The American Soul

What Makes An American

• Jesse • Season 5 • Episode 212

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0:00 | 27:16

What if the soul of American freedom depends on the strength of our character at home and our courage in the public square? We follow a clear thread from John Adams and John Quincy Adams to a modern battlefield, exploring why liberty withers without moral roots and how ordinary people can keep the flame alive.

I share foundational quotes that tie civil government to Christian principles, then move into Scripture that shapes daily life: Ephesians 5’s vision of sacrificial love in marriage, Jesus’ challenge to a rich seeker about treasure and loyalty, and Psalm 24’s call to clean hands and pure hearts. These aren’t abstract devotions; they’re a blueprint for self-government. When we put love of God first, we gain the wisdom and restraint that liberty requires. When we love our neighbor, we anchor policies and personal choices in truth, not slogans.

The episode centers on a stark story of courage: Marine Jordan Harter at a Ramadi gate who stood his ground and stopped a catastrophic attack, giving his life to save countless others. His split-second choice shows what it means to hold the line when it matters. From there, we talk about how citizens “exploit” the time bought by sacrifice—by voting with conviction, raising principled families, supporting law enforcement with integrity, and defending ordered liberty against ideologies that smother it. Reagan’s reminder echoes through it all: a nation’s happiness stands on virtue, and America remains a place where anyone can become American by embracing a creed rooted in freedom and character.

If this conversation moved you, subscribe, share it with a friend, and leave a review. Your voice helps keep the sacred fire of liberty burning.

#RonaldReagan #JohnAdams #DailyScripture 

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SPEAKER_02:

Hey folks, this is Jesse Cope, back with another episode of the American Soul Podcast. Hope y'all are doing well. Wherever y'all are, in whatever part of the day you're in, I'm sure to appreciate you joining me, giving me a little bit of your time and attention, a little piece of your day.

SPEAKER_00:

I will try and use it wisely.

SPEAKER_02:

Thank you for those of y'all who continue to share the podcast with others, tell others about it. Thank you for those of y'all who continue to pray for me and for the podcast. Thank you very much.

SPEAKER_00:

Very, very grateful for your prayers. Need them and want them.

SPEAKER_02:

And I will have to apologize in advance for my sniffles once again. Still a little under the weather. Father, thank you for today. Thank you for you, Father, and your son Jesus Christ and your Holy Spirit.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you for your love and your mercy, your grace and your forgiveness of sins through the merit of your son Jesus Christ. Thank you, Lord, so much for your son. Jesus, for you being willing to come and die for our sins so that we didn't have to. Forgive us when we take that for granted. Our lack of gratitude, our unbelief. Forgive us when we fail to share that comfort and that hope and that joy with others.

SPEAKER_02:

Help us to do better, Father. Guide our steps, help us to truly love your Son Jesus Christ, and therefore to love you with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength to love our neighbors as ourselves.

SPEAKER_00:

Be with our military, law enforcement, firefighters. And keep them safe. Bring them home to their families safe.

SPEAKER_02:

In particular, our police officers, our ICE officers these days. Give them most of the courage and strong faith. Help them to feel your presence.

SPEAKER_00:

Give them your comfort and your joy and your peace. Guide our nation back to you and help us to help that process in any way that we can, Father.

SPEAKER_02:

Me with those who are hurting and alone. Me with those listening to the podcast, Father, wherever they are, across the nation and around the world, give them comfort, encouragement.

SPEAKER_00:

Help us to encourage each other, to support each other. Bless the marriages of those who are married. Forgive us our sins. And please guide my words here, Father. In your son's name we pray. Amen.

SPEAKER_02:

We're going to try and tie them in later in the podcast. First is from John Adams. This is in a letter he wrote to Thomas Jefferson in 1813. The general principles on which the fathers achieved independence were the only principles in which that beautiful assembly of young gentlemen could unite. And what were these principles, these general principles? I answer, the general principles of Christianity, in which all these sects were united. And the general principles of English and American liberty, in which all these young men united, and which had united all parties in America, and majorities sufficient to ask to assert and maintain our independence. Now I will avow that I then believe and now believe that those general principles of Christianity are as eternal and immutable as the existence and attributes of God, and that those principles of liberty are as unalterable as human nature and our terrestrial mundane system. The other quote is from his son. It's uh John Quincy Adams from 1821, I believe, July 4th. The highest glory of the American Revolution was this. It connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity. There's a number of others I could read, but I want you to think about when we come back at the end of the podcast a little better while we're going through it. What does it truly mean to be an American? What makes you an American? Right? Because that's a pretty important question today. We're seeing more and more.

