Matt and Laurie Crouch welcome Michael Medved and Tim Mahoney to discuss The American Miracle and the role of faith, providence, and courage in America’s history.
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Praise | Michael Medved & Tim Mahoney: A Nation by Providence | Praise | June 30, 2026
- >> it says in the declaration that we celebrate when it talks
- 00:00:05.230 --> 00:00:08.767
- About the life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
- 00:00:08.767 --> 00:00:12.103
- Governments are not passed down from on high. they are
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- Instituted among men to secure the rights that are given by
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- God.
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- >> what has happened is we've gone from heroic stories to
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- Anti-heroes. i had been praying and asking the lord, what
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- Should i do? and i felt like he was talking to me and saying to
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- Tell heroic stories again. to be a citizen means to actually
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- Be a participant in this nation. i'm responsible for my own
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- Country.
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- >> is a summons for people to get involved in keeping this
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- American miracle alive.
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- >> tonight on praise from dallas, creators of the
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- American miracle, michael medved and tim mahoney. and now
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- Your hosts, matt and laurie crouch.
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- >> the american miracle. thank you to tim mahoney and michael
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- Medved for creating this amazing film. we're going to be
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- Getting clips of during this praise program today, based on
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- The book the american miracle. and michael, we first of all, i
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- Wanted to get to know both of you a little bit more. and
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- Michael, i, i, i hate to sit here and fanboy as much as i'm
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- About to, but i, i have to, i have to give credit where
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- Credit is due. michael medved okay, sneak previews. cnn you
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- Know, you did all of the movie reviews for cnn from the very
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- Beginnings. what was the name of that one tv show on cnn in
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- The early days about entertainment that you would
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- Guest.
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- >> on entertainment today, today.
- 00:02:06.551 --> 00:02:08.987
- >> entertainment today.
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- >> correct? not not entertainment tonight,
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- Different.
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- >> entertainment today on cnn. as a young teenager, i was
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- Hired by that program one time to shoot the presidential golf
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- Tournament. and bob hope invitational down in torrey
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- Pines, and the camera man that they were, they got sick or
- 00:02:31.409 --> 00:02:38.149
- Something. and i got this call early saturday morning. can you
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- Grab a camera? can you run down to torrey pines and and when i
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- Went in to get a camera at tbn, all of the cameras were gone.
- 00:02:45.823 --> 00:02:51.529
- And there was only this one kind of broken down, one off in
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- The corner. it was the only one in there. i grabbed it, thought
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- It was working, shot all day. none of the footage comes out
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- The next week when they're doing their show. on the friday,
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- There was a picture of me and the host and bob hope, and he
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- Lit the corner of the picture, and i was burned up out of the
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- Picture on. so that was my only appearance on the show that you
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- Largely took over there at cnn. and but i want to i just want
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- To say that your book, hollywood versus america, gave
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- Me and lori or i should have said, lori and me voice to this.
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- Yeah, to this big part of our life that we've been involved
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- In by putting 13 films into the box office. now, your book,
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- Hollywood versus america, literally was the was where we
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- Got our language to start this progression of what, what we
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- Wanted to do. and i've interviewed you before, but
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- It's been a long time. and this is a big day for me to sit here
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- Talking about the american miracle. that's great. but i
- 00:04:17.915 --> 00:04:21.486
- Want to get your personal miracle. okay, great story we
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- Heard in the green room. okay, michael, please tell kind of
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- Your start back in the old country and move forward here.
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- >> well, it's really the story of my life. i mean, i wouldn't
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- Exist without it. my grandparents were from the
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- Ukraine and they were poor. my grandfather was a barrel maker,
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- And it didn't make a lot of cash that way. they had the
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- Dream of coming to america, and my grandfather came first to
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- Earn enough money to bring his wife, my grandmother, and their
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- Six children to the new world. and what happened is, by the
- 00:05:07.231 --> 00:05:11.102
- Time he did that, and having worked for several years in
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- Philadelphia, they were on their way from ukraine to
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- Bremen, where they were going to get a boat and come to
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- America. world war one broke out.
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- >> oh my goodness.
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- >> and they were stuck in ukraine. my grandmother and her
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- Six children. and by the time they finally were able to get
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- Out to get to america, five of the six children had died.
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- >> oh my goodness.
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- >> a hunger and the first world war and the russian revolution
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- And the russian civil war. and my grandmother and grandfather,
- 00:05:46.337 --> 00:05:51.376
- After ten years separated, were finally reunited. and then she
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- Got sick and she got terribly sick in the new world. she
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- Couldn't keep her food down. she couldn't sleep at night.
- 00:06:00.418 --> 00:06:03.988
- >> where would this have been? what part of the united states.
- 00:06:03.988 --> 00:06:06.991
- >> south philadelphia.
- 00:06:06.991 --> 00:06:07.825
- >> south philadelphia, south philly.
- 00:06:07.825 --> 00:06:09.060
- >> got it. yeah. and of course, neither my grandfather or my
- 00:06:09.060 --> 00:06:13.431
- Grandmother spoke much english at the time. she went to see a
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- Doctor, and because she was afraid she was going to die,
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- She was afraid she had a tumor. and so she came out after her
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- Exam.
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- >> at a howled again. at 50 years old.
- 00:06:28.246 --> 00:06:31.315
- >> she was 50 years old. 50 years old. right? and having
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- Lost five, she had five daughters. the only survivor
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- Was my uncle. but that's another story. so my
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- Grandmother comes out of the exam and she's crying because
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- She assumes she's going to hear the news that she has a tumor
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- And she's going to die, and she's crying in front of the
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- Doctor says, why are you crying? she says, because i know what
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- You're going to tell me. you're going to tell me i have a tumor.
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- He says, no, i'm going to tell you you have a baby. and she
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- Says, that is completely impossible. i'm 50 years old. i
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- Can't have a baby. she says, your name is sarah, isn't it?
- 00:07:11.289 --> 00:07:16.027
- And it was.
- 00:07:16.027 --> 00:07:17.428
- >> and my name's not sarah right now.
- 00:07:17.428 --> 00:07:21.098
- >> and that is the name of her great granddaughter, our our
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- Daughter, our firstborn was sarah.
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- >> my goodness, isn't that something?
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- >> that was my.
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- >> dad's mother's name.
- 00:07:32.944 --> 00:07:34.178
- >> and that's my dad's mother's name. and my dad grew up as
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- This american miracle. he was an american born boy who went
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- Had an amazing career. he was worked for nasa. he taught at
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- Ucla. he's a physicist. he was part of the scientist astronaut
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- Program. and he spent the last 19 years of his life teaching
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- In israel.
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- >> i came to persuade you to avoid these dangers.
- 00:08:02.039 --> 00:08:06.010
- >> we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
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- Created equal.
- 00:08:10.248 --> 00:08:12.884
- >> if our union is to hold together, something must be
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- Done.
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- >> he will become founder of a mighty empire.
- 00:08:18.489 --> 00:08:25.897
- >> the fate of unborn millions now depends under god upon the
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- Conduct and courage of this army.
- 00:08:29.734 --> 00:08:34.005
- >> various founders talked about this providential
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- Experiment that god had ordained and intervened at this
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- Unique moment in american history to make all of this
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- Happen.
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- >> most of them believed that there were no accidents in
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- History.
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- >> that hope for liberty was the light, that under god he
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- Would lead them.
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- >> all eyes are opened or opening to the rights of man.
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- >> am i all mankind?
- 00:09:00.698 --> 00:09:03.534
- >> we have.
- 00:09:03.534 --> 00:09:04.702
- >> been assured, sir, in the sacred writings, that except
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- The lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. it
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- Cannot be.
- 00:09:14.378 --> 00:09:15.079
- >> denied that with.
- 00:09:15.079 --> 00:09:16.914
- >> america and in america a new era commences in human affairs.
- 00:09:16.914 --> 00:09:25.222
- >> america is something that i. i hold in my heart.
- 00:09:25.222 --> 00:09:39.170
- >> americans of today should regain our bearings, that our
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- Nation is no accident.
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- >> isn't that something.
- 00:09:49.614 --> 00:09:51.082
- >> your father was birthed by your grandmother at 50 years
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- Old, and she had no idea she was pregnant. you're a miracle,
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- Right? the fact that you're here, it's a miracle. that's
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- Why you write about american miracles. but. so not only a
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- Personal miracle. and you believe in miracles because
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- You've had them in your own family. but the american
- 00:10:15.573 --> 00:10:19.510
- Miracle.
