Historian Dr. Jerry Newcombe: Thanksgiving Was Created to Acknowledge the Providence of Almighty God

Fleeing from Europe to the New World for religious freedom in 1620, the Pilgrims intended to settle in northern Virginia, not far from Jamestown where there was an established community. But their ship was blown off course and landed instead at Plymouth, Massachusetts. And because they were in unsettled territory, the Pilgrims (before disembarking the Mayflower) created a document that became the prototype for America’s Declaration of Independence and

Constitution. On this episode of Lighthouse Faith podcast, author and historian Dr. Jerry Newcombe explores the faith steeped history of Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims who landed in the New World and created the essence of the American experiment, the agreement for self-government, a civil body politic under God. The very first Thanksgiving, as the Pilgrims sat down with the Indians to share a meal, was always about giving thanks to an Almighty God, through whose Providence they were brought to a new land. Unfortunately, the education system in this land of the free has worked to erase God from the history books. But Newcombe, the Executive Director of Providence Forum, is pushing back.