Ē Plūribus Ūnum: Three Latin Words That Built a Nation
Three Latin words helped build a nation. Today, we've almost forgotten what they mean.
Ē PLŪRIBUS ŪNUM.
You may have seen them on the back of some tooth fairy money. But why do they matter? The Founding Fathers chose them back in 1776 to encapsulate the hope that though we were many states, we could stand together as one nation (ē plūribus ūnum means “out of many, one”). Today, if you were vacationing in Italy and asked your country of origin, you would undoubtedly answer, “I’m an American” rather than “I’m a Washingtonian.” So the founders' dream has been realized... right? We are united?
THE PROBLEM WITH “MANY”
Actually, today, we are told that diversity is our strength. That the Americanness about us – yuck – is arrogant, hateful, oppressive. What is celebrated instead is every way we differ or depart from the norm. I remember a girl once telling me, “I may look super white, but my dad is actually from Mexico.” I could not tell you exactly what the girl hoped to communicate by that, but the quote exposes the cultural sentiment: that your identity as an American is somehow insufficient, only made more valuable by belonging to another identity group as well. Pick out your labels (Hispanic, gay, transgender, etc.), just don’t be “American patriot.” The problem is that diversity, by itself, has never been God's design for unity. Throughout Scripture, God's people are strengthened not by celebrating their differences, but by gathering under one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one standard of truth. What makes us different is not what makes us strong.
If you are trying to write a song with three random people and each of you speaks a different language, good luck writing the lyrics. Or how about this hypothetical: Your friend, Kenny is incensed because his daughter took second place to a boy who had been allowed to run in her race. Right after the loss, Kenny and Barbara, the mother of the boy, are asked to co-write the district’s guidelines on fair play and sportsmanship. If you had to predict their ability to work together as having been strengthened or weakened by their diversity, which would be your hypothesis?
In the case of the lyricists, the problem was not necessarily that four languages were represented, but that no common language was shared between the writers so they could build on something together. The second example is similar, but it introduces a much deeper problem. It is no longer simply a matter of communication, but of determining which worldview is true. Again, the lack of a common foundation creates conflict, but this one can only be resolved if we can answer the question, “Who is right?” A tolerant "no one is wrong" is not the answer, nor can it ever resolve the disagreement. If Barbara is right that eligibility for girls' sports should be determined by self-identification rather than biology, then Kenny's objections cannot simply be tolerated—they must be rejected as wrong. The issue cannot remain unresolved forever. One position must ultimately yield to the other. Determining which one is true requires a standard beyond Kenny, Barbara, or public opinion. If we want to settle the matter, we need a standard.
ONE NATION UNDER GOD
Kenny is not that standard. Neither is Barbara. No person, committee, or government possesses the authority to define morality for all mankind. If we desire one objective law capable of uniting us, we can only receive it from the objective Lawgiver. If such a standard exists, it must have always existed, because truth does not change. And if God intends us to live by it, He must also have revealed it. It is not in flux or subject to a vote; the standard will not change because the Standard-Giver will not change. The triune God of the Bible – the Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that fill them, the God who made humanity – is the only one with the authority to define our lives and legislate our morality.
The good news is He has not made His expectations complicated, ambiguous, or difficult to find. In fact, the short version can be found in only Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1–17, Deuteronomy 5:6–21), or distilled even further by Jesus to two fundamentals: “Love God, love your neighbor” (Matthew 22:37-40, Mark 12:29-31). There are 66 books of poetry, discourse, and narrative to consult for details on the how, and with AI in all our search engines, you can ask, “What does the Bible have to say about…?” and get a list of passages to explore as you get started.
OUT OF MANY, ONE
The bad news is that the moment we discover God's standard, we also discover that we have fallen short of it. We discover that many of the moral values celebrated by our culture—including those promoted under the banner of the modern LGBTQ+ movement—are contrary to God's revealed standard. And after we have discovered how much we have failed by commission and omission, we find that God has prepared judgments for all our sin. But that does not have to be the end of the story. Throw down your crown. Bow your knee to the true King. Surrender to the Kingship of Jesus Christ, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Our present America is rife with division because in the name of “diversity” we have exalted that which is contrary to the standards of God. We have rebelled against the Lordship of Christ. If we want a better future, a better America, – if we want to avoid personal damnation or nationally last another 250 years – we need a return to “one nation under God.”
In Washington, we will unite our families, our churches, and communities around the principles of God. We will submit to godly authorities. We will honor husbands as sacrificial leaders who love their wives and wives as submissive helpers who respect their husbands. We will raise godly children in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. We will work hard at whatever we do, not to please men, but to give glory to God. Though we were many, He made us one. Though we were far off, He brought us near. Though we were strangers, He adopted us. Though we were sinners, He redeemed us.
The founders gave America a motto. Christ gives His people a reality.
Ē Plūribus Ūnum.
Out of many, one. Under Christ, our unity is our strength.
~Jane Grey
Sources & References
Primary Historical Sources
The Great Seal of the United States (1782)
The official adoption of Ē Plūribus Ūnum as the national motto appearing on the Great Seal.
Declaration of Independence (1776)
United States Constitution (1787)
The Federalist Papers
Particularly essays discussing union, republican government, and the purpose of the Constitution.
Scripture References
Exodus 20:1–17
Deuteronomy 5:6–21
Matthew 22:37–40
Mark 12:29–31
Romans 10:9
Ephesians 2:11–22
Ephesians 4:1–6
Galatians 3:28
Philippians 2:9–11
Historical References
Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828)
George Washington, Farewell Address (1796)
John Adams, Letters and Papers
Additional Reading
Douglas Wilson, Mere Christendom
R. J. Rushdoony, The Institutes of Biblical Law
Cornelius Van Til, The Defense of the Faith
