takes the heart and the soul of these messages and makes them understandable and meaningful to a wider audience.

Here you will learn of the great covenantal inheritance of Christianity, from the legacy of the martyrs, to the preservation of the “Book of books,” to the emergence of God’s people of promise, to the gracious fulfillment of His covenant with the triumph of grace and the inheritance of Christ’s Church. Here you will discover the noble heritage of our nation’s Forefathers, the rise of American covenantal thought, the great Puritan doctrine of covenantal living in every sphere of life, the covenantal principles behind the War for Independence, and the nature of Christian self-government under God. But here also, you will learn rich insights into the practical application of covenantal thinking in terms of our holy responsibilities toward the family, the Church, and the State.

In the Name of God, Amen is more than great history and sound theology artfully presented. It is a passionate labor of love, a gift and a record to our children and their posterity. It is a clarion cry to go back to the ancient paths wherein we will find peace. I am deeply indebted to the author for this thorough, but highly readable contribution. This book is simply landmark. The first and best book of its kind to appear in over a generation, In the Name of God, Amen is sure to become a staple for home educators, seminary students, church leaders, lawyers, fathers, and hopefully even civil magistrates. It is my intention to use this tremendous volume to teach my law students, interns and my own children for years to come. Let me also add that you will find the footnotes to be generous, wisely inserted on the text pages themselves, and enormously helpful. Available through Vision Forum. $24.00. Introductory sale this month for $20.