June 2007 Archives

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 30, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 30, 2007 | Permalink

San Antonio, Texas — June 29, 2007 — Vision Forum has announced that Chris Klicka, Senior Counsel for the Home School Legal Defense Association, is the esteemed recipient of the Captain John Smith Quadricenntennial Award.

As thousands cheered in a standing ovation that lasted more than five minutes, Doug Phillips, President of Vision Forum, publicly honored Mr. Klicka with this award on the grounds of Fort Pocahontas during the recent “Jamestown Quadricentennial: A Celebration of Our Providential History.”

Phillips commented, “The home school movement has been blessed with many great advocates for freedom, including attorneys like HSLDA’s visionary President Mike Farris and organizational leaders such as Mike Smith. But in terms of long-term, roll-up-your-sleeves warfare, Chris Klicka has distinguished himself as the most beloved and singular man in the trenches. For two decades, he has fought state by state across America, as well as country by country around the world, for the right of families to educate their children at home.”

The Captain John Smith Quadricentennial Award is a one-time honor given on America’s 400th birthday to a man in this generation who embodied the same kind of overcoming spirit amidst difficulties that John Smith exemplified during Jamestown’s founding. Bestowed to attorney Chris Klicka during a special ceremony, the award plaque reads in part:

“The Captain John Smith Quadricentennial Award is presented with appreciation to Christopher John Klicka for indefatigable and persevering leadership on a defining issue of our generation. Your stalwart faith through hardship has given hope to millions. Your selfless sacrifice on behalf of home schoolers has brought freedom to families around the globe. And your courageous spirit amidst adversity has forged a legacy which will never be forgotten.”

Mr. Klicka remarked, “I am thankful and blessed by the Lord to have been able to serve the home schooling community these last twenty-two years. The honor that I felt in receiving this award was to me like being given a big hug from God.”

In 1985, Chris Klicka joined the Home School Legal Defense Association and during his early tenure there led pioneering research on the legality of home schooling in all fifty states. Mr. Klicka has since argued numerous precedent-setting cases and handled scores of administrative appeals on behalf of home schoolers. He has successfully represented thousands of families with their legal conflicts. In 1994, Mr. Klicka was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and though confined to a wheelchair, he has continued to defend the rights of home schoolers even as he has inspired families through his testimony of perseverance through this physical handicap.

“Chris Klicka is a true hero of the home school movement,” observed Phillips. “When the history books are written, Chris will be remembered as one of the greatest generals used by the Lord to establish a bulkhead of freedoms for moms and dads across America. His sacrifice and tenacious loyalty to the cause of home school liberty has benefited hundreds of thousands, if not millions.”

“We thank God for Chris,” continued Phillips, “and we join thousands of Christians around the country in praying that God will give this home school hero and father of seven continued strength amidst weakness as he runs the race set before him.”

“I continue to be amazed by God’s faithfulness throughout the years as He has delivered thousands of families out of legal trouble,” Klicka remarked. “When I began work at HSLDA, home schooling was legal in only about five states, and now — by God’s grace — it is legal in all fifty states.”

To learn more about the work of the Home School Legal Defense Association, visit hslda.org

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 29, 2007 | Permalink

“This year 2007 is an unique anniversary not just because it’s the four hundredth anniversary of Jamestown. It is that to be sure. But did you know that this is the five hundredth anniversary year of America being called America? I wonder if you have even heard that before?

It was in 1507 that a man by the name of Waldseemüller looked at this new map that was being drawn of exploration across the Atlantic ocean and he wrote the name next to the Northern and Southern Hemispheres the word—America. Have you ever wondered why America is called America instead of Columbia? After all it was Columbus who discovered America. But the only problem is that Columbus thought he had gotten to the Indies.

That’s why the native Americans are still called “Indians.” There was this belief that he had found a way to India...Later there was another person by the name Amerigo Vespucci. Amerigo Vespucci came along and said this isn’t the Indies. This is a new world. These are unknown continents, and so the credit was given to him and the name has stuck forever. But what I want you to think about is that the name America is a derivative of Amerigo from a French named Emeric, which is a derivative from a German word that is Haimirich.

Now if any of you have studied German know that Haimirich means “The kingdom of Heaven.” Now think about that for just a moment. Do you realize that America’s name literally means the “Kingdom of Heaven?”...That’s a good description of America isn’t? It’s a place where the Kingdom of God has come and where the corrupting influences of humanity have been powerfully at work.

It was a hundred years after that Jamestown was settled and it’s interesting that 275 years ago this year that George Washington was born. 250 years ago this year, his (if you will) “adoptive son” Lafayette was born. It was 225 years ago this year that the first English speaking Bible printed in America was available because when Yorktown was victorious under Washington, now for the first time a Bible in English could be legally printed in the New World. It couldn’t be done because the King had a monopoly on the Bible. It could only be printed in Scotland and England. But now that there was independence that had been guaranteed, the Congress of the United States approved the Bible to be printed in America and it was approved as the Congress’s Bible 225 years ago.