- 00:10:19.510 --> 00:10:20.578
- >> you can't look at this country and how it happened
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- Without being struck by the hand of providence. and that
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- That was true of our founders. one of the things that people
- 00:10:29.720 --> 00:10:33.124
- Talk about is, well, it wasn't really so much a miracle. it
- 00:10:33.124 --> 00:10:36.060
- Was just a lot of really bright, clever people like alexander
- 00:10:36.060 --> 00:10:39.664
- Hamilton and george washington and thomas jefferson and james
- 00:10:39.664 --> 00:10:42.933
- Madison and the rest of them, benjamin franklin. but all of
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- Those people believed it was a hand of god. even the ones who
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- Weren't conventionally religious, even the ones who
- 00:10:51.275 --> 00:10:54.145
- Were deists. they saw george washington when he spoke in his
- 00:10:54.145 --> 00:10:57.782
- First inaugural address, talked about the invisible hand, which
- 00:10:57.782 --> 00:11:03.487
- Had allowed them to go through this revolution, that they had
- 00:11:03.487 --> 00:11:07.458
- No logical right to win. but they did. and one of the things
- 00:11:07.458 --> 00:11:14.331
- That we talk about in the movie and and in the book that
- 00:11:14.331 --> 00:11:18.903
- Inspired it is how miraculous it was that george washington
- 00:11:18.903 --> 00:11:23.374
- Survived time after time after time, being exposed to danger
- 00:11:23.374 --> 00:11:28.112
- And the dangers of death. and it impressed his contemporaries.
- 00:11:28.112 --> 00:11:32.283
- So they picked him out as young as the age of 23. as someone
- 00:11:32.283 --> 00:11:37.188
- Who had a special designation for what his importance was
- 00:11:37.188 --> 00:11:42.426
- Going to be, and the emergence of an american nation.
- 00:11:42.426 --> 00:11:46.697
- >> god's choice for that part of american history.
- 00:11:46.697 --> 00:11:50.634
- >> and his colleagues, even his political opponents. and he had
- 00:11:50.634 --> 00:11:53.871
- Some believed that.
- 00:11:53.871 --> 00:11:56.407
- >> my goodness.
- 00:11:56.407 --> 00:11:58.576
- >> the british believed they were on the verge of destroying
- 00:11:58.576 --> 00:12:02.012
- The american rebels. but washington's bold decision to
- 00:12:02.012 --> 00:12:05.816
- Attack trenton was aided by a providential christmas
- 00:12:05.816 --> 00:12:10.121
- Snowstorm that blinded their approach, allowing the
- 00:12:10.121 --> 00:12:13.657
- Continental army complete victory over the hessian
- 00:12:13.657 --> 00:12:16.961
- Garrison. this turn of events shocked the british and brought
- 00:12:16.961 --> 00:12:23.167
- Great hope to the colonies that god's providence was aiding in
- 00:12:23.167 --> 00:12:28.038
- Their fight for independence.
- 00:12:28.038 --> 00:12:31.642
- >> hawaii.
- 00:12:31.642 --> 00:12:35.312
- >> my name is john fitzgerald, aide de camp to general
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- Washington, i. thought a week ago washington took us across
- 00:12:38.616 --> 00:12:43.487
- The delaware river. it's full of ice. it's uncrossable really.
- 00:12:43.487 --> 00:12:48.259
- But our new position allowed us to catch the hessians at
- 00:12:48.259 --> 00:12:51.495
- Trenton totally unaware. christmas it was. it was a
- 00:12:51.495 --> 00:12:55.800
- Great victory.
- 00:12:55.800 --> 00:12:58.435
- >> casualties? yeah.
- 00:12:58.435 --> 00:13:01.605
- >> oh, not many, if any on our side. plenty on their side,
- 00:13:01.605 --> 00:13:05.943
- Though. we stocked up on food and supplies as well.
- 00:13:05.943 --> 00:13:09.880
- >> and then what? well.
- 00:13:09.880 --> 00:13:12.783
- >> were you expecting a swift counterattack from howe? so we
- 00:13:12.783 --> 00:13:16.053
- Dug in on the south side of this little creek. good ground,
- 00:13:16.053 --> 00:13:19.590
- But we were hemmed in. we couldn't stay. but the night
- 00:13:19.590 --> 00:13:23.227
- Grew very cold and the roads firmed up. washington saw a
- 00:13:23.227 --> 00:13:27.865
- Chance. we moved again, real quiet, like in the middle of
- 00:13:27.865 --> 00:13:31.702
- The night. we snuck right past howe's army and made it up here.
- 00:13:31.702 --> 00:13:36.473
- And now we've got to flanked.
- 00:13:36.473 --> 00:13:39.343
- >> and where are we again? princeton, i.
- 00:13:39.343 --> 00:13:43.647
- >> we had another fight yesterday. more than a skirmish.
- 00:13:43.647 --> 00:13:47.017
- She was line to line, and i. i can't believe what i saw.
- 00:13:47.017 --> 00:13:53.424
- >> what. mcready present.
- 00:13:53.424 --> 00:13:58.863
- >> just rolled. out right in front of both lines. who the
- 00:13:58.863 --> 00:14:05.269
- General, general washington. he's so exposed. both lines
- 00:14:05.269 --> 00:14:11.609
- Fired. i had to cover my face with my heart. i couldn't bear
- 00:14:11.609 --> 00:14:18.315
- To see him fall. and after the volley i could hear the sounds
- 00:14:18.315 --> 00:14:24.688
- Of death of many men crying out in pain. and then the smoke
- 00:14:24.688 --> 00:14:30.527
- Cleared a little, and there he was, untouched, and he rose up
- 00:14:30.527 --> 00:14:35.199
- In his stirrups and he shouted, it's a fine fox! chase, my boys!
- 00:14:35.199 --> 00:14:42.740
- And he led the chase, and the brits ran.
- 00:14:42.740 --> 00:14:48.145
- >> there are multiple.
- 00:14:48.145 --> 00:14:49.680
- >> occasions during washington's life when most
- 00:14:49.680 --> 00:14:52.483
- Everybody else would have somehow gotten killed. when he
- 00:14:52.483 --> 00:14:59.723
- Purposely stepped in front of british fire. he does that to
- 00:14:59.723 --> 00:15:02.993
- Show the troops that he's willing to run the same risks,
- 00:15:02.993 --> 00:15:05.562
- That he's asking them to run.
- 00:15:05.562 --> 00:15:09.366
- >> does this change the war?
- 00:15:09.366 --> 00:15:12.670
- >> well, i cannot say for sure to that. but trenton and now
- 00:15:12.670 --> 00:15:18.742
- This our enemy is not invincible. they can be beaten.
- 00:15:18.742 --> 00:15:27.051
- >> godspeed.
- 00:15:27.051 --> 00:15:35.693
- >> at the battle of brandywine creek in september of 1777,
- 00:15:35.693 --> 00:15:41.098
- Washington was caught in the sights of one of the finest
- 00:15:41.098 --> 00:15:43.867
- Marksmen in the british army, patrick ferguson.
- 00:15:43.867 --> 00:15:53.644
- >> dismount at once and raise your hands against marsh. run,
- 00:15:53.644 --> 00:15:58.749
- Sir.
- 00:15:58.749 --> 00:16:09.393
- >> mr. ferguson had him within sight, and he thought about
- 00:16:10.561 --> 00:16:14.598
- Shooting him, and then decided no, he wanted to capture him.
- 00:16:14.598 --> 00:16:17.167
- George washington got away, and this happened over and over
- 00:16:17.167 --> 00:16:21.472
- Again, and it was impossible to really explain it by any human
- 00:16:21.472 --> 00:16:25.709
- Sense.
- 00:16:25.709 --> 00:16:27.878
- >> we kind of have a bigger theme going here kind of
- 00:16:27.878 --> 00:16:32.182
- Miracles. i know that any movie that gets made is a miracle. i
- 00:16:32.182 --> 00:16:35.452
- Know that for sure, because i've done 13 of them. and and
- 00:16:35.452 --> 00:16:41.925
- Give me something that happened in regard to this. tell us
- 00:16:41.925 --> 00:16:47.331
- Something that had to do with the film being a miracle.