SPEAKER_00:

What does it mean to be American? Marriage verse for today.

SPEAKER_02:

Uh Ephesians 5, starting with verse 22, folks. It's a a lot of people try and say that verse 21 belongs in this, but when you go back and you look at the King James Version, for example, or the NASB, you'll see that verse 21 has referenced the previous section, not to marriage. Verse 22, wives be subject to your own husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, he himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, so that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that he might present to himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be holy and blameless. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of his holy body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is great, but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife, even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband. One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him. But Jesus said, Let the children come to me, don't stop them. For the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are like these children. And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before they left before he left. Someone came to Jesus with a question, Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life? Why ask me about what is good? Jesus replied, There is only one who is good. But to answer your question, if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments. Which ones? The man asked. Jesus replied, You must not murder, you must not commit adultery, you must not steal, you must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother, love your neighbor as yourself. I have obeyed all these commandments, the young man replied. What else must I do? Jesus told him, If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, then come, follow me. But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Then Jesus said to his disciples, I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. I'll say it again. The disciples were astounded. Then who in the world can be saved, they asked. Jesus, looking at them intently, said, Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God, everything is possible. Then Peter said to him, We've given up everything to follow you. What will we get? Jesus replied, I assure you that when the world is made new and the Son of Man sits upon his glorious throne, you who have been my followers will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother, or children, or property for my sake, will receive a hundred times as much in return and will inherit eternal life. But many are who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.

SPEAKER_00:

Sorry, folks. One of my children gave me this little treat.

SPEAKER_02:

I cannot tell you, encourage you enough to have children, have a lot of children. But there are there are some drawbacks. One of them is that it's like a bacterial factory.

SPEAKER_00:

You catch everything. Psalm 24, verse 1 through 10. The earth is the Lord's and everything in it.

SPEAKER_02:

The world and all its people belong to him. For he laid the earth's foundations on the seas and built it on the ocean depth. Who may climb the mountain to the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols, and never tell lies. They will receive the Lord's blessing and have a right relationship with God their Savior. Such people may seek you and worship in your presence, O God of Jacob. Open up ancient gates, open up ancient doors, and let the King of Glory enter. Who is the King of Globe? The Lord strong and mighty. The Lord invincible in battle. Open up ancient gates, open up ancient doors, and let the King of Glory enter. Who is the King of Glory? The Lord of Heaven's armies. He is the King of Glory. Proverbs six verse one through five. My child, if you have put up security for a friend's debt or agreed to guarantee the debt of a stranger, if you have trapped yourself by your agreement, and are caught by what you said, follow my advice and save yourself. For you have placed yourself at your friend's mercy. Now swallow your pride. Go and beg to have your name erase. Don't put it off. Do it now. Don't rest until you do. Save yourself like a gazelle escaping from a hunter, like a bird fleeing from a net. Other than my nose dripping like a sieve sieve, there's two things that I thought of today I want to mention real quick, tie them in with the Bible verse. One is uh somebody today tried to convince me that if you were supporting law enforcement, uh if you were supporting ice agents, for example, that you couldn't be uh a truly patriotic American, which of course is the exact opposite of the truth. And one of the easy ways to test this, folks, is these people, a lot of times, uh, especially on the left, uh, Islam, priceless conservatism, when they try and throw a Bible verse at you, just respond with, well, what's Christ's greatest commandment? You know, you really want to be a Christian, you really want to be uh somebody that follows Scripture. What's Christ's greatest commandment? And it's to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, right? And so when somebody tells you that they're following Christ, just ask them, ask them if that's their top concern each day. You know, a lot of people like to throw out, love your neighbor as yourself, which of course, supporting illegal and mass Muslim immigration is not loving your neighbor as yourself at all, not even remotely, right? Because there's so much damage done to your neighbor by supporting those things. But but a lot of times you can just see the lie by asking that. Okay, so do you believe that our country ought to love God, right? We ought to love God with everything that we are in every aspect of our lives. The other thing here is you go back to Psalm 24, uh verse eight. Who is the King of glory, the Lord strong and mighty, the Lord invincible in battle? At the end of the day, folks, Christ is already won. Uh it doesn't seem like it sometimes here on earth, granted, but he has. He's already won at the end of the day. And we know it's gonna get worse, and that's okay. Uh we ought to do all we can for as long as we can to save as many as we can. Because one day there aren't going to be any more second chances, folks, for those who haven't accepted Christ. I have, despite all my failings. He's my Lord and Savior, he's the risen Son of God, he's the only hope that I have of eternal life. And I have salvation in eternal life because of Christ alone, that free gift from God. If you haven't made that decision, I highly, highly recommend that you do before anything else in your entire life. I would recommend making that decision and encouraging others to do the same. So every so often uh I get a little bit of information often from my father and his Marine Corps circles, and that's what we're gonna read today. And I get the Medal of Honor is a little out of order, and we're gonna get one a little out of order today.