This is a great anniversary year. A concatenation of events that surround the fact of Washington’s anniversary, the birthday of America being called America, the beginning of an English-speaking settlement that’s brought the Bible and American civilization at its best and tragically at its worst to the entire world through the English language.”

—Dr. Peter Lillback, author, George Washington’s Sacred Fire, President of Westminster Theological Seminary and keynote at the Jamestown Quadricentennial: A Celebration of America’s Providential History.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 28, 2007 | Permalink

“It is my prayer that America is a more blessed country because of what our Great Judge witnessed from the throne. He heard praises and he heard us remember the ways he has represented himself in history. He heard us covenant with him once again to fear him and remember his laws to do them. He heard us pray for our children in a chorus of thousands. In the multitude of the people is the King’s honour...

Events like these have changed history. Let me mention two much lesser events than the Jamestown Quadricentennial. The longest-reigning British monarch, Queen Victoria, celebrated Golden and Diamond Jubilees marking 50 and 60 years of her reign in 1887 and 97. Honorable men were attracted to these events and simple meetings of leaders and future leaders took place that otherwise would have not. The fruit of these meetings changed history. There were new friendships and alliances made the week of June 11 that will change history because honorable men were attracted to an honorable event. May the Lord let us all rejoice together as we see all the fruit of this event over the coming decades...”

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 28, 2007 | Permalink

...if this army of grateful and enthusiastic boys and girls will serve Him with vision all the days of their life.

—Image taken from the Jamestown Children’s Parade. Click to enlarge.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 28, 2007 | Permalink

One of my favorite images from the event because of the way that Mr. Thomas and Mrs. Thomas give a knowing look at each other. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas are the parents of the winner of the Jamestown 400: Our National Treasure Hunt.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 28, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 28, 2007 | Permalink

Books were in great abundance at the Jamestown Quadricentennial: A Celebration of America’s Providential History. Not only were there hundreds of titles on American history, but numerous antiquarian dealers set up shop, and sold an amazing array of antiquities and books.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 28, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 28, 2007 | Permalink

JAMESTOWN, Virginia — June 25 — After more than eight months of sleuthing, code-breaking, and intense study of American history on the part of thousands, nineteen-year-old Melanie Thomas of Rehoboth, Massachusetts, emerged as the winner of the Jamestown 400: Our National Treasure Hunt. As the winner, she earned herself a cache of 400 gold coins, as well as the title “The Fifth Trustee,” a moniker which refers to her duty to encourage the defense of America’s providential history.

The Jamestown 400 was launched by Vision Forum last October as an engaging way for Americans on the 400th anniversary of the birth of the American people to learn the providence of God in our nation’s history by cracking a mystery which required participants to study numerous historical primary source documents of our founding era, decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs, learn codes from the American War for Independence, and even know a little Cherokee Indian.

“The Jamestown 400 was a one-of-a-kind national treasure hunt which took sleuths through an exciting journey of America’s early history,” explained Doug Phillips, founder of Vision Forum and the Jamestown 400. “Our goal with the Jamestown 400 treasure hunt was to help educate and inspire Americans by finding the real gold — the riches of our nation’s godly heritage. We wanted to motivate Christians to be grateful to the Lord for his many blessings on this nation. And we wanted people to have fun unlocking the mystery to some buried treasure.”

“Congratulations to Melanie Thomas for persevering to the end,” remarked Phillips. “We couldn’t have asked for a more gracious or articulate winner — the Fifth Trustee of a treasure-trove of America’s providential history.”

Phase One of the Jamestown 400 started with Vision Forum’s 2007 Catalog, leading those who broke the code to a myriad of secret websites where the hunt expanded. Phase Two of the hunt was an exclusively online journey that ended May 15, with the first hundred to solve the mystery eligible to participate in Phase Three to search for the actual buried treasure in Virginia’s historic triangle. Melanie Thomas was among those in the final hundred who journeyed to Jamestown for the physical hunt. She and two other final contestants unearthed three separate keys on the final day of hunt — with Melanie’s opening the long- sought-after treasure chest.

In an official statement, the Thomas family commented: “We saw the hand of God’s Providence during the entire week of the hunt from the way questions were answered at various locations to the selection of the final key....The physical hunt related in many ways to the day to day pilgrim’s progress of life as we journey with God by faith to apprehend His promises. ‘I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.’ The hunt was difficult and trying, but very rewarding and fun. We were determined to ‘consider it joy’ no matter what new challenge was encountered.”

The Jamestown 400 websites collectively registered more than a million hits as participants from all fifty states actively joined in the hunt.

“We received thousands of phone calls and hundreds of thousands of hits to our websites from those taking part in the Jamestown 400,” noted Phillips. “The public’s response to the hunt was unbelievable. In Virginia alone, we have ‘agents” from 148 different cities who actively sought to solve the mystery.”

“It is our prayer that the greatest treasure that our sleuths came away with was a wealth of understanding of America’s God-blessed foundations — for this is a legacy that will not fade and can be passed down for generations.”