- 00:16:47.331 --> 00:16:50.267
- >> right? right. well, you know, i made a series of films called
- 00:16:50.267 --> 00:16:53.837
- Patterns of evidence. that's how michael and i met. and i'm
- 00:16:53.837 --> 00:16:57.007
- Exploring does god act in history? so when michael called
- 00:16:57.007 --> 00:16:59.910
- Me and said, would you be open to doing this? i was really not
- 00:16:59.910 --> 00:17:03.514
- Thinking at all about american history. and then i read the
- 00:17:03.514 --> 00:17:06.050
- Book, and then you started to realize that there is an
- 00:17:06.050 --> 00:17:08.685
- Obligation almost to tell these stories. we need to know these
- 00:17:08.685 --> 00:17:11.822
- Stories and some of the miraculous, well, let's just
- 00:17:11.822 --> 00:17:14.758
- Say providential things that would happen is that as we were
- 00:17:14.758 --> 00:17:19.363
- Trying to gather this, because when you work on a large
- 00:17:19.363 --> 00:17:21.932
- Project like that, you've got a lot to consider. and one of
- 00:17:21.932 --> 00:17:24.902
- Them is what's the location? so when i go to israel or
- 00:17:24.902 --> 00:17:28.672
- Someplace, i want to go to the location that we believe these
- 00:17:28.672 --> 00:17:31.208
- Things happen because there's something about the location as
- 00:17:31.208 --> 00:17:33.877
- Part of the testimony. so i did actually go to the battle, what
- 00:17:33.877 --> 00:17:37.014
- Michael's talking about. we went to the actual forest where
- 00:17:37.014 --> 00:17:39.850
- The battle happened. my goodness. and then we cast it.
- 00:17:39.850 --> 00:17:42.519
- We actually got native americans that were from the
- 00:17:42.519 --> 00:17:45.289
- Tribe.
- 00:17:45.289 --> 00:17:45.789
- >> oh my goodness.
- 00:17:45.789 --> 00:17:46.957
- >> so when you look at the native americans, they're the
- 00:17:46.957 --> 00:17:48.892
- Descendants of the tribe that was there. and, and we were
- 00:17:48.892 --> 00:17:53.697
- Able to recreate those scenes. we were actually also able to,
- 00:17:53.697 --> 00:17:57.101
- In a sense, whether it's providential, we were actually
- 00:17:57.101 --> 00:18:01.105
- Able to film in the house of mount vernon and sitting.
- 00:18:01.105 --> 00:18:05.642
- >> at the home.
- 00:18:05.642 --> 00:18:06.877
- >> washington's home, sitting at his desk. and i don't think
- 00:18:06.877 --> 00:18:09.480
- It had ever happened before. and so these scenes that were
- 00:18:09.480 --> 00:18:11.882
- Looking at are many of them shot in the actual locations
- 00:18:11.882 --> 00:18:16.587
- With descendants of, of the people who were in it. and then
- 00:18:16.587 --> 00:18:20.891
- Just just how it all came together, you know, with the
- 00:18:20.891 --> 00:18:23.527
- Right weather, finding the cannons, you know, making sure
- 00:18:23.527 --> 00:18:27.331
- No one got shot when we were doing all the firearm activity.
- 00:18:27.331 --> 00:18:30.634
- That helps. and then i think the providence of who will
- 00:18:30.634 --> 00:18:34.938
- Testify along with us, robert george, an amazing scholar who
- 00:18:34.938 --> 00:18:41.078
- Spoke so well, steven meyer, doctor steven meyer speaks
- 00:18:41.078 --> 00:18:43.981
- About about the events of this history and some of the
- 00:18:43.981 --> 00:18:48.252
- Characters that we got our benjamin franklin, i think, is
- 00:18:48.252 --> 00:18:51.455
- One of the best benjamin franklin's i've ever seen. he's
- 00:18:51.455 --> 00:18:54.024
- Just amazing. george washington, daniel shimshi, who who has
- 00:18:54.024 --> 00:18:58.428
- Done an amazing job. he was a believer. and when i contacted
- 00:18:58.428 --> 00:19:02.733
- Him, he didn't know who i was until he heard the word
- 00:19:02.733 --> 00:19:06.270
- Patterns of evidence. oh my goodness. and he goes, oh, i've
- 00:19:06.270 --> 00:19:08.939
- Seen all your films.
- 00:19:08.939 --> 00:19:10.073
- >> and he, by the way, does george washington in mount
- 00:19:10.073 --> 00:19:13.877
- Vernon and has been doing it for years. my goodness. so he
- 00:19:13.877 --> 00:19:17.481
- Helps to bring bring him back to life.
- 00:19:17.481 --> 00:19:20.918
- >> wow.
- 00:19:20.918 --> 00:19:23.921
- >> even the french allied natives noticed. and years
- 00:19:23.921 --> 00:19:27.524
- Later, at a council fire in the woods, they shared with
- 00:19:27.524 --> 00:19:32.196
- Washington what they had experienced.
- 00:19:32.196 --> 00:19:35.065
- >> in 1770, george washington took a group to look at lands
- 00:19:35.065 --> 00:19:39.736
- That he had, that he owned.
- 00:19:39.736 --> 00:19:44.041
- >> a couple more paces to the right. william. perfect.
- 00:19:44.041 --> 00:19:50.514
- >> and it just so happened that one of the chiefs who had been
- 00:19:50.514 --> 00:19:54.918
- Part of the battle that killed edward braddock, that he heard
- 00:19:54.918 --> 00:19:58.422
- About george washington being in the region, and he asked to
- 00:19:58.422 --> 00:20:02.192
- See him.
- 00:20:02.192 --> 00:20:05.996
- >> the majority of the land that had been viewing time.
- 00:20:05.996 --> 00:20:09.967
- Thank you, thank you. i'm very sorry to say that i was hoping
- 00:20:09.967 --> 00:20:15.572
- That the people would have a. please sit.
- 00:20:15.572 --> 00:20:25.148
- >> when he came to george washington, he didn't want to
- 00:20:25.148 --> 00:20:27.818
- Eat or drink anything. he was very serious. he had something
- 00:20:27.818 --> 00:20:30.554
- He really wanted to say.
- 00:20:30.554 --> 00:20:33.457
- >> i am chief of many tribes. it was on that day when the
- 00:20:33.457 --> 00:20:40.264
- White man's blood mixed with the streams of our forests.
- 00:20:40.264 --> 00:20:46.036
- That is when i heard of this great white warrior.
- 00:20:46.036 --> 00:20:50.307
- >> you were at monongahela.
- 00:20:50.307 --> 00:20:53.577
- >> i was there. i told my warriors, let your aim be
- 00:20:53.577 --> 00:21:01.084
- Certain, and he dies. the rifles were leveled rifles
- 00:21:01.084 --> 00:21:09.793
- Which. but for you knew now how to miss. was all in vain. a
- 00:21:09.793 --> 00:21:19.436
- Power mightier far than we shielded you from harm.
- 00:21:19.436 --> 00:21:33.283
- There is something. bids me speak in the voice of prophecy.
- 00:21:33.383 --> 00:21:42.726
- Listen. great spirit protects that man and his destinies. he
- 00:21:42.726 --> 00:21:52.069
- Will become chief of nations. and the people yet unborn will
- 00:21:52.069 --> 00:21:58.542
- Hail him as the founder of a mighty empire.
- 00:21:58.542 --> 00:22:12.222
- >> this is five years before the first shots of the american
- 00:22:12.222 --> 00:22:15.459
- Revolution ring out. and you can see how that prophecy came
- 00:22:15.459 --> 00:22:20.464
- True.
- 00:22:20.464 --> 00:22:21.565
- >> it's an amazing story. apocryphal, if you will. true
- 00:22:21.665 --> 00:22:25.202
- That he was clearly a protected figure.
- 00:22:25.202 --> 00:22:28.405
- >> washington felt that way, too. the only explanation he
- 00:22:28.405 --> 00:22:30.941
- Could think of as to why he was still alive and throughout his
- 00:22:30.941 --> 00:22:36.713
- Life. there's one instance after another of that kind of
- 00:22:36.713 --> 00:22:39.316
- Thing happening.
- 00:22:39.316 --> 00:22:40.684
- >> the american miracle, divine providence in the rise of the
- 00:22:40.684 --> 00:22:44.654
- Republic is the book that's available. and the american
- 00:22:44.654 --> 00:22:48.558
- Miracle, the film that we've been kind of showing clips of
- 00:22:48.558 --> 00:22:52.496
- The two people responsible are sitting here, tim mahoney,
- 00:22:52.496 --> 00:22:56.867
- Michael medved, i want to go back just a minute, michael,
- 00:22:56.867 --> 00:23:01.872
- Because it's it's it's a big deal to me that you're sitting
- 00:23:01.872 --> 00:23:07.644
- Here. you've done new york times best selling books.
