Emblazoned on the front of The Great Seal of the United States of America is a majestic bald eagle with a scroll in its mouth.  The scroll is inscribed with the Latin words “E Pluribus Unum,” which means “out of many – one.” Originally suggested as America’s motto in 1776, “E Pluribus Unum” referred to the unity of the original thirteen colonies to form one central government. Inspiration for this unique concept of unity among diverse populations was probably taken from an English publication called the English Gentleman or Monthly Intelligencer, which was a sort of Reader’s Digest popular from 1731 to 1922. On the title page of their annual issue, which compiled the previous twelve months, was a bouquet of flowers accompanied by the Latin phrase “E Pluribus Unum.”(1)

Envisioning a unified government, the Founding Fathers could have likened the enterprise of the United States of America to a beautiful bouquet of flowers. This arrangement was composed of many unique and different colors, fragrances, and types of flowers, just as the thirteen colonies were made up of people from various ethnic, religious, and philosophical backgrounds. Together, they would form a beautiful nation – the United States of America.

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Unity of distinct peoples into a free republic was a novel idea. The process of maintaining and perfecting this unity would define our history as a nation. Investing the power of self-government in the American people was a risky endeavor, but the freedoms and opportunities generated in a democracy of, by, and for the people were worth the risk. Subsequently, the Constitution written during the Constitutional Convention in 1787 proposed that “We the people” could form a “more perfect union” by following the government structure, laws, and bill of rights outlined therein. According to David Barton, “Our national motto, E Pluribus Unum, reflects the principle of Christian union.” (2)

As the new states contributed to the well-being of each other through the central government, America would grow stronger and more unified. At least this was the concept of unity at America’s inception. Then came the Civil War. In many ways, our nation is still reeling from the bitter division of the North vs. the South and the failure of our Founding Fathers to eradicate slavery at the very beginning of our journey as a nation.

The progress of including black Americans in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness has been a long and gradual development of equality and liberty through painful protests and passage of Civil Rights legislation. Our ethnic diversity as a nation has progressively expanded throughout many decades of immigration to the incredible level of pluralism we see represented in America today.

How can we extend this concept of unity within such a pluralistic society? Can people of various backgrounds cooperate to allow a nation to flourish?

God’s Word has the answer! Psalm 133 says, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! … For there the Lord bestows His blessing, even life forevermore.” The church as the Body of Christ is to be a powerful example of unity that reflects the blessings of God to their communities. Could it be that we see so much division and disunity among people in America because the church is in disunity? Because of denominational differences, competition, and fear, many pastors and churches do not cross denominational lines to cooperate with other churches to reach their city for Jesus Christ. God forgive us!

Jesus prayed for His church in His time of anguish in the Garden of Gethsemane, “I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their [disciples’] message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.” (John 17:20, 21)  The ultimate accomplishment of unity in the Body of Christ is to demonstrate to an unbelieving, lost world the reality of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ! Could unity among churches be the catalyst for revival and world evangelization?

Ephesians 4:3 says, “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” The Amplified translation says, “Make every effort to keep the oneness of the Spirit in the bond of peace [each individual working together to make the whole successful].”

Let’s pray for pastors as spiritual gatekeepers of their cities to join together in unity to reach their cities with the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ and to meet the needs of their communities through the united efforts of churches in their areas.

Pray for pastors and churches to partner with other pastors and churches across denominational, ethnic, and cultural lines so the love of God can be manifested in dark areas of their cities.

Pray for churches to unite and adopt public schools to help students achieve educational, social, and spiritual goals that they could not realize without Christian mentors.

Pray for churches of differing cultural and ethnic backgrounds to be the change in their cities and communities as they unite to create new opportunities and blessings for those who need to know Jesus.

Bind demonic principalities of witchcraft, hate, and division that keep Christian leaders and churches from cooperating in unity. (Eph. 1:17-23; 2:6; 6:10-18; Luke 10:19)

As unity in the Body of Christ and unity among churches increases, let’s expect the blessings of God to increase in our nation to replace hatred and violence with supernatural love and peace.

In 1956, Congress adopted a new motto for America: “In God We Trust.” E Pluribus Unum continues to be part of The Great Seal and the President’s Seal as well as our currency.  May our unity as Americans be perfected as we trust in God and His amazing grace.  May the unity in the Body of Christ be a shining example for the future unity in our country, as Americans turn to Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

(1) http://greatseal.com/mottoes/unumflowers.html

(2) https://wallbuilders.com/chw/lessons/lesson-3-american-revolution-original/

About the author: Dr. Karyl Stanton is a medical doctor specializing in neurology. She and her husband, Dr. Paul Stanton, founded World Changer Kids, Inc. in 2001 to train and equip children to become the next generation of missionaries to the most unreached. Through children’s missions education and children’s evangelism they hope to facilitate the Body of Christ to change the world and complete the Great Commission. For more information and children’s missions resources, go to www.worldchangerkids.org .

What does E Pluribus Unum mean to you in America today? Share your thoughts  . . .