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 27, 2007 | Permalink

(To view this video clip, you must have QuickTime 7 installed.)

For Immediate Release:

San Antonio, Texas — June 27, 2007 - Ken Ham, president of Answers in Genesis and the visionary behind the newly opened Creation Museum has been awarded the “2007 George Washington Man of the Year” by Vision Forum Ministries. The announcement was made by Vision Forum president Doug Phillips before an audience of nearly 2,000 gathered in Hampton, Virginia, as part of the opening ceremonies to the Jamestown Quadricentennial: A Celebration of Our Providential History.

The news that the award went to Mr. Ham brought a lengthy standing ovation and shouts of acclamation from the men and women in attendance.

“Ken Ham is the esteemed 2007 recipient of the George Washington Man of the Year Award because we believe him to be an individual whose vision and persevering spirit are noteworthy for giving hope to the next generation and defending the cause of Christ in our nation. Specifically, Ken’s uncompromising defense of Genesis, and his long battle to open the Creation Museum is one of the most singular contributions of our generation,” observed Phillips.

“This milestone that Ken achieved earlier this year with the opening of a world-class museum is of such significance that there was no debate whatsoever that he should be the recipient of this award in 2007,” Phillips explained.

Each year, Vision Forum gives the George Washington Man of the Year Award to recognize and honor that man who most clearly demonstrates, through their public courage, the stalwart spirit and mature leadership embodied by General George Washington. Each winner receives a large bust of Washington in conjunction with the award. While Mr. Ham was unable to be personally present for the 2007 award ceremony, he expressed his gratitude for receiving the honor in videotaped remarks that were played following the award’s announcement.

“On behalf of the entire staff of Answers in Genesis and the Creation Museum, I must say I am so honored to accept the George Washington Man of the Year Award,” commented Ham, after which he spoke of his heart for his adopted country.

“I’m sure you can tell from my accent that I wasn’t born here,” Ham remarked, “But as well as being an Australian, I’m now an American citizen — one who has deeply appreciated the Christian heritage of this great nation. But as we all know, America is not the Christian nation it once was. So we trust the new Creation Museum and the other outreaches of the AiG ministry will be greatly used of the Lord to reach my newly adopted country as we help rebuild the foundation of the authority of God’s Word and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

In 1994, after a fruitful seven-year ministry conducting seminars across America for the Institute for Creation Research, Australian native Ken Ham founded Answers in Genesis, basing the new ministry in northern, Kentucky. One of Mr. Ham’s primary goals in founding AiG was to build the Creation Museum, built in Petersburg, Kentucky.

“The purpose of the museum is to use observational science to show that the Bible is true, its history is true, and therefore the Gospel is true,” explained Ham. “Just as Dayton, Tennessee, was ground zero for the defense of evolution in 1925, so Petersburg, Kentucky, will become ground zero for the defense of creation in 2007.”

The Answers in Genesis Creation Museum — which opened on Memorial Day — is a one-of-a-kind, high-tech museum filled with animatronic displays, striking videos, a state-of-the-art planetarium, and a Special Effects Theater. These elements work together to illustrate the Bible as the supreme authority in all matters. This $27 million “walk through history” museum counters evolutionary natural history museums that turn minds against Scripture — and Jesus Christ, the Creator of the universe.

Concluded Phillips, “Our prayer is that, just as George Washington’s perseverance in the cause of liberty helped birth a nation, Ken’s perseverance in bringing this museum project from vision to reality will help birth a deeper appreciation for God’s Word in the hearts of millions by proclaiming its veracity through this powerful exhibit.”

To learn more about the Answers in Genesis Creation Museum, visit www.creationmuseum.org.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 27, 2007 | Permalink

Click on the below images to see an enlarged version of each picture.

Princess Pocahontas helps to lead the Children’s Parade.

The parade took the marchers all around Ft. Pocahontas.

The parade reaches the big tent.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 26, 2007 | Permalink

“The Jamestown Quadricentennial was a dramatic and courageous reclaiming of America’s history from those who would distort and dechristianize it. It showed in no uncertain terms that American history is on the side of Biblical Christianity, not on the side of our detractors. It provided future generations with a starting point from which they can work to reclaim and restore our nation to a thoroughly Christ-honoring character.

It is my hopeful prayer that what was declared at the Jamestown Quadricentennial will reverberate in the hearts and minds of future Christian generations recalling them to the original Christian and Puritan vision for our nation. I fully expect the 450th celebration of Jamestown’s legacy to be a conscious and deliberate extension of the 400th celebration involving many thousands more people. For the next 100 years, students of Christian history will praise God...”

—Dr. Joe Morecraft, Faith and Freedom guide and keynote speaker at the Jamestown Quadricentennial: A Celebration of America’s Providential History

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 26, 2007 | Permalink

The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion. Proverbs 28:1

Be not ye afraid of them: remember the LORD, which is great and terrible, and fight for your brethren, your sons, and your daughters, your wives, and your houses. Nehemiah 4:14

But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 19:14

And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:15

The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. Isaiah 40:8

Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O LORD. Psalm 97:8

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 25, 2007 | Permalink

Lafayette or Napoleon? You decide.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 25, 2007 | Permalink

“The Jamestown Quadricentennial was a watershed event because it drove a deep love for God’s deeds in the founding of America into the hearts of the future leaders of tomorrow.”

