Before our Constitution, or the Declaration of Independence... and before any Bill of Rights... there was the Mayflower Compact. It was a covenant between a group of religious castaways from Europe and an Almighty God, the God of the Judeo-Christian Bible. The group had no power or influence, and when they arrived on the shores of New England more than 400 years ago, before leaving the vessel they'd lived in for months, they wrote a pact, a covenant...with God.  Historian Dr. Marshall Foster says, "the covenant is between themselves and God to obey His word...to obey God and to love one another and to build a constitutional republic. That's actually what they built." In today's society there's heated debate about America's roots, about whether it is a Christian nation or one that is primarily secular and pluralistic when it comes to religious beliefs. But, if covenants have power, like that of Noah's, Abraham's, Moses's and Jesus's.... we should think soberly about the real cause of this country's prosperity. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, Dr. Foster talks about his book "The American Covenant: The Untold Story", that explores America's religious beginnings that students will not learn in today's public schools. It's a narrative that says our "Economic prosperity,  and individual liberty can only be attributed to the hand of God and the covenant between our founders and their creator."   And that every founding document had in its core the belief that God ultimately would be leading this nation. As Benjamin Franklin wrote to George Washington as the Constitutional Convention of 1787 hit snag after snag, "God governs the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings that 'except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.'... I firmly believe this."  Dr. Foster writes, "The Convention went on to complete its task."Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices