Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look at an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stomestreet. Along with the well-deserved patriotic pride, the celebration of America's 250th anniversary also requires a bit of introspection, especially about America's beginnings and the issue of slavery. Many of the same founding fathers who inspired the cause of liberty in so many kept other people in chains.
However, there's one founding father who boldly opposed slavery. His name was Dr. Benjamin Rush. In a new documentary entitled Rush, the American Revolution's Indispensable Doctor, author and historian Dr. Joseph Laconti describes the work and life of this remarkable man.
In the process, Laconti brings clarity to the complications and the contradictions of the American story. Dr. Benjamin Rush was one of 55 signers of the Declaration of Independence. He graduated from college at age 15, had his own practice as a physician by age 24. He served as an army doctor in the new American military, was a chemistry professor who wrote the first chemistry textbook.
Book published in America, and he also authored many treatises on medical education. He was also a social reformer. He was a key influence on Thomas Paine, the author of the vital booklet, Common Sense. And unlike many of the other founders, Rush believed that the claim to God-given rights had to apply to everyone, including slaves. Rush encouraged revolutionary thinking against British rule while also challenging slavery.
As Dr. LeConcy described it, and I quote, Rush rejects the assumption that Africans are an inferior race. He cites evidence of their ingenuity and humanity as proof that they're equal to the Europeans. Addressing the city's clergy, Rush denounces them for using the Bible to sanctify their crimes against humanity. End quote.
Rush, this champion of human dignity, was a founding member of the Philadelphia Society for Alleviating the Miseries of Public Prisons, what's called the Pennsylvania Prison Society today, and an ardent abolitionist, joining abolitionist societies and writing pamphlets against the institution of slavery. Each of the activities on Rush's very impressive resume were informed by his faith, specifically his conviction that every person is made in the image of God and therefore worthy of dignity and respect. His observations on the importance of work for human well-being also reflected his Christian worldview. One significant area of study for Rush was mental illness. He argued that people with mental illness should not be treated as criminals, but rather brought into normal hospital settings.
He also believed that productive work could aid in their recovery. These ideas proved successful strategies for treating many of his patients. Rush's stand on abolition had been the historical position of the church. In his day, it was being advanced by evangelicals and others in Britain and America. Mm-hmm.
Rush served as an advisor and a public supporter for Richard Allen in the founding of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Benjamin Rush demonstrated how a Christian worldview Needs to be lived, not just believed. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer would write much later, Christianity is not an otherworldly religion. It both describes the world as it actually is, and it invites us to join God's work, not just by preparing for heaven, but by repairing what's wrong in this, his world. Dr.
LeConti's excellent documentary about this lesser-known founding father is available on Amazon through the Wonder Project. Not only does it provide insights into the origin of liberty and the American experiment, it reminds us of what can happen when Christian conviction and moral clarity meet, as it did for Dr. Benjamin Rush. For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street with Breakpoint. Today's Breakpoint was co-authored with Dr.
Glenn Sunshine. If you're a fan of Breakpoint, leave us a review wherever you download your podcast. And for more resources or to share this commentary with others, please visit breakpoint.org. Who am I? Why am I here?
Does my life matter? Only the Christian worldview provides rock-solid truth about who we are and why we're here. Truthrising the study will help you understand human identity through the essential relationships for a Christian, starting with our relationship to God. Start the study today at colsoncenter.org/slash study. That's colsoncenter.org/slash study.