—-Marshall Foster, President of the Mayflower Institute, Faith and Freedom guide and keynote speaker at the Jamestown Quadricentennial: A Celebration of America’s Providential History. The above image is taken from the Quadricentennial boat tour down the York aboard the Spirit of Norfolk.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 25, 2007 | Permalink

One of my favorite images from Jamestown. It is offered for your enjoyment today in the spirit of Norman Rockwell, the All-American Boys’ Adventure Catalog, and enthusiastic patriot boys everywhere. Click on the image to enlarge. Wow. I love this.

(P.S. I will be adding content to the blog today, but this image will remain at the top for at least part of the day, so make sure to scroll down. More to come.)

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 25, 2007 | Permalink

“My name is Melanie and I am 13 years old and I just recently attended the 400th anniversary of Jamestown. I just wanted to write and say thank you so much for doing the celebration. My family and I had so much fun and I learned so much history there. We moved to Tennessee from Colorado a year ago and I have still yet to find any Christian girls my age here....it was so encouraging to see all those Christian young women and men gathered together to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the landing and beginning of our fathers. I also wanted to write and say thank you for doing the father/daughter retreat. My dad and I spent some very special time together and I really enjoyed it. Thanks so, so much for being a Christian company, selling good, supportive books for Christians and for everything you do! Thank you! Melanie”

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 25, 2007 | Permalink

A report on the Jamestown 400: Our National Treasure Hunt coming soon.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 25, 2007 | Permalink

(To view this video clip, you must have QuickTime 7 installed.)

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 25, 2007 | Permalink

In my closing address, I listed a number of important mission objectives for the next one hundred years in terms of a multi-generational witness of the Church. One of them was that Christians should be known throughout the land as people who love life. The world has embraced death, but believers should model a love of life. This includes viewing children as a blessing, and God’s reward. Imagine the glory and blessing of legions of children being born into Christian families who view it as an important mission to raise children for the glory of God.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 25, 2007 | Permalink

“I hope that this event will prove to be a sowing of fruitful seeds for both ourselves and our children and to generations unborn that will grow and blossom in appreciation of our heritage and in seeing the hand of God in our own lives and in all history. I also hope this event has stirred the sense of victory that God is bringing in history and that His church can be encouraged by what He has accomplished in the past. He calls us to faithfulness and His promises are yea and amen.”

Bill Potter—Historian, Faith and Freedom Tour Leader and Featured Speaker at the Jamestown Quadricentennial: A Celebration of Our Providential History

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 25, 2007 | Permalink

“The families and their children who came had this in common—a great intellectual curiosity—and the entire assemblage was able to explore many forgotten aspects of American history. The families who came were looking for and found a place of freedom, a place where they could interact with one another in an environment that was not oppressed by the stifling influence of political correctness. What they enjoyed was a place of complete social, academic, and spiritual freedom that is rare even in many America communities today.”

“People left their cars unlocked. There was no fighting, no drunkenness. It was a tremendous place of peace and orderliness reminiscent of a time in American history where families enjoyed this kind of community. It was a picture of Christian culture.”

— Geoff Botkin, historical interpreter, filmmaker, and keynote speaker at the Jamestown Quadricentennial: A Celebration of America’s Providential History

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 23, 2007 | Permalink

“Dear Mr. Phillips: Thank you for the article you published on WorldNet Daily about the Jamestown celebration. We were one of the many families unable to attend who celebrated with you all from afar. We are so happy to see that the memorial was established and that Jamestown was flooded with Christian testimony last week. The pictures you have taken time to post on your VF website brought tears to our eyes. God bless, Mr. and Mrs. Jon and Lisa B. and children, Maine”

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 23, 2007 | Permalink

“The signficance of the Jamestown event was two-fold in my opinion. First, it brought together a minority of the body of Christ who honored God by remembering His providential acts at the birth of this nation. This is historic and important...Second, it provided a platform for a lasting record for future generations.

I pray that long term [the Jamestown Quadricentennial will be a stepping stone for a larger portion of the body of Christ, both in numbers and breadth, that will gather in 2020 in Plymouth. I also pray that in thirteen years we will be a percentage of more than 1.5 million Americans who will hear, some for the first time, that God providentially brought this nation into being. Whether we have a Christian gathering in addition to the national gathering or not, my prayer is that God would be honored, and thus the Lord would mercifully continue His faithfulness to our national covenant.”

— Dr. Paul Jehle, Plymouth Rock Foundation and keynote speaker at the Jamestown Quadricentennial: A Celebration of America’s Providential History

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 23, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 22, 2007 | Permalink

My WorldNetDaily.com article today presents an overview of the hope and joy that came from giving Jesus Christ the glory through celebration, sermon, and song at the Jamestown Quadricentennial: A Celebration of America’s Providential History. I invite you to read the article in its entirety.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 22, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 22, 2007 | Permalink

A report on the Jamestown 400: Our National Treasure Hunt, and the woman who has become the “Fifth Trustee.”