SPEAKER_00:

This came to my father through those old Vietnam Marine Corps circles, and I'm gonna read it.

SPEAKER_02:

Jordan C. Arter was twenty years old in Iraq when a moment arrived that did not allow fear, delay, or retreat. He was a Marine standing guard at a vehicle checkpoint on Camp Ramadi in April 2008. His position was exposed. His weapons were limited. His responsibility was absolute. That morning an acceler an explosive loaded truck accelerated toward the gate. Harter saw it coming. There was no time to clear the area completely. Other marines were still nearby. Vehicles were inside the perimeter. If the truck reached the gate, the blast would tear through the base. Harter did not move. He opened fire, aiming directly at the driver. His actions slowed the vehicle just enough for another marine to engage. Together they stopped the truck meters from the checkpoint. The explosion was massive. Harter was killed instantly. The base survived because he stayed. Investigators later confirmed that if the truck had breached the gate, the casualties would have been catastrophic. Hundreds of lives were at risk. One Marine absorbed the cost. Harter had joined the Marine Corps straight out of high school. He was known for discipline, calmness, and taking responsibility seriously. At twenty years old he understood exactly what his position meant and what it required. There was no retreat order. There was no dramatic farewell. There was only a decision made in seconds. In twenty ten, Jordan Harter was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The recognition came after the loss had already settled into his family and unit. He never heard the words. He never stood in ceremony. His story went viral years later because it was simple and brutal. Young age, last stand, clear sacrifice, no ambiguity. Jordan Harter did not live long enough to be remembered while alive. He died making sure others did. Some heroes fall charging forward. Others stand still and refuse to step aside. At twenty years old, Jordan Harter held a line that could not break.

SPEAKER_00:

The base lived because he did not move.

SPEAKER_02:

And then somewhere these other comments came attached to the post by General John Kelly talking about the fact that these Marines, uh these two Marines, they never shifted their weight. They leaned in to danger. What are we doing today, folks? Are we leaning into danger? Are we holding the line for our children and grandchildren?

SPEAKER_00:

Are we willing to die with no recognition here on this earth to serve God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, to serve our neighbors, to serve future generations, to ensure that liberty continues?

SPEAKER_02:

These young men that are out on these bases around the world, these ICE agents, many of whom are younger, that are out risking their lives, are we willing to risk ours?

SPEAKER_00:

Are we willing to sacrifice friendships, family members, politics?

SPEAKER_02:

I remember somewhere along in my life I picked up from Civil War or Revolutionary War one of the military leaders, I believe, talking about the fact that it was the politicians' job to take as much advantage as possible of military victories. It was their job to exploit whatever advantages the military gave them, right? And I think that's our job today as civilians, even if we're not on the line with the law enforcement police officers, if we're not standing guard at a base. Every sacrifice that these men give, that their families give, it's our job. We have a responsibility, a duty to exploit whatever advantages they give us, whatever time they buy us, whatever political capital they gain for us as a nation to exploit. That advantage and ensure that their sacrifice is not in vain. That the cold and the hunger and the sleep deprivation and the and the hate and the animosity and the injuries and the illness and even the death that they are willing to give is not in vain, folks. So I had uh some quotes from Reagan and from Samuel Adams. I think we're just gonna have time for uh for Reagan's and so this is out of a speech that he gave in 1987 in September to the annual Convention of Concerned Women for America.

