Many years ago, my then-teenage daughter was on a church choir tour in Philadelphia. My wife asked her by phone how it was going.
Our daughter replied that everything had been going great and that they were hoping to visit the nation's second largest shopping mall. But no.
Instead, they had to go see "some stupid bell with a crack in it." She told me later she just said this because she wanted to get a rise out of her dad — that would be me.
Feelings of patriotism ebb and flow. Is patriotism making a comeback?
Fox News reports on one man who thinks so: "Country singer Craig Morgan believes that President Donald Trump's administration has already brought about a surge of patriotism in America."
Noah Webster's 1828 dictionary defines "patriotism" as "[l]ove of one's country; the passion which aims to serve one's country, either in defending it from invasion, or protecting its rights and maintaining its laws and institutions in vigor and purity."
The Liberty Bell is clearly a great icon of America.
How fitting, then, that the only thing written on it, other than the manufacturer, is a Bible verse, "Proclaim liberty throughout the land to all the inhabitants thereof." This comes from Leviticus 25, verse 4, in the King James Version.
The National Park Service (NPS) says: "This verse refers to the 'Jubilee,' or the instructions to the Israelites to return property and free slaves every 50 years. Speaker of the Pennsylvania Assembly Isaac Norris chose this inscription for the State House bell in 1751, possibly to commemorate the 50th anniversary of William Penn's 1701 Charter of Privileges which granted religious liberties and political self-government to the people of Pennsylvania."
The Liberty Bell, recognized worldwide as the symbol of America's national independence, has also become the symbol around the globe for mankind's deepest longing — freedom.
America's national freedom, born on July 4, 1776, and first publicly proclaimed on July 8, 1776, was given birth by a courageous band of colonists assembled in Philadelphia, who wrote our nation's birth certificate, the Declaration of Independence. It declared independence from Great Britain, but dependence upon Almighty God.
In the early 19th century, the bell in Philadelphia became a focal point for the anti-slavery movement. The NPS observes: "The Anti-Slavery Record, an abolitionist publication, first referred to the bell as the Liberty Bell in 1835."
Of course, the real Liberty Bell can be seen in Philadelphia. Meanwhile, there is a noteworthy replica of the bell on display at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.
This "Liberty Bell" replica was the brainchild and creation of one of my mentors, Peter Lillback, the founder and president emeritus of Providence Forum. Lillback donated the organization he founded to Coral Ridge Ministries, and today I have the privilege to serve as its executive director.
More than two decades ago, Lillback decided to make an exact replica of the bell to honor the 300th anniversary of William Penn's 1701 "Charter of Liberties."
Lillback contacted the foundry in England that had made the original bell in 1751 to honor the 50th anniversary of Penn's historic document on liberty of conscience. The company was still in business, and it was able to make an exact replica.
The wooden yoke at the top of the tree came from wood from the last known Liberty Tree, the one in Annapolis, Maryland (but that's another story). Lillback and Providence Forum exhibited the bell at various conferences and events.
Finally, when the Museum of the Bible was opening, about 10 years ago, Lillback gave the bell on permanent loan so that millions could see it. Because it was so big, they had to use a crane to lower the replica into place.
Penn's groundbreaking Charter was premised on the point that "Almighty God being the only Lord of Conscience, Father of Lights and Spirits ..." It goes on to say that no one "who shall confess and acknowledge One Almighty God, the Creator, Upholder and Ruler of the World; and profess Him or themselves obliged to live quietly under the Civil Government, shall be in any Case molested or prejudiced."
Nor should they be compelled as to where and how they worship.
This was revolutionary at the time. No wonder this milestone gave birth to such a key symbol in world history.
William Penn's gift to the world was the freedom to worship God according to the dictates of one's own conscience.
Of course, the Rev. Roger Williams, who founded Rhode Island, came up with similar freedoms almost a century earlier, on a smaller scale.
But in our age of religious diversity and political pluralism, we can easily overlook the liberty recognized by such American pioneers as William Penn. How little we know today that is symbolized by "some stupid bell with a crack in it."
Dr. Jerry Newcombe is the executive director of Providence Forum, a division of Coral Ridge Ministries, where Jerry also serves as senior producer and an on-air contributor. He has written/co-written 33 books, including (with D. James Kennedy), "What If Jesus Had Never Been Born?" and (with Dr. Peter Lillback), "George Washington’s Sacred Fire." Read the Rev. Jerry Newcombe's Reports — More Here.
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