大道—美國遺產概要20
正如前幾週所談到的，隨著自由市場的發展，點子成為最有價值的資產。那些有寶貴點子的人只佔全世界人口很小的比例，但投資這些點子的機會是開放給所有人的，他們因而從中獲利。於是許多在「自由世界」的人便如此投資，這促使更多財富分散給更多人，這是先前歷史從未有過的，而且是以很自然和有機的方式進行。
當然，雖然這些發展並不只限於美國，但在美國的自由環境為私有財產提供安全保障，最終使美國成為世界經濟和金融首府。來自世界各地的人開始在美國投資，帶給美國資產和商業價值不斷上升。最後，在美國創造的大部分財富都投資於其他國家，自由市場變成一個世界市場。
正如第一世紀傳揚福音是隨著當時的貿易路線而行，當美國在十九世紀和二十世紀成為世界貿易中心，美國也成為世界宣教和基督教中心。然而，美國的基督教在許多方面都不同於其他地方，正如其政府和經濟也是如此不同，這些都是相關連的。
基督教的影響中心從耶路撒冷向西移，所到的每一處都停留一段時間，在其信仰上添加一些當地的文化影響。為此緣故，俗話說：「在耶路撒冷福音成為一個宗教，在雅典福音成為一種哲學，在羅馬福音成為一個機構，在英國福音成為一個傳統，在美國福音成為一個企業。」這種說法一點也沒錯，對於這些影響利弊的研究，可以幫助我們瞭解許多基督教目前的狀態和我們所處的時候。
假如基督教世界中心向西移的模式繼續進行，我們可以預期下一個福音和宣教影響中心會在亞洲，然後回到福音最剛開始的起點中東和耶路撒冷。
每個基督教暫時性的影響中心都會增加好的事物與壞的事物（我們所指的不是福音的核心聖經真理），但他們也加上自己的文化影響在教會生活、宣教和基督教對世界的呈現。就拿雅典和羅馬來說，他們的一些影響早在耶穌來到地上之前就開始。
舉例來說，亞歷山大大帝的征服動機是要將希臘語言和文化傳播到全世界。他做得如此成功，以致於希臘文成為基督教誕生時期的通用語言。這為福音在第一世紀快速傳播鋪路，因為新約大部分是由希臘文所寫成，保羅這位「外邦人的使徒」也在希臘傳教。
「使徒」（apostle）這個字來自羅馬字和羅馬概念；一位羅馬「使徒」是從羅馬派出的艦隊負責人，他們將文化，法律和官員帶到羅馬帝國所征服的土地上。他們也帶來即將成為那些土地殖民者的羅馬人，以協助當地適應羅馬帝國的方式和旨意。當耶穌使用使徒此專有名詞論到祂的門徒領袖，他們瞭解他們要帶著天國文化和治理，栽種在祂所差派他們去到的屬靈殖民地（教會）。
還有許多較小的福音中心對基督教的發展產生重大影響，這些地方包括德國的威登堡（Wittenberg），瑞士的日內瓦和蘇黎世，以及蘇格蘭等地。學習與他們有關之事物並尊榮他們也是我們在信仰上尊榮父母的一種方式，他們皆影響到基督教在美國的形成。
加爾文是法國／瑞士改革者，又被稱為「現代民主之父」，他的教導對美國共和國發展意義重大。另外還有約翰.諾克斯（John Knox）、馬丁路德、斯文利（Zwingli）、親岑多夫等人，也對美國能成為今日面貌貢獻很大。
通過學習這些知識，我們可以學到很多關於自己和我們將成為的樣式，但這些為現代基督教帶來影響的地方，沒有一個是新耶路撒冷或神的國度。我們需要尊榮他們，同時卻對神所建造的終極城市擁有一個更高異象，這城是從亞伯拉罕以來成為每個真正客旅的終極異象。
所有這些地方，包括美國，可能都不是那城，但他們都是以賽亞預言，會被建造為神要來國度預備道路的更高大道之一部分（參考以賽亞書40章）。當我們看見這條大道已被建造，我們可以更加瞭解尚需完成的工作，那便是我們要做的部分。
正如在耶路撒冷的初代教會受到影響，試圖妥協福音的重要真理，例如有人想要把教會帶到摩西律法之下，這些暫時性的「福音首都」同樣受到來自當地文化不好影響的攻擊。
正如有「屬靈的法利賽人」想要把教會帶到律法主義的軛之下，這些來自其他中心的邪惡影響同樣仍不斷嘗試扭曲信仰。當我們在歷史中看見其根源，可以大大幫助我們抵擋這些邪惡影響。
刊載美國遺產概要的主要原因是為了遵守尊榮父母的誡命，也藉此縱覽我們曾走過的路，以致於我們可以更佳知道我們目前在哪裡，將往哪裡去。到目前為止，我們不過才開始描繪此地圖的輪廓，當我們繼續進行，我們會添加更多細節，整幅圖畫將會更加清晰。
我們走的越遠，此地圖會變得更迷人、更有趣。這是因為它結合了所有歷史中最有趣、最令人興奮的人物與事件。這些人物是您的父老，他們為萬王之王，為我們所做之事的故事，使他們配受尊榮。
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～摘錄美國第三任總統─湯馬斯·傑弗遜（Thomas Jefferson）～
我們絕不能容許統治者讓我們背負永遠償還不完的債務。
～摘錄美國憲法起草人之一，亞歷山大·漢密爾頓（Alexander Hamilton）～
如果法律的內容冗長到無法閱讀，或是條理不明而無法理解，那麼由人們自己選擇的法律將對人民毫無益處。如果能在頒布之前廢除或修改這些法規，或者進行不斷修改，以至於知道今天法律的人，無法猜測明天的法律。
(摘自喬納word for the week, Week 20, 2020)
The Highway—Heritage Brief 20
As covered, with the development of the free market, ideas became the most valuable assets. Those who had valuable ideas were a small percentage of the population, but the opportunity to invest in them, and thereby profit from them, was open to all. Multitudes in “the free world” did just that. This caused more wealth to spread to more people than ever before in history, and in the most organic and natural way.