SPEAKER_00:

And we're just gonna read a few paragraphs out of it.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, I've talked long enough, I know, but I'd like to leave you with one thought. In this bicentennial year, I keep being drawn back to George Washington's first inaugural address. He said There is no truth more thoroughly established than that there exists in the economy and course of nature an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness. America will prosper, America will succeed, he was saying, only so long as she is good. For the propitious smiles of heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which heaven itself has ordained. He reminded his countrymen that there is something more at stake here than our own advantage. And that something is the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty. Which he said was deeply finally staked on the experiment and trusted to the hands of the American people. These words ring just as urgently true today, perhaps even more so, and it's individuals and groups like yours who have responded to that sense of urgency, who've taken up Washington's call, who will keep America good and therefore prospering, working from the grassroots through all the branches of government. It's people like you who are keeping that sacred fire of liberty alive. I've said many times before, and will repeat again before I leave you here. You may call it mysticism, if you will, but I have always believed that there had to be some divine plan that put these great continents here in the Western Hemisphere between the two great oceans, to be found by people who had such a love of freedom and a desire for that kind of freedom in their hearts that they would uproot themselves from their homelands and from every part of the world come here to create this country. And the other day I received a letter, a line, and it's so eloquent from a man that I have to quote it. He said, You can go to live in France, but you cannot become a Frenchman. You can go to live in Japan, you cannot become Japanese. In Turkey or Greece or any place else, you cannot become one of them. But everybody or anybody from every corner of this world can come to the United States and become an American. I thank you all, and I God bless you all. And I ask his blessing on all of you. And then I'm just going to leave you with one little thing about some of those other parts of the world. I have become a collector of stories that are told among the people of the Soviet Union that reveal that they have a sense of humor, but also some cynicism about their present system. And I've collected quite a number of them. And they're just wonderful. And one that I think is kind of interesting is the question that was asked in school over there about how do you tell a communist? He said, Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. How do you tell an anti-communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you very much. Anyone can become an American from anywhere.

SPEAKER_02:

Skin color doesn't matter, ethnicity doesn't matter. But what does it mean to be an American? You go back to those quotes we read at the beginning of the podcast from John Adams and his son, John Quincy Adams. To truly be an American means to love liberty. And the only way to love liberty, you go back to a quote we read recently from Benjamin Rush, is to stand for and love those principles of Jesus Christ. You cannot truly be an American if you stand against liberty. So therefore, if you stand for communism, socialism, fascism, Nazism, leftism, is love, by default those ideologies stand against liberty. Doesn't matter where you're from, doesn't matter your skin color, doesn't matter how long or how little you've lived in America. You cannot truly be an American and stand against liberty. And you cannot truly stand for liberty and stand against the principles of Jesus Christ. I apologize again for all the sniffling. Glad you stuck with me. If you are looking for a family-friendly middle grade read, if you would check out the Countryside series, it's uh like Narnia, the Hobbit, Percy Jackson, Harry Potter. Hopefully with a little bit more of the values of Christ and a little bit less of the world. And if you enjoyed, if you'd leave a review somewhere online for the first or the second book, I would greatly appreciate that. And if you feel like you're getting a little something out of the podcast on a semi-regular basis, marriage versus scripture, Medal of Honor citations, uh, or our history and heritage, uh, if you would leave a review somewhere for the podcast. And if you have five or ten dollars a month that you can spare to donate to the podcast, there's a link in the show notes, and I would greatly appreciate that as well. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not to temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen. God bless y'all. God bless your families, God bless your marriages if you're married. God bless your nation, wherever you are around the world. Listen. God bless America. We'll talk to you all again real soon, folks. Looking forward to it.