- 00:23:07.644 --> 00:23:11.281
- You've done a whole bunch of stuff. you've been a film
- 00:23:11.281 --> 00:23:14.117
- Critic. one of the things you're kind of known for is
- 00:23:14.117 --> 00:23:17.721
- What were they called, the turkey awards? golden turkey,
- 00:23:17.721 --> 00:23:20.257
- Golden turkey awards. one of your international best sellers
- 00:23:20.257 --> 00:23:24.594
- Was the 50 worst films. thank god you published that book
- 00:23:24.594 --> 00:23:29.633
- Before i ever made a movie. okay. or i'd be famous. okay.
- 00:23:29.633 --> 00:23:35.405
- No one could have been there 13 times, you know? so? so all of
- 00:23:35.405 --> 00:23:41.478
- That, though, at a very impressionable time of my life
- 00:23:41.478 --> 00:23:46.983
- In my late 20s and early 30s, when lori and i were in
- 00:23:46.983 --> 00:23:51.922
- Hollywood, we had just moved there in 1995. you come out
- 00:23:51.922 --> 00:23:56.293
- With a book called hollywood versus america and thematically
- 00:23:56.293 --> 00:24:01.331
- Start telling americans the story. there are more people
- 00:24:01.331 --> 00:24:06.002
- Avoiding the box office than are attending it. okay. i was
- 00:24:06.002 --> 00:24:11.007
- Your voice to that. you gave me those words. and not only was i
- 00:24:11.007 --> 00:24:19.316
- Watching you do your, you know, critique on film and talking
- 00:24:19.316 --> 00:24:23.753
- About that, but you were always doing it from this perspective
- 00:24:23.753 --> 00:24:29.726
- That why in god's green earth would you make an r-rated film
- 00:24:29.726 --> 00:24:35.198
- When a pg rated film makes so much more money? well, what are
- 00:24:35.198 --> 00:24:39.536
- You trying to accomplish?
- 00:24:39.536 --> 00:24:41.271
- >> one of the most important chapters in my book, hollywood
- 00:24:41.271 --> 00:24:44.474
- Versus america, is called forgetting the faithful. and
- 00:24:44.474 --> 00:24:48.178
- The fact is, it's true that a church attendance has been
- 00:24:48.178 --> 00:24:52.048
- Going down. but still today, about five times more people go
- 00:24:52.048 --> 00:24:58.255
- To church every sunday than go to the movies. yeah. i mean,
- 00:24:58.255 --> 00:25:04.628
- It's and and you never see it again.
- 00:25:04.628 --> 00:25:08.265
- >> hollywood ignores the fact almost by always poking the
- 00:25:08.265 --> 00:25:13.637
- Christian in the eye in the film, as it were, and trying to
- 00:25:13.637 --> 00:25:19.409
- Marginalize the message of morality.
- 00:25:19.409 --> 00:25:21.177
- >> and it didn't used to be that way. it used to be. i mean,
- 00:25:21.177 --> 00:25:25.882
- Ben-hur is one of the most successful movies ever. and
- 00:25:25.882 --> 00:25:29.853
- Through the 1950s, there was film after film after film,
- 00:25:29.853 --> 00:25:33.123
- Some of them pretty embarrassing, by the way, but
- 00:25:33.123 --> 00:25:35.625
- That was about biblical stories.
- 00:25:35.625 --> 00:25:39.195
- >> think of chariots of fire and the mission. and when omega
- 00:25:39.195 --> 00:25:42.799
- Code came along and did.
- 00:25:42.799 --> 00:25:44.968
- >> or the hiding.
- 00:25:44.968 --> 00:25:45.802
- >> place, the hiding place.
- 00:25:45.802 --> 00:25:46.870
- >> talking about.
- 00:25:46.870 --> 00:25:48.171
- >> before, you know, omega code wasn't that good of a film, but
- 00:25:48.171 --> 00:25:50.807
- It, it, it had an amazing audience and we proved that.
- 00:25:50.807 --> 00:25:54.678
- Then here comes, you know, passion of the christ. and when
- 00:25:54.678 --> 00:25:59.049
- Mel made the decision to put the film out, the la times
- 00:25:59.049 --> 00:26:04.087
- Called me and said, mel just made the decision to put the
- 00:26:04.087 --> 00:26:08.658
- Movie out. what's your advice to him? i said, well, my advice
- 00:26:08.658 --> 00:26:11.695
- Is what i gave them friday when they called me and asked me how
- 00:26:11.695 --> 00:26:14.831
- To do it. so the the idea that the omega code started this
- 00:26:14.831 --> 00:26:19.202
- Kind of trend of self-released films and the tbn partners,
- 00:26:19.202 --> 00:26:26.776
- Those of you, a lot of you remember back there when lori
- 00:26:26.776 --> 00:26:29.980
- And i were on bended knee begging you, begging you to go
- 00:26:29.980 --> 00:26:33.950
- And see one of our films and take somebody. and, and largely
- 00:26:33.950 --> 00:26:38.254
- You did. and you, you really set a trajectory and gave us
- 00:26:38.254 --> 00:26:42.592
- All the understanding of what then now seems like it's a
- 00:26:42.592 --> 00:26:47.297
- Little more normal when you see things do well in the box
- 00:26:47.297 --> 00:26:51.534
- Office, christian films, you know, there was a there was a
- 00:26:51.534 --> 00:26:55.171
- Foundation laid long ago for that. and the exclamation point,
- 00:26:55.171 --> 00:26:59.876
- Of course, being passion of the christ. and, you know, as we
- 00:26:59.876 --> 00:27:02.679
- Were filming this, mel's finished the sequel and it'll
- 00:27:02.679 --> 00:27:07.317
- Be out next year in 27, i think. and, and so ultimately, look,
- 00:27:07.317 --> 00:27:14.157
- All films are a miracle, especially when you think of
- 00:27:14.157 --> 00:27:18.395
- The independent route that we have chosen to go in.
- 00:27:18.395 --> 00:27:22.399
- >> but but he also gave us a beautiful critique on one night.
- 00:27:22.399 --> 00:27:27.837
- >> with the king.
- 00:27:27.837 --> 00:27:28.905
- >> which i thank you for.
- 00:27:28.905 --> 00:27:30.473
- >> well, again, as as somebody who's tries to live my life as
- 00:27:30.473 --> 00:27:34.411
- A religious jew and sabbath observing jew and daily prayer,
- 00:27:34.411 --> 00:27:39.449
- Observing jew to actually see somebody giving the purim story.
- 00:27:39.449 --> 00:27:46.589
- This is a major festive and joyous and life affirming
- 00:27:46.589 --> 00:27:53.363
- Jewish holiday that we celebrate every year. so it's
- 00:27:53.363 --> 00:27:57.333
- Kind of it amazed me that no one had ever done a movie that
- 00:27:57.333 --> 00:28:01.404
- I know of before that told the story of queen esther and
- 00:28:01.404 --> 00:28:06.009
- Mordecai and the evil haman. we certainly have plenty of
- 00:28:06.009 --> 00:28:09.579
- Reference to the evil haman in the world today. yeah. so this
- 00:28:09.579 --> 00:28:14.284
- Is this is all. it all comes together really well.
- 00:28:14.284 --> 00:28:18.321
- >> i'd love to do a remake of that film.
- 00:28:18.321 --> 00:28:20.824
- >> wouldn't that be fun?
- 00:28:20.824 --> 00:28:21.958
- >> yes.
- 00:28:21.958 --> 00:28:23.093
- >> you know, i don't think i'd shoot it in india again. go
- 00:28:23.193 --> 00:28:25.829
- Ahead.
- 00:28:25.829 --> 00:28:26.796
- >> i was gonna say don't shoot it in iran either.
- 00:28:26.896 --> 00:28:28.832
- >> that probably not. not now.
- 00:28:28.832 --> 00:28:29.999
- >> not today. well, i think what you're talking about is
- 00:28:29.999 --> 00:28:33.703
- Heroes. yeah. is that what has happened is we've we've gone
- 00:28:33.703 --> 00:28:37.273
- From heroic stories to anti-heroes. and i had been
- 00:28:37.273 --> 00:28:42.712
- Praying and asking the lord, what should i do? and i felt
- 00:28:42.712 --> 00:28:45.682
- Like he was talking to me and saying to tell heroic stories
- 00:28:45.682 --> 00:28:49.219
- Again. and so how we kind of connected was i called michael
- 00:28:49.219 --> 00:28:52.555
- And i said, do you think you think there's an opportunity to
- 00:28:52.555 --> 00:28:55.291
- Tell these type of stories? and he goes, yes. and then about, i
- 00:28:55.291 --> 00:28:59.329
- Don't know, nine months or 12 months later, he calls me and
- 00:28:59.329 --> 00:29:02.298
- Said, would you help me tell one of those stories? and
- 00:29:02.298 --> 00:29:05.301
- That's how the american miracle came along.