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 22, 2007 | Permalink

“What took place at the Jamestown Quadricentennial was more than a single event it was a monumental epic of our generation. Many came out for a conference, others came for celebration, and still others came out to remember the past. However, what occurred at Jamestown was something so much greater then anyone expected. We raised our Ebenezer as we laid stones of remembrance in honor of the great things God has fashioned. As in the days of Ezra, and the completion of the temple, this celebration turned into a solemn assembly as many remembered the glory of the days of our fathers and cried out to God for our future. As men of God raised their voices from the pulpit the die was cast and many, like me, will never be the same. As my children looked on, it gave me reason to hope like I have never hoped before. The Jamestown Quadricentennial was not just another celebration, conference, or history tour remembering the past. It was a revival of our nation. It was a call for the Holy Scriptures to be forever externalized in every area of life. It was hallmark of Gods providence extended to generations to come.”

Elijah Brown, Participant in the Jamestown Quadricentennial

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 22, 2007 | Permalink

Ezra Hill is a bold spokesman for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He is also one of the Tuskegee Airmen of the Second World War, and a Congressional Gold Medal Winner. He addressed one of the gatherings at the Jamestown Quadricentennial, and is pictured above with historian Bill Potter and Leonard Holyfield.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 22, 2007 | Permalink

Another celebrant who documented the events of the Jamestown Quadricentennial: A Celebration of Our Providential History was Caleb Hayden. To view his posts, click here.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 22, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 22, 2007 | Permalink

“The Jamestown Quadricentennial is significant because it demonstrated that many Americans still appreciate the wonderful accomplishments of heroism of our early settlers who brought British and English culture to the shores of the New World in 1607. It was wonderful to see that, four centuries later, Americans are still celebrating the Christian worldview of Jamestown’s founders.

There’s been a great emphasis by others on the mercantile interests in Jamestown’s founding, but what came through loud and clear at the Jamestown Quadricentennial was the Christian worldview that under-girded the settlement. This celebration brought about a re-emphasis and rediscovery of this. It highlighted the foundations and brought back into the mind of many what made America great, balancing the story properly. Long term, this recognition that the founders had within their vision the advancement of Christian civilization will help us rightly steward their legacy.

The setting of the Jamestown Children’s Memorial and time capsule was also significant as it will ensure that our children one hundred years from now will be equipped to carry on the legacy of our founders. They, along with the many families who participated in the dedication last week, have been given a reminder of America’s godly heritage that, by God’s grace, will be passed down for generations.”

Dr. Peter Lillback, author, George Washington’s Sacred Fire, President of Westminster Theological Seminary and keynote at the Jamestown Quadricentennial: A Celebration of America’s Providential History.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 21, 2007 | Permalink

“The majority of Christians had no idea that May through June of 2007 was the 400th anniversary of the landing and settlement at Jamestown. This is a disturbing fact. It’s a reminder that a nation that has lost its memory of the past has no clear path to take for the future. Paul reminded the Corinthians to avoid Israel’s mistakes (1 Cor. 11), and the writer to the Hebrews told his Christian readers that there was a great cloud of witnesses that had preceded them giving them hope for the enduring walk that was ahead of them (Heb. 12:1). History is important to the biblical writers, and it should be important to us. Christianity is more than a philosophy of life; it is life rooted in real historical events. Without that history there is no Christian faith. The advance of the Christian faith is history writ large on the landscape of the world. The events of Jamestown are the embodiment of God’s providential faithfulness in history. It’s a constant reminder that God’s kingdom advances through the efforts of imperfect people led on by the Spirit and Power of God. Their graves and monuments are a silent and steadied witness that others preceded us and made our world possible

The Jamestown Quadricentennial should remind all Christians what is possible. When you walk the quiet ground of Jamestown you are reminded that voices spoke there, voices that uttered prayers in thanksgiving to God even in times of trials and great tribulation. If their efforts are to mean anything, then their efforts must be embodied in their descendents. We are today’s Jamestown. We embark on a similar mission of advancing the kingdom again in the midst of hostile forces. There were casualties then, and there will be casualties today. Like our predecessors, we will not give up hope. Where the remnants of their church and fort stood, God has blessed his church with edifices that ring the coastlines and traverse the cities of this nation from sea to sea. The men of Jamestown crossed an ocean in three small ships and laid the foundation for a nation in a wilderness. God has put so much more at our disposal. How can we despise these gifts and claim that future battles are hopeless to fight? We owe the people of Jamestown hundreds years of faithful work to continue their once lost legacy.”

—Gary DeMar

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 21, 2007 | Permalink

The Children’s Parade marches through Fort Pocahontas.

Patriot girls at the Planting of the Cross and First Landing held at Archer’s Hope.

