It's
common Mormon lore that God's hand was in the founding of the United
States of America. Prophets have talked about it over the pulpit
numerous times, and it's in the Doctrine and Covenants.But, according to bestselling author Chris Stewart and his brother Ted, miracles didn't cease in 1776 or 1820.
So
why would Chris, author of the "Great and Terrible" series
and an Air Force pilot, and Ted, who's served in politics for many
years, feel the need to write an entire book on something that's
already a given?
"Many people think America may no longer be worthy of God's help," Chris Stewart told the Deseret News last month.
And
because of that, the two co-authored "Seven Miracles That Saved
America: Why They Matter and Why We Should Have Hope" (Shadow Mountain,
$27.95).
Each event is its own chapter, teeming with historical storytelling.
Some
of them are briefly alluded in scripture, such as 1 Nephi 13:10-19, but
the new account gives more detail of the events, such as:
The
"against all odds" discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus,
when the Chinese could have easily crossed the Pacific and found it.
The
English colonists' survival at Jamestown during "starving time," which
made the generations thereafter into a religiously oriented and
tolerant people.
The fog on the East
River in New York that allowed General George Washington to escape sure
annihilation at the hands of the British.
The U.S. Constitution, which established the country as "the shining city on a hill."
These
events, and others, provide evidence that God still cares about
America. It's easy to see the hand of God in Abraham Lincoln's
presidency and the Battle of Gettysburg, but the final two miracles,
which happened in the 1900s, are not without controversy: the battle of
Midway and the near-assassination of President Ronald Reagan. "Seven
Miracles" does what most good list-type books should do: give the
facts, entertain and cause debate on whether the events in the list
should be included. A reader may not agree with everything in this
book, but they're sure to have not regretted spending the time and
plunking down the money needed to get it.
E-mail: nnewman@desnews.com