- 00:29:05.301 --> 00:29:07.203
- >> wow.
- 00:29:07.203 --> 00:29:08.204
- >> what what role did pat boone play in the film?
- 00:29:08.304 --> 00:29:11.107
- >> thomas jefferson.
- 00:29:11.107 --> 00:29:13.443
- >> the older thomas jefferson, thomas jefferson lived to the
- 00:29:12.208 --> 00:29:17.647
- Age of 83, which was freakishly old. john adams lived to the
- 00:29:17.647 --> 00:29:22.952
- Age of 90, and they both died on the same day. they had run
- 00:29:22.952 --> 00:29:28.024
- Against each other for president. when adams was
- 00:29:28.024 --> 00:29:30.927
- President, jefferson was vice president. they had known each
- 00:29:30.927 --> 00:29:33.830
- Other associated together. they were frenemies because they
- 00:29:33.830 --> 00:29:36.900
- Were political enemies. but deep, close, personal friends.
- 00:29:36.900 --> 00:29:40.670
- >> my goodness.
- 00:29:40.670 --> 00:29:41.838
- >> and the odds against them dying on the same day. and that
- 00:29:41.938 --> 00:29:45.074
- Day was the 4th of july, and it was the 50th anniversary, the
- 00:29:45.074 --> 00:29:50.380
- Jubilee, 4th of july. we have a highlight of the film is a
- 00:29:50.380 --> 00:29:55.084
- Famous speech that was so famous that it was made into a
- 00:29:55.084 --> 00:29:58.321
- Best selling book at the time, speech by daniel webster, who
- 00:29:58.321 --> 00:30:02.292
- Was a rising politician at the time, who talked about the hand
- 00:30:02.292 --> 00:30:06.663
- Of god that took these two amazing people on thomas
- 00:30:06.663 --> 00:30:12.302
- Jefferson and john adams at the same moment. and one of the
- 00:30:12.302 --> 00:30:16.306
- Things that has shocked me and actually led me to do this book
- 00:30:16.306 --> 00:30:21.377
- Was the story that the last words that john adams spoke as
- 00:30:21.377 --> 00:30:26.850
- He was dying on the 4th of july. he had watched the fireworks
- 00:30:26.850 --> 00:30:30.220
- Through the upstairs window at his home in quincy,
- 00:30:30.220 --> 00:30:33.590
- Massachusetts. and then he said, liberty is safe. jefferson
- 00:30:33.590 --> 00:30:37.927
- Still lives. and jefferson had died a few hours before.
- 00:30:37.927 --> 00:30:41.464
- >> my goodness.
- 00:30:41.464 --> 00:30:42.265
- >> they didn't.
- 00:30:42.265 --> 00:30:43.266
- >> but we're still here, michael, i love that.
- 00:30:43.266 --> 00:30:50.139
- >> i'm so proud of you. do you have the letter? yes, dear.
- 00:30:50.139 --> 00:30:58.414
- >> six. seven.
- 00:30:58.414 --> 00:31:08.791
- >> of.
- 00:31:08.892 --> 00:31:14.230
- >> eight, grandpapa.
- 00:31:14.230 --> 00:31:19.269
- >> ten.
- 00:31:19.269 --> 00:31:22.906
- >> 12.
- 00:31:22.906 --> 00:31:31.915
- >> 13. one for each of the 13 colonies of the declaration 50
- 00:31:31.915 --> 00:31:37.654
- Years ago. thomas. 50 years.
- 00:31:37.654 --> 00:31:46.996
- >> even now, after some two centuries of turbulent history,
- 00:31:46.996 --> 00:31:52.035
- Recollections of that glorious fourth can compel the most
- 00:31:52.035 --> 00:31:56.406
- Skeptical scholars to acknowledge weird, wonderful
- 00:31:56.406 --> 00:32:01.077
- Aspects in the rise of the republic, and to reconsider
- 00:32:01.077 --> 00:32:05.048
- That once very popular idea that god shows special
- 00:32:05.048 --> 00:32:10.086
- Tenderness toward the american experiment. at a time when male
- 00:32:10.086 --> 00:32:17.293
- Life expectancy barely reached 40 years. john quincy's father,
- 00:32:17.293 --> 00:32:22.365
- John adams, the atlas of independence and the second
- 00:32:22.365 --> 00:32:25.902
- President of the united states, had already passed his 90th
- 00:32:25.902 --> 00:32:30.573
- Birthday. with his faculties and his health remarkably
- 00:32:30.573 --> 00:32:35.244
- Intact.
- 00:32:35.244 --> 00:32:38.848
- >> do you know what day it is today, john? it's the fourth,
- 00:32:38.848 --> 00:32:45.655
- The 4th of july.
- 00:32:45.655 --> 00:32:51.828
- >> it's a great day. it's a good day.
- 00:32:51.828 --> 00:33:01.504
- >> 500 miles to the south. on the same day, thomas jefferson
- 00:33:01.504 --> 00:33:06.209
- Stubbornly clung to life at monticello.
- 00:33:06.209 --> 00:33:18.788
- >> doctor, sir, grandpa passed away.
- 00:33:18.788 --> 00:33:30.333
- >> another draft of laudanum. it will ease your discomfort.
- 00:33:30.333 --> 00:33:36.806
- >> no, no more.
- 00:33:36.806 --> 00:33:42.945
- >> thomas jefferson uttered no further comprehensible words,
- 00:33:42.945 --> 00:33:47.950
- But he had unequivocally achieved his ardent desire,
- 00:33:47.950 --> 00:33:51.921
- Living through more than half of his cherished nation's
- 00:33:51.921 --> 00:33:55.858
- Sacred day. finally expiring on tuesday, the 4th of july, at
- 00:33:55.858 --> 00:34:02.765
- Ten minutes before 1:00 in the afternoon. john adams was
- 00:34:02.765 --> 00:34:09.205
- Clinging to the final breaths of his life as well. on that
- 00:34:09.205 --> 00:34:12.809
- Very same day, he had no way of knowing that jefferson had died.
- 00:34:12.809 --> 00:34:17.847
- Just before 1:00 toward evening, with a gentle rain falling,
- 00:34:17.847 --> 00:34:24.353
- Adams breathed his astonishing last words.
- 00:34:24.353 --> 00:34:33.329
- >> thomas jefferson survives.
- 00:34:33.329 --> 00:34:44.540
- >> his breathing stopped shortly after 6:00 with a
- 00:34:45.575 --> 00:34:50.980
- Resounding clap of thunder. at the very moment of the great
- 00:34:50.980 --> 00:34:54.951
- Man's passing, witnesses insisted that at that same
- 00:34:54.951 --> 00:35:00.323
- Instant a sudden burst of light from the declining sun pushed
- 00:35:00.323 --> 00:35:04.961
- Through the looming clouds and spilled into the upstairs room
- 00:35:04.961 --> 00:35:10.066
- Like a benediction. to this day, adams and jefferson remained
- 00:35:10.066 --> 00:35:21.010
- The only two presidents to have expired on the same day, and of
- 00:35:21.010 --> 00:35:27.350
- All days. it was the 4th of july, and not just an ordinary
- 00:35:27.350 --> 00:35:31.287
- 4th of july. it was the 50th anniversary of the nation's
- 00:35:31.287 --> 00:35:35.958
- Founding.
- 00:35:35.958 --> 00:35:37.126
- >> thank you guys for what you've done. you've made this
- 00:35:37.126 --> 00:35:41.364
- Film based on michael's book. we're in this really great
- 00:35:41.364 --> 00:35:47.136
- 250th year season. rory and i were in washington for a big
- 00:35:47.136 --> 00:35:53.576
- Rededication event that happened not long ago. and we
- 00:35:53.576 --> 00:35:59.415
- Just we just felt like there was, you know, we carried it
- 00:35:59.415 --> 00:36:03.352
- Live here on tbn. and it was a it was kind of a lot going on
- 00:36:03.352 --> 00:36:08.024
- There. but we felt like, you know, it was interesting
- 00:36:08.024 --> 00:36:12.295
- Because washington, dc had been used by christians on the mall.
