Davey Crockett Constitutional Congressman After Returning to Congress Upon Meeting Horatio Bunce

You may know of the political conversion of Davey Crockett by the dedicated Christian Horatio Bunce (if you do not you can read the first two installments in this series by clicking on the links below this story). The Congressman Davey Crockett learned the value of government based on law, the Constitution, over governing by the dictates of sentimentalism from the enlightened backwoods farmer, Horatio Bunce. In his book, The Life of Colonel David Crockett, Edward S. Ellis relates “the rest of the story”.

Davey Crockett was reelected to Congress. It was not long before he was faced with a vote similar to the “Georgetown vote”. A bill had been introduced to give $10,000 to the widow of a naval officer that had recently passed away. Crockett took to the floor against the bill proclaiming that, “Congress has no power to appropriate this money as an act of charity.” Claiming that, “Every member upon this floor knows it.” And reminding the members that, “We have the right, as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as members of Congress we have no right so to appropriate a dollar of the public money...” He finished by proclaiming his intention to give one week's pay to the widow, and challenging the rest of the members to, “do the same, it will amount to more than the bill asks.”

Even after waxing eloquent about the debt of gratitude that the nation owed this honored veteran, not one other Congressman accepted Davey Crockett's challenge to give a week's pay to the widow. He excoriated them, saying, “Money with them is nothing but trash when it is to come out of the people. But it is the one great thing for which most of them are striving, and many of them sacrifice honor, integrity, and justice to obtain it.”

The founding fathers attempted to break free from the Religious Humanist policy of the
lordship of government. From the very beginning of the republic you see the tendency to look to this “great lord” to be the “great provider”. In 21st century America the state has grown to “behemoth” proportions. Even most Christians call on this man made god to provide their needs, and desires. It is not a surprise that this blatant idolatry would capture the minds of a Secular Humanist culture, but it is a mystery as to how the church has turned to government rather than God as their provider.

All is not lost though. The Christian can still repent of the sin of idolatry. A reformation of the church will defeat the march of the tyrants. Tyranny cannot stand when the church exerts its authority over all of culture. The Christian must turn to God, learn his Constitution, stop depending on government to provide his every need, and take up his responsibility to care for the “widow and orphan.”