The IM Writers Association. We aim to create a community of writers who share a common faith and passion for writing that advances the Life of Jesus Christ. Consider assisting us with our costs - a safe donor link is available HERE. #80: ANCESTRAL VALUESIDENTITY POLITICS | Mark Boonstra: Samuel Chase was, throughout his life, a devout believer in the Almighty.
Another linkage between past and present.Listen to our podcast version: I count it a sacred privilege to be related to Justice Samuel Chase, a man whose legacy stands not only in the annals of American history, but also in the enduring witness of a life submitted to the Word of God. As one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and a Justice of the United States Supreme Court, he carried a reverence for justice that went beyond civic duty—it was rooted in the fear of the Lord and a deep devotion to Yeshua/Jesus Christ Himself. To be linked by heritage to such a man is a humbling reminder that God often raises up generational voices to carry out His purposes. I pray Judge Boonstra’s essay will remind us all of the measure of the strength, courage, and Christ-honoring pursuits that come from our forefathers, that can continue to make an impact on future generations. -Stephen Phinney
ANCESTRAL VALUESThe pages of Kingdoms at War, by Dr. Phinney, frequently delve into the foundational roots of America and highlight the God-centric worldview of our Founding Fathers. Those recollections of our history regularly impart lessons for us today, as we go forth in the modern world. But they also highlight another important fact, one that bears repeating. And one that we should never allow ourselves to forget. The importance of passing along our ancestral values.Now, I appreciate that every generation, as it comes into its own, rebels to some extent from the preceding one. In a way, it’s a rite of passage. And, certainly, I agree that no generation is perfect. We should always strive to improve and progress. But we should also learn from the past. And we should appreciate the life lessons of our forbears. How many of us, after entering our adult years, realize that our parents weren’t so bad after all. They actually had a lot of wisdom. And we regret a bit that we didn’t appreciate them more when we were younger. And how many of us haven’t seen the same in our own kids. Rebellious teenagers who become appreciative adults. It’s a wonderful thing to witness. Most importantly, for those of us with a Christian heritage, we should incorporate the values of our ancestors into the very fabric of our being. And we should impart those values to our children, and they to theirs. Indeed, I would argue that that is the most important aspect of parenting. Modern-day society is doing everything it can to prevent us from doing so. The secularists of today don’t want your Christian values continuing into the next generation (or the one after that). They want those values to die with you. That’s why cases like Mahmoud v Taylor, which the United States Supreme Court decided on June 27, 2025, are so important. Parents in Montgomery County, Maryland objected to their children being forced to participate in aspects of an elementary school curriculum that the parents saw as blatant indoctrination. They sued, challenging only the denial of a right to opt out of objectionable aspects of the curriculum. They asserted their fundamental and First Amendment right to direct the upbringing of their own children, including with respect to their religious convictions, and to freely exercise their religious beliefs. The lower federal courts ruled against the parents. But the Supreme Court recently reversed. Said the Court: We reject this chilling vision of the power of the state to strip away the critical right of parents to guide the religious development of their children. So, parents, you have a right (and duty) to raise your children according to your own values. And to pass along the ancestral values of your Christian heritage.In appreciation of that right, I would today offer an illustration. Another linkage between past and present. One that epitomizes the significance of passing along our ancestral values. While recognizing that there can be hiccups along the way. One that also offers a tribute to my esteemed co-writer of this Identity Politics series—Dr. Stephen Phinney—with a brief recitation of his historical connection to America’s founding—and to the Christian principles that he has carried forward from his ancestors to underlie his work today at IOM (Institute of Ministry) America. Indeed, this is truly fitting, as IOM America has just celebrated its 25th anniversary and Dr. Phinney is about to release his latest book, Kingdoms at War. Dr. Phinney traces his family history back to the Mayflower, including to Thomas Rogers, one of the signers of the Mayflower Compact. The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of the Plymouth Colony. It was signed by 41 of the English pilgrims who had fled religious persecution in 1620, traveling aboard the Mayflower and landing in what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts. Simple in its terms, the Mayflower Compact repeatedly (despite its brevity) emphasized the God-centric nature of the foundation it established for the colony’s system of government: In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, the loyal Subjects of our dread sovereign Lord King James, by the grace of God of Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, &c. Having undertaken for the glory of God, and advancement of the Christian Faith, and honor of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the first Colony in the Northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God and one another, covenant, and combine ourselves together into a civil body politick, for our better ordering and preservation and furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof do enact, constitute, and frame such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, acts, constitutions, and offices from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience. In witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the 11. of November, in the year of the reign of our sovereign Lord King James, of England, France, and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth, Anno Domini 1620. Fast-forward about 120 years.Dr. Phinney also traces his roots to Samuel Chase, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, who was born in Maryland in 1741. The son of an Anglican clergyman, Chase was steeped from birth in the principles of Christianity that guided him throughout his life. His father, Rev. Thomas Chase, received a classical education in England, briefly practiced medicine, and ultimately found his calling in the priesthood—as had his elder brother, Richard. Following his ordination in 1739, Rev. Thomas Chase followed Richard’s pathway to America, settling in Somerset County, Maryland. He initially served as rector of the Somerset Parish and it likely was there that he met the woman who was to become Chase’s mother, Matilda Walker. Two years later, Matilda blessed her husband with a son, Samuel, but she died during childbirth. In 1744, Thomas became rector of St. Paul’s Parish, and moved with young Samuel to Baltimore. Samuel Chase was homeschooled by Rector Chase in Latin, Greek, literature, and history. In 1759, eighteen-year-old Chase moved to Annapolis; after a period of legal training, he was admitted to the bar. He married Ann (Nancy) Baldwin, who bore him seven children, and he served as a vestryman at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church. Chase was called to public service, both in the Maryland General Assembly, as a founder of the Sons of Liberty in Annapolis, and in the Continental Congress. He became known as the “Demosthenes of Maryland” for his oratorical skills. Although he missed some of the Congress’s proceedings because of Ann’s illness and subsequent death, he became a signatory to the Declaration of Independence in 1776. He later met and wed Hannah Kitty Giles while in England, in 1784, on a mission for the state of Maryland. Together, they had two daughters. Following independence, Chase helped write Maryland’s constitution, as well as the Articles of Confederation under which the new American nation would initially be governed. In 1796, after serving in the Maryland courts, President Washington appointed Chase to the United States Supreme Court, and it was there that his contributions to the early development of the nation’s jurisprudence were perhaps unparalleled. In 1799, Justice Chase sentenced one John Fries, upon his conviction of the crime of treason, offering the following: Let me, therefore, earnestly recommend to you most seriously to consider your situation—to take a review of your past life and to employ the very little time you are to continue in this world in endeavors to make your peace with that God whose mercy is equal to his justice. I suppose that you are a Christian; and as such I address you. Be assured, my guilty and unhappy fellow-citizen, that without serious repentance of all your sins, you cannot expect happiness in the world to come; and to your repentance you must add faith and hope in the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ. These are the only terms on which pardon and forgiveness are promised to those who profess the Christian religion. Let me, therefore, again entreat you to apply every moment you have left in contrition, sorrow and repentance. Your day of life is almost spent; and the night of death fast approaches. Look up to the Father of Mercies, and God of Comfort. You have a great and immense work to perform, and but little time in which you must finish it. There is no repentance in the grave, for after death comes judgment; and as you die, so you must be judged. By repentance and faith, you are the object of God’s mercy; but if you will not repent, and have faith and dependence upon the merits of the death of Christ, but die a hardened and impenitent sinner, you will be the object of God’s justice and vengeance. If you will sincerely repent and believe, God has pronounced [his] forgiveness; and there is no crime too great for his mercy and pardon. . . . I pray God Almighty to be merciful to your soul! As both his judicial and his non-judicial writings unequivocally demonstrate, Samuel Chase was, throughout his life, a devout believer in the Almighty. As the end of his earthly life approached, Chase’s instinct, as always, was to turn to God, as he sent for the Reverend Joseph G. J. Bend, the rector of St. Paul’s, and received the Holy Eucharist. He was laid to rest in St. Paul’s cemetery in 1811. Thank you, Dr. Phinney, for adhering to your ancestral values, and for continuing to promote them in your important work today. Surely, Justice Chase and the Mayflower pilgrims are looking down with pride.
Listen to the reading of the United States Constitution: Identity Politics, with Mark Boonstra & Dr. Stephen Phinney, is an extension of IOM America’s IM Christian Writers Association. The mission of the authors is to restore faith in God & country. -Mark | Mark’s Substack | Visit Mark’s Website
IM Writers Association is a collective group of Christian writers who support the advancement of the Gospel of Jesus Christ while sustaining an eschatological view of the Holy Scriptures of God.
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