- 00:36:12.295 --> 00:36:18.467
- There was a big event that happened called washington for
- 00:36:18.467 --> 00:36:21.704
- Jesus 1980. and i remember that as a teenager going there and
- 00:36:21.704 --> 00:36:26.042
- Running camera and tbn was there and cbn was there. and,
- 00:36:26.042 --> 00:36:29.946
- And, you know, we're carrying it all. and, and we came back
- 00:36:29.946 --> 00:36:35.017
- This time not as an outside group that had petitioned the
- 00:36:35.017 --> 00:36:39.689
- Government to be able to use them all. but the government
- 00:36:39.689 --> 00:36:42.925
- Put on the rededication event and invited us there. so it was
- 00:36:42.925 --> 00:36:47.296
- A top down kind of event that really felt significant. when
- 00:36:47.296 --> 00:36:54.170
- We were there. it felt like it was something that was going to
- 00:36:54.170 --> 00:36:57.707
- Be meaningful, and the and the feeling or the meaning of that
- 00:36:57.707 --> 00:37:00.676
- Was going to grow over time. and largely it has in our minds,
- 00:37:00.676 --> 00:37:05.881
- You know, it was a big, hectic, long, busy day. but the feeling
- 00:37:05.881 --> 00:37:12.822
- That's emerging from that is the importance that america
- 00:37:12.822 --> 00:37:16.225
- Would think about this era of time and want to rededicate
- 00:37:16.225 --> 00:37:22.898
- America back to the founding principles and back to god,
- 00:37:22.898 --> 00:37:26.802
- Which you're talking, you know, in this all about what were
- 00:37:26.802 --> 00:37:31.607
- Some of those principles that the founders believed in? what
- 00:37:31.607 --> 00:37:36.212
- What are you, you know, what, what are the highlights in your
- 00:37:36.212 --> 00:37:40.182
- Mind, michael?
- 00:37:40.182 --> 00:37:41.417
- >> well, basically that people can govern themselves. and it
- 00:37:41.417 --> 00:37:46.989
- Says in the declaration that we celebrate when it talks about
- 00:37:46.989 --> 00:37:50.626
- The life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, that to
- 00:37:50.626 --> 00:37:54.230
- Secure these rights, governments are instituted
- 00:37:54.230 --> 00:37:57.500
- Among men, that governments are not passed down from on high.
- 00:37:57.500 --> 00:38:02.471
- They are instituted among men to secure the rights that are
- 00:38:02.471 --> 00:38:07.543
- Given by god, and governments are instituted among men,
- 00:38:07.543 --> 00:38:13.683
- Deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,
- 00:38:13.683 --> 00:38:18.654
- And that idea of the consent of the government is is a summons
- 00:38:18.654 --> 00:38:22.992
- For people to get involved in keeping this american miracle
- 00:38:22.992 --> 00:38:29.865
- Alive.
- 00:38:29.865 --> 00:38:30.566
- >> beautiful.
- 00:38:30.566 --> 00:38:31.734
- >> i was going to say the thing that i had not known until i
- 00:38:31.834 --> 00:38:34.170
- Got involved with it was the fact that, okay, if we're made
- 00:38:34.170 --> 00:38:37.173
- In the image of god, that means there's a there's a divinity to
- 00:38:37.173 --> 00:38:40.943
- Our creation that all men deserve respect. but the
- 00:38:40.943 --> 00:38:44.580
- Founding fathers also knew there was something called sin
- 00:38:44.580 --> 00:38:47.450
- And the sinful nature. so they said, well, we there's a
- 00:38:47.450 --> 00:38:50.686
- There's the goodness of people. but we also have to have laws
- 00:38:50.686 --> 00:38:54.290
- Because if people are left to do their own sinful things,
- 00:38:54.290 --> 00:38:58.260
- They'll, they'll be evil to other people. so you have to
- 00:38:58.260 --> 00:39:01.497
- Have laws. and so the fact that they understood this balance
- 00:39:01.497 --> 00:39:04.533
- That they needed, that we need to respect all people. and yet
- 00:39:04.533 --> 00:39:08.070
- There's that sinful nature. that's why they basically
- 00:39:08.070 --> 00:39:10.473
- Didn't want to give absolute power to any form of government.
- 00:39:10.473 --> 00:39:13.409
- You know, they had to have that balance of power. and i thought
- 00:39:13.409 --> 00:39:16.379
- That that to me was important. the other thing that i learned,
- 00:39:16.379 --> 00:39:20.816
- Michael, from this was the fact that that i'm responsible for
- 00:39:20.816 --> 00:39:25.721
- My own country and i need to participate. i can't be a
- 00:39:25.721 --> 00:39:31.026
- Passive participant. i have to be. to be a citizen means to
- 00:39:31.026 --> 00:39:34.263
- Actually be a participant in this nation, to whatever degree
- 00:39:34.263 --> 00:39:37.633
- That means.
- 00:39:37.633 --> 00:39:38.567
- >> at least voting.
- 00:39:38.567 --> 00:39:39.769
- >> at least voting. yes, you have to vote. and to whatever
- 00:39:39.769 --> 00:39:43.672
- Degree you can pray, you can do other things. but but don't be
- 00:39:43.672 --> 00:39:47.309
- So passive that you don't vote or you don't participate.
- 00:39:47.309 --> 00:39:53.382
- >> the unanimous declaration of the 13 united states of america,
- 00:39:53.382 --> 00:39:58.053
- An equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's
- 00:39:58.053 --> 00:40:01.991
- God entitle them for one people to dissolve the political bands
- 00:40:01.991 --> 00:40:06.328
- Which have connected them with another, and to assume among
- 00:40:06.328 --> 00:40:10.266
- Them the powers of the earth a separate and equal station to
- 00:40:10.266 --> 00:40:15.337
- Which the laws of nature and nature's god entitle them.
- 00:40:15.337 --> 00:40:19.675
- >> who is that man?
- 00:40:19.675 --> 00:40:22.178
- >> carl nielsen, i believe.
- 00:40:22.178 --> 00:40:25.414
- >> from the british point of view, the declaration of
- 00:40:25.414 --> 00:40:27.917
- Independence in july 1776 was a very unwelcome and very
- 00:40:27.917 --> 00:40:31.921
- Alarming development for one very clear reason, which was
- 00:40:31.921 --> 00:40:34.790
- That it meant that from that point forward, america could
- 00:40:34.790 --> 00:40:37.993
- Start to get support from the continental powers, and
- 00:40:37.993 --> 00:40:40.863
- Particularly france. of course.
- 00:40:40.863 --> 00:40:42.631
- >> we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
- 00:40:42.631 --> 00:40:47.336
- Created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with
- 00:40:47.336 --> 00:40:53.476
- Certain unalienable rights, that among these are life,
- 00:40:53.476 --> 00:40:58.848
- Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
- 00:40:58.848 --> 00:41:02.084
- >> they believed that liberty was a gift from god. so there
- 00:41:02.084 --> 00:41:05.788
- Is an implicit understanding, their affirmation that human
- 00:41:05.788 --> 00:41:08.991
- Beings are made in the imago dei, in the image of
- 00:41:08.991 --> 00:41:11.427
- God. and god intends for us to be free.
- 00:41:11.427 --> 00:41:14.029
- >> jefferson writes, we hold these truths to be
- 00:41:14.029 --> 00:41:16.499
- Self-evident, that all men are created equal and
- 00:41:16.499 --> 00:41:19.034
- Endowed by their creator with certain inalienable
- 00:41:19.034 --> 00:41:22.271
- Rights. notice he doesn't say that rights are granted
- 00:41:22.271 --> 00:41:24.473
- By government. the job of government is to protect
- 00:41:24.473 --> 00:41:28.043
- Those rights. it's not to grant them. the rights are
- 00:41:28.043 --> 00:41:31.247
- Granted by god at birth.
- 00:41:31.247 --> 00:41:33.048
- >> that to secure these righ
- 00:41:33.048 --> 00:41:33.716
- >> that to secure these rigs
- 00:41:33.716 --> 00:41:34.383
- >> that to secure these rig,
- 00:41:34.383 --> 00:41:35.885
- >> that to secure these rig, governments are implemented
- 00:41:35.885 --> 00:41:37.353
- Among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the
- 00:41:37.353 --> 00:41:42.791
- Governed, that whenever any form of government should
- 00:41:42.791 --> 00:41:46.762
- Become destructive of these ends, it is the right of the
- 00:41:46.762 --> 00:41:50.699
- People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new
- 00:41:50.699 --> 00:41:56.472
- Government.
