Government Greatness: Thoughts by Allan Eubank

Allan Eubank with his son David.

Allan Eubank and his wife, Joan, have been working as missionaries in Thailand for over 60 years. He wrote this essay to convey a message of unity for those in America and those living abroad. Below are his thoughts.

Recently, I wrote to a close family friend to thank him for his gifts to our work. He asked us to pray about the growing unrest, divisiveness, and power struggle in America and to pray for his son in the National Guard. I wrote back some of my thoughts. I want to share and hear your response, too. 

As you said, America is in a dangerous time. When I hear about the political slogan of MAGA (Make America Great Again), I want to share reflections from my 96 years of experience about what really makes America great. American greatness began with the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." 

Our founding fathers, like James Madison and John Adams, were inspired by the Bible as proclaimed in Isaiah 33:22, “For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us". 

This verse describes God as the ultimate source of authority—He is the judge, establishes the laws, and reigns as king, ultimately acting for His people's salvation. Under God, we have to give rights and respect to all people. "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:28). This verse highlights spiritual equality and unity in Christ, with no earthly distinctions of ethnicity, social class, or gender. Actually, on the human level, we are obviously not equal in ability. Some are stronger, healthier, better looking, smarter, more talented, and speak and lead better than others. But because God says that He considers us all equal, we must strive to treat people that way. Jesus commands in the book of Luke: “You are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”

Jesus then gave the story of the Good Samaritan as an example of who our neighbor is. The Samaritan businessman had to be fully aware that Jews despised Samaritans. Yet he helped rescue the stricken Jew even when the Jew's own religious leaders would not.

Allan on mission in Burma with his grandchildren.

Another scripture that helped America build its democracy is Romans 3:23: "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We cannot trust anybody, including ourselves, with too much power. The adage, “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” has been proven throughout history.

Therefore, in our constitution, there is a balance of power prescribed to separate the government into three divisions: legislative, executive, and judicial. We are in that struggle right now, and we will fall apart if we do not hold on to God as our supreme law giver, king, and judge as Isaiah 33:22 proclaimed. We are praying for this in the U.S., Thailand, and throughout the whole world. As Jesus taught us to pray: "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."

America's greatness really comes from our concern and care for others besides ourselves. I watched America become great in the world beginning in World War II, as we became the dominant force to destroy Hitler's and Mussolini's dictatorships. After the war, the U.S. instituted the Marshall Plan to rebuild Germany and Japan. This was an expression of Jesus' command to love and bless our enemies. It actually is the best way to live. We are blessed by giving. Germany and Japan have been our staunch allies ever since. The U.S. also sent help to other countries around the world to stop the spread of Communist dictatorships. As a part of this help, I volunteered to fight in Korea to help stop a Communist takeover.

Allan and Joan with their three grandchildren.

True and lasting greatness comes through doing good for others. We experienced this in Thailand. We answered God’s call and came to Thailand in 1961. From the very beginning, we received a very warm welcome from the Thai people. Even in the first year, we were invited to attend the King’s birthday reception at the Royal Palace on December 5 along with the Church of Christ in Thailand delegation. The Thai people accepted us because, beginning in the 1800’s until the present, American missionaries showed the love of Christ. They established the first school systems, hospitals, public health, agriculture, and social services. 

The Thai government first used the missionary printing press to publish its own documents. Missionaries were very close to the King because of their good works, and they became close advisers to King Rama IV and Rama V in abolishing slavery and leading the country to become more democratic. Missionaries shared love, and the Thai returned that love.

We knew and watched U.S. experts with massive U.S. aid resources working with the Thai government building roads, irrigation, and power dams across the country, building Chiang Mai University, teaching and giving help to poor rural villagers where we lived, and fighting deadly diseases like malaria in the mountains. One of those aid workers even drew the plans for our church in Sam Yak, Nakorn Pathom, where we served.

At that time, the Thai students bought the communist doctrine, "From each according to his ability to each according to his need." They rebelled and took over almost all the borders. The tide turned only after they saw the unimaginable horrors of the communist terror. I saw and heard the terrible stories of the Cambodians as they stumbled and died when they tried to escape to Thailand. Standing there, I remembered the reign of terror of the French Revolution when they denied God and tried to force liberty, equality, and fraternity on the people, trusting in their own reason. Without belief in and obedience to God, there can be no lasting equality or human rights.

All my life, I have watched as liberals (the left) and conservatives (the right) try to get rid of each other. It can not be done. God gave us two eyes for depth and left and right arms and legs so we can move on. If three of us are discussing a political issue, usually we find ourselves warning each other not to go too far to one side or the other. We must reason and listen to each other to find a peaceful way of working things out. Politics is the art of living together in a positive and constructive way. Let us listen to, pray for, and love each other.

This has been a long stream of consciousness, but I think it is important, and I wanted to get this off my chest. Believing and obeying God through Jesus is the only hope for the U.S. and the world. 

Thanks and God bless,

Allan Eubank and the Free Burma Rangers

Allan, Joan, and their four kids in Thailand.