The Academy of the Arts presented a moving Gospel protrayal of the Jamestown story.

Lady Rebecca and her maidens en route to the Court of the KIng.

Celebrants test their skills with fencing practice.

Reenacting The First Landing where the land was claimed for Christ.

It was a week of precious friendships.

A young soldier on a providential history boat tour.

Jonathan Falwell with Howard Phillips.

Mark Beliles tells the story of the Great Awakening on the streets of Williamsburg.

One of the answers to the Jamestown 400: Our National Treasure Hunt could be found in this building.

Becky Morecraft, the Poet Laureate of the Jamestown Quadricentennial, presents her thrilling masterpiece.

Families pray for God’s blessing on this nation.

Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett made more than one appearance.

Reenactors from the Fort Pocahontas encampment.

A scene from “The Marriage of Pocahontas.”

Super sleuths vie for position in the final physical hunt for the treasure of Elias Boudinot.

At the Governor’s Palace in Colonial Williamsburg.

Fathers and daughters enjoying sweet fellowship.

Boys and men gather to remember the fathers of Jamestown.

President Teddy Roosevelt returns from the 1907 Tercentenary to address the 2007 Quadricentennial.

Little ones listen to speakers under the 3500-person Jamestown Quadricentennial tent.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 20, 2007 | Permalink

Children charge Redoubt #10 on the battlefield of Yorktown.

About one thousand celebrants came in costume.

Captain John Smith addresses Jamestown Quadricentennial celebrants.

Dedicating to the Lord the Jamestown Children’s Memorial.

Boys gather for the children’s parade.

Sleuths at work on the Jamestown 400: Our National Treasure Hunt.

A fellowship of grateful Christians and Americans.

Celebrating the providence of God from the sky.

Thousands gather for evening performances and messages.

Reenactors demonstrate colonial firearms.

Gathering around the Jamestown Children’s Memorial.

Marshall Foster leads a Faith and Freedom Tour.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 19, 2007 | Permalink

JAMESTOWN, Va. - CBN News followed Christian historian Marshall Foster as he conducted a tour of the church at historic Jamestown as the historic city celebrates 400 years.

“You’ll see the original brickwork for the foundations for the original 1617 church,” Foster explained to onlookers.

And just like archaeologists discovered the original foundations here, he hopes Americans rediscover the Christian foundations of our country.

“They planted here the first colony to the glory of God for Jesus Christ,” Marshall said. “Many of the modern historians today don’t deal with the Christian history, or they put it aside, and what we’re doing is rediscovering that heritage.”

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 19, 2007 | Permalink

Beall and I named our daughter Virginia Hope for many reasons, one of which was the fact that she was born on the 400th anniversary year of the Virginia Charter of 1606. That Charter essentially dedicated the land of America to God. It was the birth certificate of the nation, and one which would formally state that America was to be settled for the Glory of Jesus Christ and the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

We thank the Lord that Virginia Hope was present for the Jamestown Quadricentennial, and we pray that she will return in 2057. Should God give her one hundred years of life, she could return yet again for the unearthing of the Jamestown Children’s Memorial time capsule. On that day in 2107 she could read the letters her mother and father wrote to her grandchildren. She can also read the many messages dedicated to encourage the Christian children of the 22nd Century to persevere in Christ.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 18, 2007 | Permalink

They came from nearly fifty states—four thousand men, women, and children. They came to celebrate the providential origins of our nation on the 400th birthday of the founding of Jamestown. They came to give America a birthday party dedicated to the glory of God. And from the opening ceremonies which involved the reenactment of the “First Landing” on Monday, June 11th, to the glorious closing fireworks on the evening of Saturday, June 16th, the Christian families in attendance prayed, played, feasted, and rejoiced. By God’s grace. the event was blessed from beginning to end, and the Lord alone recived the glory, honor, and praise.

The Jameston Quadricentennial: A Celebration of Our Providential History was the most significant and far reaching event in the history of Vision Forum Ministries. Designed to be a distinctively Christian birthday party which took the best of the great traditions of centennial celebrations past, the event exceeded all of our expectations for its beauty and power as a testimony of the mighty hand of God in history. May the Lord Jesus Christ be praised for His loving kindness and His mercies.

The Jamestown Quadricentennial included events (often running concurrently) in five cities—Hampton, Charles City, Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown. Nearly a thousand celebrants travelled in hot air balloons. More than five thousand people participated in thirty-five, two-hour Faith and Freedom Tours that featured some of the great teachers and preachers of our day. Fifteen hundred people travelled down the James River on boat tours that presented history from a providential perspective. Just under one thousand boys and girls of all ages marched in costume, with the flags of fifty states waving and fifes and drummers playing in a grand and glorious parade on Friday. A similar number marched again on Saturday.

Over the course of the week celebrants dedicated an historic monument, attended more than twenty-five lectures and reenactments. They watched “The Marriage of Pocahontas,” met the grandson of the tenth President of the United States, shook hands with President Theodore Roosevelt, and dialogued with Princess Pocahontas. Some of them searched for answers to an historic mystery, and one of those treasure hunting sleuths became the “Fifth Trustee” and heir to a cache of four hundred gold coins. Celebrants listened to the blast of the cannons, the sounds of fifes and drums, and they gathered under the evening sky for a simply spectacular fireworks display.