- 00:41:56.472 --> 00:41:57.606
- >> i would say that the american experiment represents
- 00:41:57.606 --> 00:42:00.409
- An attempt to implement the core values of the
- 00:42:00.409 --> 00:42:04.046
- Enlightenment in a real society. it's an attempt to find out
- 00:42:04.046 --> 00:42:08.317
- Whether these values that are so elevated and so attractive
- 00:42:08.317 --> 00:42:14.089
- Are compatible with political reality. we therefore, the
- 00:42:14.089 --> 00:42:18.761
- Representatives of the united states of america in general
- 00:42:18.761 --> 00:42:24.199
- Congress assembled, appealing to the supreme judge of the
- 00:42:24.199 --> 00:42:26.936
- World for that rectitude of our intention.
- 00:42:26.936 --> 00:42:30.306
- >> do the founders themselves believe that every human being
- 00:42:30.306 --> 00:42:33.576
- Has rights, basic rights simply in virtue of their humanity?
- 00:42:33.576 --> 00:42:37.513
- Now, where did they get that idea? it's not hard to guess.
- 00:42:37.513 --> 00:42:42.217
- It's not just from plato and aristotle and cicero and the
- 00:42:42.217 --> 00:42:45.421
- Great roman and greek thinkers. it's also from genesis one that
- 00:42:45.421 --> 00:42:52.261
- Human beings, though fashioned from the mere dust of the earth
- 00:42:52.261 --> 00:42:56.231
- Material, stuff, are nevertheless made in the very
- 00:42:56.231 --> 00:42:59.802
- Image and likeness of god.
- 00:42:59.802 --> 00:43:02.004
- >> what did the founding fathers believe about, let's
- 00:43:02.004 --> 00:43:06.308
- Say, this american miracle? were they were. did their
- 00:43:06.308 --> 00:43:11.347
- Writings prove. you know, you've written the book now. so
- 00:43:11.347 --> 00:43:15.751
- You're the you're you're you're into the subject, you know,
- 00:43:15.751 --> 00:43:19.955
- Deep. and what did the founders believe? did they believe in
- 00:43:19.955 --> 00:43:24.793
- The providence of god in the founding of this nation?
- 00:43:24.793 --> 00:43:28.297
- >> they did, without question. in washington's first inaugural
- 00:43:28.297 --> 00:43:32.568
- Address in 1789, when he is sworn in as our first president,
- 00:43:32.568 --> 00:43:38.374
- He begins by thanking god and says, without the invisible
- 00:43:38.374 --> 00:43:44.113
- Hand. and he uses that haunting phrase, this nation could not
- 00:43:44.113 --> 00:43:49.518
- Exist, would not exist, that there is something that is not
- 00:43:49.518 --> 00:43:54.890
- Accidental about the development of this country.
- 00:43:54.890 --> 00:43:59.962
- And it's it's one of those things where when you look at
- 00:43:59.962 --> 00:44:04.633
- The the people who founded this country and they fought with
- 00:44:04.633 --> 00:44:09.304
- One another and they had imperfections at all times. but
- 00:44:09.304 --> 00:44:13.976
- The idea of improving constant improvement and redemption of
- 00:44:13.976 --> 00:44:20.849
- This country. and that was in the book. we don't get to
- 00:44:20.849 --> 00:44:24.787
- Abraham lincoln yet in the movie, i wish. but lincoln's
- 00:44:24.787 --> 00:44:30.192
- Example, he on his way to take his oath of office and to
- 00:44:30.192 --> 00:44:35.631
- Become the 16th president, he made a stop in trenton, new
- 00:44:35.631 --> 00:44:40.302
- Jersey, the state capital of new jersey, and talked about
- 00:44:40.302 --> 00:44:43.872
- The american people as this almost chosen people. and it is
- 00:44:43.872 --> 00:44:51.413
- Remarkable if you look at the collection of people who have
- 00:44:51.413 --> 00:44:55.384
- Made the biggest contributions to the united states, who the.
- 00:44:55.384 --> 00:45:00.789
- The idea of providence is extraordinarily important. and
- 00:45:00.789 --> 00:45:05.561
- Let me just make this a little bit broader. arranging
- 00:45:05.561 --> 00:45:10.499
- International for a moment. there's a quote that i love
- 00:45:10.499 --> 00:45:13.469
- That i feature in in the the american miracle book and the
- 00:45:13.469 --> 00:45:18.807
- Follow up book, which is called god's hand on america, a quote
- 00:45:18.807 --> 00:45:22.778
- From otto von bismarck, the iron chancellor of germany. he
- 00:45:22.778 --> 00:45:27.750
- Said, it is the purpose of a statesman to listen for god's
- 00:45:27.750 --> 00:45:33.889
- Footsteps and history, and then to grab his coattails and hang
- 00:45:33.889 --> 00:45:38.994
- On.
- 00:45:38.994 --> 00:45:39.661
- >> my goodness. interesting.
- 00:45:39.661 --> 00:45:41.096
- >> that's beautiful.
- 00:45:41.096 --> 00:45:42.331
- >> i think the other part that i came away with this was the
- 00:45:42.331 --> 00:45:45.067
- Fact that that we need to be encouraged. and if you read
- 00:45:45.067 --> 00:45:49.738
- This book or watch the movie, you're going to be encouraged
- 00:45:49.738 --> 00:45:52.474
- To see that, that god has throughout history. put his
- 00:45:52.474 --> 00:45:59.181
- Invisible hand, as it were, on different events. and if you
- 00:45:59.181 --> 00:46:02.417
- Start to read them, what it does is it inspired me to be.
- 00:46:02.417 --> 00:46:08.857
- To pay attention and to thank god. you know, we, we say that
- 00:46:08.857 --> 00:46:13.061
- God bless america. and i do believe that that at this
- 00:46:13.061 --> 00:46:16.732
- Particular time, we need to give thanks. one thing you and
- 00:46:16.732 --> 00:46:19.635
- I talked about an awful lot is to be thankful. that was. i
- 00:46:19.635 --> 00:46:23.272
- Asked michael, i said, what do you want me as a filmmaker to
- 00:46:23.272 --> 00:46:26.275
- Do? he says, or what do you want the audience to do
- 00:46:26.275 --> 00:46:29.278
- Afterwards? and he said, i want them to be thankful, to be
- 00:46:29.278 --> 00:46:32.281
- Grateful for what we have because other nations don't
- 00:46:32.281 --> 00:46:35.017
- Have this. and that's why i think it's very important for
- 00:46:35.017 --> 00:46:37.352
- Us then to teach this to our children. when we had showings
- 00:46:37.352 --> 00:46:40.889
- Around the country, everyone said, our children need to see
- 00:46:40.889 --> 00:46:43.525
- This. our grandchildren need to see this. they need to know
- 00:46:43.525 --> 00:46:46.461
- Because there are other people who say other things about this
- 00:46:46.461 --> 00:46:49.331
- Nation that really aren't true, right?
- 00:46:49.331 --> 00:46:50.632
- >> wow. they're telling a different story, right?
- 00:46:50.632 --> 00:46:52.768
- >> telling the real story.
- 00:46:52.768 --> 00:46:54.236
- >> well, there are sequels. you've heard of that, right?
- 00:46:54.236 --> 00:46:57.039
- That you can get.
- 00:46:57.039 --> 00:46:59.274
- >> the movie critic. oh, yes.
- 00:46:59.274 --> 00:47:01.043
- >> all the way back.
- 00:47:01.043 --> 00:47:02.511
- >> to cnn in 1980 to sneak previews. yeah, i.
- 00:47:02.511 --> 00:47:07.149
- >> kind of grew up watching him sitting there. absolutely.
- 00:47:07.149 --> 00:47:10.419
- >> so we know you as a film critic, if if lori and i were
- 00:47:10.419 --> 00:47:14.723
- Going to be film critics on our own film, like, say, the omega
- 00:47:14.723 --> 00:47:18.994
- Code, the way that we explained the, the, the omega code is we
- 00:47:18.994 --> 00:47:24.466
- Put on the dvd, no joke. the box and the box on the front
- 00:47:24.466 --> 00:47:28.437
- Cover. this is not a movie. it's a miracle. okay, so that
- 00:47:28.437 --> 00:47:33.075
- Was the way we described our.
- 00:47:33.075 --> 00:47:34.710
- >> believe in miracles. yeah.
- 00:47:34.710 --> 00:47:36.645
- >> so you're a movie critic. what is your critique on the
- 00:47:36.645 --> 00:47:41.383
- American miracle?
- 00:47:41.383 --> 00:47:42.818
- >> it calls out for a sequel.
- 00:47:42.818 --> 00:47:44.953
- >> yeah.
- 00:47:44.953 --> 00:47:45.687
- >> come on.
- 00:47:45.687 --> 00:47:46.088
- >> that's.
- 00:47:46.088 --> 00:47:46.555
- >> a good quote.