Of course, these developments were not limited to America, but the freedom in America, and the security provided there for private property, ultimately made America the economic and financial capital of the world. People from all over the world started investing in America, causing the value of American assets and businesses to increase. In time, much of the wealth being created in America was invested in other countries, and the free market became a world market.
Just as the spreading of the gospel had followed the trade routes in the first century, with America becoming a center of world trade in the 19th and 20thcenturies, America also became a center for world missions and Christianity. However, the expression of Christianity in America was different than in any other place in many ways, just as its government and economy were different, and these were all connected.
The center of influence of Christianity had moved from Jerusalem west. Each place that it rested for a time added some of its cultural influence to the faith. For this reason, it became a saying: “In Jerusalem the gospel became a religion, in Athens it became a philosophy, in Rome it became an institution, in Britain it became a tradition, and in America it became an enterprise.” There is truth to this. A study of how these influences were both good and bad can help us understand much about the present state of Christianity and our times.
If this pattern of the center of world Christianity moving west continues, we can expect the next center of influence for the gospel and missions to be in Asia, then back to the Middle East and Jerusalem where it originated.
Each temporary center of influence for Christianity added both good and bad things (we are not talking about the core biblical truth of the gospel), but they also added their own cultural influences to church life, missions, and the expression of Christianity to the world. For some of these, such as Athens and Rome, some of their influence began before Jesus walked the earth.
For example, Alexander the Great’s motive for conquest was to spread the Greek language and culture to the world. He was so successful at this that the Greek language became a common language in the world just in time for the birth of Christianity. This paved the way for the fast spreading of the gospel in the first century as The New Testament was written mostly in Greek, and Paul, the “apostle to the Gentiles,” preached in Greek.
The word “apostle” was derived from a Roman word and concept. A Roman “apostle” was the leader of a fleet sent out from Rome to take the culture, laws, and officials to the lands conquered by the Empire. These also carried Romans who would be colonists in those lands to help them adapt to the ways and will of the Empire. When Jesus used this term for His leaders, they understood that they were to carry the culture and government of His kingdom, and plant spiritual colonies (churches) in the lands He sent them to.
There were many other smaller centers of the advancing gospel that had a major impact on what Christianity has become. These would include places like Wittenberg, Germany; Geneva and Zurich, Switzerland; Scotland, and others. Learning about these and honoring them is also a way that we can honor our fathers and mothers in the faith. They all had an influence on shaping the expression of Christianity in America.
John Calvin, the French/Swiss reformer, is known as “the father of modern democracy,” and his teachings had a significant part in the development of our Republic. Those of John Knox, Luther, Zwingli, Zinzendorf, and others also contributed greatly to what America became.
We can learn much about ourselves and who we have become by studying these, but none of these places of influence for what Christianity now is were the New Jerusalem, or the kingdom of God. We need to honor them, but also have a higher vision of the ultimate city that God is building. This city has been the ultimate vision of every true sojourner since Abraham.
All of these places, including America, may not be that city, but they are all a part of the great highway that Isaiah prophesied would be built to prepare the way for the coming kingdom of God (see Isaiah 40). As we see the highway that has been built, we can better understand the work still needing to be done that is our part.
Just as the first-century church in Jerusalem came under attack from influences that sought to compromise the crucial truths of the gospel, such as those seeking to bring the church under the law of Moses, each of these other temporary “capitals of the gospel” were likewise attacked by bad influences from their cultures.
Just as there are still “spiritual Pharisees” seeking to bring the church under the yoke of legalism, all of these other evil influences from these other centers are likewise still constantly trying to pervert the faith. It can help us greatly to resist them when we see the roots of them in history.
A main reason for publishing these Briefs is to obey the commandment to honor our fathers and mothers. It is also to have an overview of where we have been so that we can better know where we are and where we’re going. To date, we have only begun to sketch an outline of this map. As we proceed, we will add more detail, and the picture will get much clearer.
The further we go, the more fascinating and exciting this map will get. This is because it is composed of some of the most interesting and exciting people and events in all of history. These were your fathers and mothers, and the stories of what they did for The King, and for us, make them worthy to be honored.
We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt.–Thomas Jefferson
It will be of little avail to the people, that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood; if they be repealed or revised before they are promulgated, or undergo such incessant changes that no man, who knows what the law is today, can guess what it will be tomorrow. –Alexander Hamilton