But more than anything else, the families in attendance were able to take a week of their lives to stop, rejoice, give thanks to the Lord, and praise the name of Jesus Christ for his many mercies in the life of our God-blessed nation.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 18, 2007 | Permalink

Stay tuned throughout the week on Doug’s Blog for images and reports on the Jamestown Quadricentennial: A Celebration of America’s Providential History. You will also enjoy reading the detailed live blogging from last week available at buriedtreasurebooks.com.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 18, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 9, 2007 | Permalink

This coming week will be the only opportunity for Americans - amidst a year-long series of events - to actually “celebrate” the 400th anniversary of the founding of America at the Jamestown, Va. settlement, because all of the official “commemorations” have determined the arrival of the Europeans actually was an “invasion.”

The actual “celebration” is being put on by a ministry organization, Vision Forum Ministries, whose president, Doug Phillips, has warned against the revisionism that is taking place in the nation’s history.

Actual celebrations were held at the 200th, 250th, 300th, and 350th birthdays of the settlement, but they now are being denigrated as inaccurate and incomplete by government-sponsored events, he said, even though the official Jamestown site managers have documented for WND that the primary goal of the trip that sent settlers to the New World in 1607 was to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ....

This year, the official events, instead of celebrating, “are telling us we need to mourn and lament the actions of our Christian forebears,” Phillips said. The New York Times called the events something to mark Jamestown, “a town which disappeared into the mud,” and the Virginia Gazette noted the nation is spending millions of dollars and “entirely too much energy” to mark events accomplished by “a bunch of British buffoons who knew nothing of what they were doing for the sake of Christianizing Indians.”

The official statements have called the founding of Jamestown a “holocaust” and a “lynching.”

However, “the truth is these imperfect but nonetheless Christian settlers came to a world dominated by ... warring tribes” under the influence of spiritualism, Phillips said.

“They brought with them the Gospel of peace, Jesus Christ, and a dominion vision for establishing a land of freedom,” Phillips said.

“Why did the settlers come? The answer is simple: They came because they were commissioned to do so under the premise of the Great Commission,” Phillips said.

Read more here.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 9, 2007 | Permalink

WILLIAMSBURG — About 3,700 paying guests have registered to attend a weeklong celebration that’s kicking off Monday and is billed as an alternative to the official Jamestown 2007 festivities.

Interest in the event has been “amazing,” said Doug Phillips, president of Vision Forum Ministries, a conservative Christian group based in Texas planning the activities. He said the group has sold out of weeklong passes, but still has tickets for activities during the celebration’s last two days.

Read more here.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 9, 2007 | Permalink

Exactly 100 years before the members of the 2nd Continental Congress pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to the cause of freedom, Jamestown became the location of America’s first true war for independence.

The year was 1676, and the key players were an impatient and heavy-handed governor named Sir William Berkeley, and the charismatic legislator and populist, Nathaniel Bacon.

The question was this: What are citizens supposed to do when their wives and children are being murdered and scalped on a regular basis, and the civil magistrate (in this case, the governor) not only refuses to defend them, but actually prohibits the citizenry from taking up arms in defense of their own family members?

There were other issues, too. The colonists of Jamestown and beyond did not care for the governor’s excessive taxation, incompetence, or corruption. But the tipping point was Berkeley’s perceived war against women and children.

To read more, click here to see my WorldNetDaily column for June 8.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 8, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 7, 2007 | Permalink

The remains of a dock used by Benedict Arnold’s men to attack the patriots is one of the many amazing sites people will see during the James River boat tour. This dock is just off Ft. Pocahontas.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 7, 2007 | Permalink

Click here for more information.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 7, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 5, 2007 | Permalink

Boys [should be] inured from childhood to trifling risks and slight dangers of every possible description, such as tumbling into ponds and off of trees, etc., in order to strengthen their nervous system.... They ought to practice leaping off heights into deep water. They ought never to hesitate to cross a stream over a narrow unsafe plank for fear of a ducking. They ought never to decline to climb up a tree, to pull fruit merely because there is a possibility of their falling off and breaking their necks. I firmly believe that boys were intended to encounter all kinds of risks, in order to prepare them to meet and grapple with risks and dangers incident to man’s career with cool, cautious self-possession.... —R.M. Ballantyne

Click here to read the individual book descriptions.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 5, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 4, 2007 | Permalink

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 3, 2007 | Permalink

Thanks to everyone who has donated one dollar or more for the Jamestown Children’s Memorial. May the Lord allow your children’s children to be present for the opening of the time capsue in 2107.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 3, 2007 | Permalink

Imagine this.

A man awakes from a coma with fully restored mental capacities after nineteen years. He discovers the end of communism, the marriage of his four children, and the love of a wife who would not abandon him. In fact, she cared for him every day of those nineteen years.