- 00:47:46.555 --> 00:47:47.356
- >> you got to use that on the box.
- 00:47:47.356 --> 00:47:50.025
- >> no, because some of the other stories, this is a story
- 00:47:50.025 --> 00:47:53.028
- We didn't get to yet, but it's coming up. is that the
- 00:47:53.028 --> 00:47:57.165
- Discovery of gold in california? okay. now. okay. it's an
- 00:47:57.165 --> 00:48:02.237
- Accident. a guy's doing work on a mill and a mill trace, and he
- 00:48:02.237 --> 00:48:07.276
- Finds some little pieces of what turned out to be gold, and
- 00:48:07.276 --> 00:48:11.947
- Then that changes everything. but what people don't know is
- 00:48:11.947 --> 00:48:17.686
- The timing was golden because we had just signed a treaty.
- 00:48:17.686 --> 00:48:22.758
- And the story behind the treaty is amazing. with mexico, in
- 00:48:22.758 --> 00:48:27.129
- Which mexico had ceded to us california. and that happened
- 00:48:27.129 --> 00:48:32.467
- Within a week. but before anyone knew that there was gold
- 00:48:32.467 --> 00:48:35.737
- In california, where there were some 300 000 people who then
- 00:48:35.737 --> 00:48:40.042
- The next migrated. yeah, yeah, yeah. so basically things of
- 00:48:40.042 --> 00:48:46.148
- That nature, the the story, which is in the second book, i
- 00:48:46.148 --> 00:48:52.587
- Tell the battle of midway, where in the course of five
- 00:48:52.587 --> 00:48:57.359
- Minutes, the world is changed. and one of the amazing stories
- 00:48:57.359 --> 00:49:02.264
- Is a very big japanese war hero descended from samurai, was
- 00:49:02.264 --> 00:49:10.539
- Present at the battle of midway. and he was so impressed by what
- 00:49:10.539 --> 00:49:15.577
- He saw, which it was described as a five minute miracle, where
- 00:49:15.577 --> 00:49:21.750
- We turned the course of the entire war. he became a
- 00:49:21.750 --> 00:49:26.388
- Christian believer. amazing. yeah. and again, that story and
- 00:49:26.388 --> 00:49:31.126
- Toured with billy graham. wow. and this was the guy who had
- 00:49:31.126 --> 00:49:35.731
- Been in charge of the pearl harbor attack.
- 00:49:35.731 --> 00:49:38.600
- >> my goodness.
- 00:49:38.600 --> 00:49:39.835
- >> wow. and people, people turn around and they change with
- 00:49:39.835 --> 00:49:43.305
- God's help.
- 00:49:43.305 --> 00:49:44.339
- >> yeah.
- 00:49:44.339 --> 00:49:45.474
- >> and again, that's the, the way that the most important
- 00:49:45.574 --> 00:49:49.077
- Things, the civil rights revolution, which doctor king
- 00:49:49.077 --> 00:49:53.715
- Headed. that's a miracle.
- 00:49:53.715 --> 00:49:55.884
- >> yes.
- 00:49:55.884 --> 00:49:57.019
- >> when you look at the success there. but again, may the
- 00:49:57.119 --> 00:50:02.324
- Miraculous commitment to, to uplift and improvement in
- 00:50:02.324 --> 00:50:06.695
- Providence. may that continue for us as it did for our
- 00:50:06.695 --> 00:50:11.366
- Founders.
- 00:50:11.366 --> 00:50:12.534
- >> yeah. you know, and i think i love what you all said about
- 00:50:12.634 --> 00:50:15.103
- Being grateful and being thankful. i think that if we do
- 00:50:15.103 --> 00:50:17.973
- That, we see the miracles more often because a lot of people
- 00:50:17.973 --> 00:50:22.210
- Can can look at, you know, this kind of stuff and go, that
- 00:50:22.210 --> 00:50:25.280
- Wasn't a miracle. that was because they're ungrateful and
- 00:50:25.280 --> 00:50:27.983
- They miss it. they miss. they miss the whole point of what
- 00:50:27.983 --> 00:50:31.920
- God has done here, you know? and so that gratefulness and
- 00:50:31.920 --> 00:50:35.857
- Teaching our kids, again, reading them these stories,
- 00:50:35.857 --> 00:50:39.828
- Letting them see these films, it's i thank you. i love you
- 00:50:39.828 --> 00:50:43.432
- For doing it. thank you for my kids and my grandbaby that you
- 00:50:43.432 --> 00:50:48.470
- Saw a while.
- 00:50:48.470 --> 00:50:49.471
- >> ago, the american miracle. final word. tim.
- 00:50:49.471 --> 00:50:53.508
- >> you talked about teaching them to your. i have eight
- 00:50:53.508 --> 00:50:55.977
- Grandchildren and i. we love them so much in the old
- 00:50:55.977 --> 00:50:58.880
- Testament said that they were supposed to teach these
- 00:50:58.880 --> 00:51:01.049
- Commandments to, you know, to their children, write them on
- 00:51:01.049 --> 00:51:03.585
- Their doorposts. and i want i think that we need to teach the
- 00:51:03.585 --> 00:51:08.256
- American miracle to our to our grandchildren, because they
- 00:51:08.256 --> 00:51:10.659
- Might not be getting it at school. possibly. and it's
- 00:51:10.659 --> 00:51:14.029
- Important that they know the nation and what god has done by
- 00:51:14.029 --> 00:51:17.999
- Bringing this nation into existence. and i want to thank
- 00:51:17.999 --> 00:51:20.502
- Michael for for letting me be the director. and i want to
- 00:51:20.502 --> 00:51:23.738
- Thank you for you, too, for letting us come on and share
- 00:51:23.738 --> 00:51:26.608
- This story. i love it, and i want to thank god for for, you
- 00:51:26.608 --> 00:51:31.646
- Know, providing for america and for americans all these years.
- 00:51:31.646 --> 00:51:34.816
- >> love it.
- 00:51:34.816 --> 00:51:35.884
- >> the american miracle, the place for miracles. and as
- 00:51:35.984 --> 00:51:39.588
- Bruce almighty said, be a miracle. we'll see you next
- 00:51:39.588 --> 00:51:43.458
- Time.
- 00:51:43.458 --> 00:51:44.960
- >> be more.
- 00:51:44.960 --> 00:52:03.378
- >> i came to persuade you to avoid these dangers.
- 00:52:04.379 --> 00:52:08.350
- >> we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are
- 00:52:08.350 --> 00:52:12.721
- Created equal.
- 00:52:12.721 --> 00:52:15.223
- >> if our union is to hold together, something must be
- 00:52:15.223 --> 00:52:19.928
- Done.
- 00:52:19.928 --> 00:52:20.896
- >> he will become founder of a mighty empire.
- 00:52:20.896 --> 00:52:28.236
- >> the fate of unborn millions now depends under god. upon the
- 00:52:28.236 --> 00:52:32.107
- Conduct and courage of this army.
- 00:52:32.107 --> 00:52:36.444
- >> various founders talked about this providential
- 00:52:36.444 --> 00:52:39.648
- Experiment that god had ordained and intervened at this
- 00:52:39.648 --> 00:52:42.951
- Unique moment in american history to make all of this
- 00:52:42.951 --> 00:52:45.120
- Happen.
- 00:52:45.120 --> 00:52:46.221
- >> most of them believed that there were no accidents in
- 00:52:46.321 --> 00:52:50.825
- History.
- 00:52:50.825 --> 00:52:52.260
- >> that hope for liberty was the light, that under god he
- 00:52:52.260 --> 00:52:57.065
- Would lead them.
- 00:52:57.065 --> 00:52:58.433
- >> all eyes are opened or opening to the rights of man.
- 00:52:58.433 --> 00:53:03.104
- >> am i all mankind?
- 00:53:03.104 --> 00:53:05.974
- >> we have been assured, sir, in the sacred writings, that
- 00:53:05.974 --> 00:53:10.312
- Except the lord build the house, they labor in vain that build
- 00:53:10.312 --> 00:53:14.583
- It. it cannot be denied that.
- 00:53:14.583 --> 00:53:18.220
- >> with america and in america a new era commences in human
- 00:53:18.220 --> 00:53:24.726
- Affairs.
- 00:53:24.726 --> 00:53:27.562
- >> america is something that i.
- 00:53:27.562 --> 00:53:30.832
- >> i hold in my heart.
- 00:53:30.832 --> 00:53:41.509
- >> americans of today should regain our bearings, that our
- 00:53:42.677 --> 00:53:47.382
- Nation is no accident.
- 00:53:47.449 --> 00:53:54.010
