2025 Independence Day Letter from Bishop Jerry Ogles

 

The Anglican Orthodox Church ^SM

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The Most Rev. Jerry L. Ogles - Presiding Bishop

July 4, 2025,

 INDEPENDENCE DAY – Bishop’s Letter

 ¹Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.    Galatians 5:1

             America has just gone through a period fraught with dangers and political intrigue. Though many in our nation are waking up to the threats presented by totalitarian sentiments and moral depravity, have we waited too late to respond? I think not! Freedom is a fragile blessing that is always preserved by the shedding of blood or, at least, the willingness to die in its defense.

            What is the source of all freedom? That source resides in the Sovereign of our Redemption – the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the source and preserver of all freedoms. He not only died to save our souls, but also to purchase our freedom from the bondage of sin. Without Christ, all remain in bondage to sin and can will to do nothing righteous in the eyes of the Lord. That bondage derives from the depravity of man without the redeeming grace of our Lord. ‘Self-will’ is not ‘free will’ and all respond with self-will before coming to the Throne of Grace. That liberty is not only personal but national as well. It was the guiding hand of the Providence of our Lord that directed our Founding Fathers to establish a government whose Founding Document – the Declaration of Independence – recognized God’s sovereignty above all earthly governments and stipulated that all of our rights descend from God - not government.

            We may have taken our Liberty too lightly for a while. If a people are willing to surrender freedom for a government handout, they will neither have freedom nor prosperity. Those beholding to government for a morsel of food are in bondage to the government plantation. If we devolve into a people whose security and confidence is in government, we will certainly lose our Liberty. Once lost, Liberty is very difficult to recover and must be purchased with the same blood as was shed by our fore fathers.

            In the Parable of the Lost Lamb, the Lost Coin, and the Lost Son, we are reminded of the value of that which is lost and the great effort required to recover that lost lamb, coin, or son. We only realize the full value of an asset when it becomes lost to us. So it is with Liberty.

            Can America be restored to the favor of our God? Yes, we are promised the same in 2 Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

            Not all of a nation are told to satisfy this promise of God – only those who are called by My Name, i.e. Christians. Unfortunately, it is the compromise of the churches of our land which have opened the floodgates for the world to enter into the Holy Place. The doctrines of freedom and liberty, once profoundly preached from the pulpits of the American colonies, are now substituted for carnal license and a low regard for the Commandments of God.

            The hour is late, and the shadows lengthen; but I have a firm faith that God will restore America to her former greatness through the faith and diligence of her people.

 Happy 4^th of July and God bless America in restoring our Christian and patriotic zeal!

In Christ Alone during TRINITY SEASON,

 † Jerry Ogles

Presiding Bishop, Chancellor Faith Theological Seminary - Pakistan