This story speaks volumes to the issue of marital faithfulness. It also speaks to the moral evil of killing people who are in comas because they are an inconvenience.

Remember, man is not God. We are required, however, to love and care for the sick and helpless.

Read about it here.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 3, 2007 | Permalink

Artist’s rendition of the Jamestown Children’s Memorial to be unveiled during the Jamestown Quadricentennial festivities

Past generations have recognized the importance of using the occasion of historic anniversaries to raise up rocks of remembrance to the glory of God and His many providential blessings through the lives of our forefathers. This year the grateful children of America are raising a monument in gratitude to the faithful providence of God in America’s founding and committing to raise up the next generation of grateful children. Many generations from now America will hold its 500th birthday. Lord willing, our descendants will be there to again celebrate God’s providence in American history. What will the legacy be that they uncover? One of the things that our great grand descendants will uncover is a time capsule laid specifically for them by the grateful children of another era. They will dig up, unseal, and open this time capsule filled with the names of their great-grandfathers and mothers who left a legacy of gratitude to the Lord and prayed for them that they would stand strong, persevere, and be preserved to again declare the faithfulness of God in their day. Today, you can be among that generation of grateful legacy leavers. We are extending the deadline for participation in the Jamestown Children’s Memorial until 12 am Saturday night June 2nd.

It is my earnest prayer that in 2107 my children’s, children’s, children’s children will still be walking in faithfulness before the Lord. I pray that they will remember the legacy of gratitude that their great, great, great, great, great-grandfather and grandmother left them and that on the 500th anniversary of America’s birth in Jamestown they will again lift up their voices in praise to the mighty God who has blessed us and preserved us, that they will uncover the buried legacy of their grateful forebears, and that they will be inspired to once again raise rocks of remembrance and gratitude to the Lord and leave a legacy for their great, great, great-grandchildren.

With a simple one dollar donation you can put your child’s name on the document that will be buried for future generations to uncover. Because this is the last call we are only able to accept online donations. Hurry. Before the stroke of midnight tonight, insure that your children’s names will be recorded and preserved as a legacy for their future children to uncover.

To include your child’s name in the Children’s Memorial time capsule CLICK HERE and make sure to include their full name in the “Optional Comment” field with your one dollar donation per child to be included.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 2, 2007 | Permalink

America’s Quadricentennial provides a time when Americans of all persuasions can rejoice together that the seeds planted at her birth were of such quality as to bring forth the civil liberty we still enjoy today. Yet, those conducting the “commemoration” (one cannot say celebration these days) of America’s four hundredth birthday find it difficult to give honor to whom honor is due.

It is common today to view all the European settlements, especially Jamestown and Plymouth, as “an invasion.” Since we must come to conclusions based upon a bias of historic interpretations (all have such a bias), it may be important to highlight the biased assumptions of some of today’s historians.

To View Paul Jehle’s full article go to VisionForum.org

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 2, 2007 | Permalink

In God’s blessed providence, we have secured a 125-passenger vessel on which we will be offering scenic and historical boat tours down the James River past Jamestown Fort. The tours are just over two hours in length and are a wonderful opportunity for families to learn about the history of Jamestown as they see the coastline from a vantage point which is not dissimilar to what Sir Christopher Newport and the first settlers had four hundred years ago. There is limited space available, and sign-ups are first come, first serve.

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 1, 2007 | Permalink

The following is an excerpt from my article on WorldNetDaily.com which debuts today:

That this westerne discoverie will be greatly for thine enlargemente of the Gospell of Christe, whereunto the principals of the refourmed Relligion are Chefely bounde, amongt whom her [Majesty] principall. - Richard Hakluyt

As we celebrate the 400th anniversary of the American people, it is important to remember that behind great national movements in history there is often found the sword, the purse, pulpit and the pen.

The sword is the guardian and the final resort of free people against tyranny from within or oppression from without. The purse represents the financiers who subsidize the work of liberty. The pulpit proclaims the theological mandate for the mission. And the pen is the voice of influence and reason poised to rally men to noble action.

During the War for American Independence, the sword was courageously carried by George Washington, the purse was generously offered by John Hancock, the pulpit was militantly occupied by clergymen like John Witherspoon, and the pen of influence was artfully wielded by Thomas Jefferson.

In the case of the founding of America at Jamestown, all four of these roles were filled by unlikely, but remarkable individuals each united by a common vision to see America become a bulwark of reformation Christianity and a beachhead for Gospel evangelism.

John Smith was the sword. Rev. Robert Hunt was the pulpit. The men of the Virginia Company formed the purse. And an ordained Gospel minister, cartographer and prolific author named Richard Hakluyt was the pen.

Of the above individuals, no man had more influence on the founding of America as a distinctively Christian and English nation than Richard Hakluyt.

The great historian Samuel Eliot Morison observed that Hakluyt “did more than any other man of his generation to invigorate the efforts which eventually bore fruit in Virginia and New England.”

Posted by Doug Phillips on June 1, 2007 | Permalink