I recommend to [Americans] that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also … commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

As America celebrates Thanksgiving tomorrow, a handful of thought leaders told Christianity Today what they are thankful for this year:

"On September 11th I was sitting in my car near the Pentagon when the hijacked plane crashed into it. It was a morning when evil and death were in control. But, every moment since then there has been a new appreciation in our country of the sacrifices that have been made for over 200 years to ensure our freedom. This Thanksgiving, my family and I plan to pray and give thanks for the unsung heroes who stand guard over our nation and for the God who is the author of our liberty."

Gary L. Bauer, head of American Values and former presidential candidate.

"I am pleased to see flags waving everywhere I go, as witnesses to a rebirth of patriotism; and I am pleased to find young people rediscovering America's idealism as they increasingly commit themselves to community service. But most of all, I am grateful for the huge number of new missionaries who are accepting the challenge to wed evangelism with ...