Chris Stewart - Seven Miracles That Saved America: Why They Matter and Why We Should Have Hope

In memory of Jim Snarr,
one of the worlds greatest teachers.
C.S.

ToLora and our posterity.
T.S.

Stewart, Chris, 1960

Seven miracles that saved America / ChrisStewart and Ted Stewart.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references andindex.

ISBN 978-1-60641-144-5 (hardbound : alk.paper)

1. UnitedStatesHistoryReligious aspectsChristianity.

2. AmericaDiscovery andexploration. 3. Miracles. I. Stewart,Ted. II. Title.

E179.S845 2009

973dc22 2009027679

Printed in the United States of America

R. R. Donnelley, Crawfordsville, IN

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Introduction

Casablanca, Morocco
January 2007

TheAmerican felt isolated and alone. He knew he had too much money in hispockets, and the American passport he carried wouldnt help him here. Theneighborhood around him was as filthy, desperately poor, andanti-American as any in the world. Al-Qaeda was strong andgrowing in Northern Africa, with fourteen of the eighteen terroristsresponsible for the latest bombings in Spain having come from the neighborhoodin which he stood.

He hunched on the worn cement stairs below one of therock turrets that guarded the ancient walls around the old town, his head low,his eyes taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. The walled section of the cityhad changed very little over the past seven hundred years. Everything was old:the great wall, the stone streets, the buildings, the wooden guard shacks thatused to house the Arab armies. The rock paths that ran through the old quarterwere smooth as glass, and the sky, silver from the reflected ocean less thantwo kilometers away, could barely be seen above the unbroken line of two- and three-storybuildings. A thousand strands of patchwork telephone and electrical wires werestretched across the street.

The crowd pushed noisily around him. Most of the menavoided walking too close, and all of the women, many of their faces covered,refused to even make eye contact with him. The streets were an overkill ofcolor, movement, and smells, some of them wonderful, some of them foul, the airhot and humid with human perspiration and salty air. All of therock-and-mortar buildings towering above the alley were open tothe street. The spice shops smelled of mint and olives from Meknes, oranges andlemons from Fez. An old man beside a wooden cart sold peppered soup anddates.

A beggar approached him, gesturing to take his picturefor a few centimes. The American indicated that he didnt have acamerahe wasnt a touristbut the beggar stillmoved closer, his smell tart. The American produced a couple oftwenty-centime coins. The beggar bowed and thanked him, smilingthrough missing teeth. The American checked his watch, then stood and startedwalking.

Half a dozen buildings down, he stopped. Something hadcaught his eye. He stood before an open storefront, its metal bars folded backagainst the cement walls. The shop owner stooped against the back wall,protecting a metal money box. Behind him, an old and tattered poster, writtenin English, had been tacked to the ancient framing. The American pulled off hisdark glasses and leaned toward it. The words were instantly familiar.

Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a newnation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men arecreated equal.

Abraham Lincoln. The Gettysburg Address.

The shop owner, an old man with a wispy beard and carefuleyes, stared at the American. The two men studied each other for a long moment,then broke into understanding smiles.

American Exceptionalism

Millions of people in our country honestlybelieve there is something special, something exceptional, about the United States. And the idea of American exceptionalismis not confined to within our borders. Millions of people scattered across theworld believe the same thing, wish the same thing,want the same thing to be true.

They look to us for an example.

They look to us for hope.

Belief in a nations exceptionalismseems to be almost entirely an American trait. For example, as documented in arecent survey, nearly three-quarters of U.S. citizens say they areproud to be Americans. Fewer than a third of the people in France, Italy,Germany, or Japan feel the same about their country.

And while it is true that, on somelevel, many people from other nations are proud of theircountriesand we believe people should feel a sense of pride and duty to the lands in which they werebornas the above statistics show, there is something tangiblyextraordinary about the country in which we live.

Many people hate us for this difference.Some rail against the influence we have had upon the world. Some are jealous.Too many of our own countrymen reject the idea that we are different, seeing usas no better, and maybe worse, than India or England or Malaysia or anywhereelse.

But we are demonstrably different.

And thats been apparent from the verystart.

The idea of American exceptionalism isnothing new. The concept was first explored in detail by the French politicalwriter and statesman Alexis de Tocqueville,

Though difficult to define precisely,the idea of American exceptionalism encompasses at least these generalprinciples:

Americanslong-held belief that all of Gods children are created equal.Because of this, Americans accept and adhere to the principle that all areequal before the law and all should haveequal access to the protection of the law.Holding to this principle has led generation after generation of Americans towalk the long and difficult path that leads to a destination where equality isa reality and not just a goal.

AmericasConstitutionthe fact that the highest law of the land emphasizesindividual rights and decentralization of power, thus assuring protection forliberty and freedom. Further, the nature of the United States Constitution andwholesale acceptance by our citizenry that it is supreme results in astability that is a distinct and significant advantage over other forms ofgovernment.

TheAmerican belief that personal liberty and freedom is the highestprioritya higher priority even than a risk- or want-freelife. From our very inception, give me a chance and I can do it! has been amuch more common sentiment than a someones got to help me attitude.

Abelief in a meritocracythat we should be judged by what weaccomplish and what we can do, not by our family lineage. Indeed, from the verybeginning, Americans have specifically (and quite happily) rejected any form ofroyalty or aristocracy.

Adherenceto private moralitya belief that there can be no public virtuewithout private morality, and that public virtue is essential to the success ofour government and the preservation of individual liberty and freedom.