Ramon Arias | September 5, 2016
There’s no doubt all the national problems are the result of people’s ideas and decisions. Obviously, and culturally speaking, for the most part, America is applying incorrect knowledge in most areas of life, it is the accurate, rational and practical way to understand what is happening.
An article in the Christian Post caught my attention as I read a statement made by Franklin Graham saying: America’s enemies today are “godless secularism” and those who “call themselves progressives.” Graham is doing his part by bringing awareness to Christians around the nation with an outreach titled, “Decision America Tour.” It’s all about prayer and asking God for forgiveness and national healing, as well as encouraging Christians to run for office and the responsibility to vote in the coming elections.
I agree that Christians must run for public office at all levels, except it should not just be anyone who claims to be Christian, and this is why: since the forming of the new experiment of civil government in the late 18th century, the majority of the elected officials have professed the Christian faith. Since then, over two hundred years of history reveal that not everyone that claims to be of the Christian faith thinks and acts according to biblical principles. How do we know? The outcomes of the cultural conditions tell us so. At present, we have a handful of committed Christians who are unable to turn anything around in a rubber stamp U.S. Congress that only seeks to serve its personal interests and the interests of its masters who pull the strings, and guess what? The majority of them profess the Christian faith. Only Christians that know and live by the biblical worldview and apply God’s moral absolutes can make the difference for good. It is unquestionable that Christian America must seek forgiveness and pray to the only One that has the power and ability to heal the nation, however, He has specific requirements to answer those prayers, and I will deal with that after we analyze the following statements taken from Franklin Graham’s article referenced above:
“In 1775, Paul Revere’s famed signal lanterns hung from the Old North Church steeple to warn that the enemy was coming. I’m not hanging lanterns, but I am going state to state warning the people of our nation about the enemy.”
“The enemy is not the British today, but godless secularism and people who call themselves progressives who are undermining the morals and the God-given biblical foundation that our Founding Fathers gave this nation. These foundations are under attack, and the election coming up is so critical for America’s future.”
“The only hope for this country is God and we have taken God out of the political debate, and we have taken Him out of the public space, and I want to put Him back in.”
The historical facts disagree with Graham’s statement of who the real enemy of the nation is. In his perspective, the enemies are godless secularism and progressives, also known as liberals and leftists, “who are undermining the morals and the God-given biblical foundation…”
186 years ago, the godless and progressives began to make inroads to dominate U.S. culture in all areas of life with their ideas. They despised the God of the Bible and anyone embracing His Sovereignty over the nations. Their goal was to precisely undermine the morals of the original Biblical foundation laid by the Pilgrims in 1620, and the Puritans in 1630. In the 21st-century, it is more than obvious, they dominate most of the culture, including the church, and all areas of life. Solomon said: “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7a NKJV).
Ideas dominate the mind; they become a belief which later turn into actions. After WWII, the European and American intellectuals were flabbergasted, very similar to what happened after WWI. The intellectual elites could not understand how the Germans, who were one of the most educated nations in the world, started two world wars. Their main question was, how could human beings be capable of committing such atrocities against their fellowmen? These pseudo-intellectuals forgot the lessons of history with all its facts about the evilness of men’s ideas and actions.
In 1948 the University of Chicago published a book by Richard M. Weaver: Ideas Have Consequences. The central focus of Weaver’s book is the emphasis on how philosophy influences all of society. Our understanding and acceptance of reality are of utmost importance. Our thoughts and words are important in expressing what we consider to be real. The challenge has always been who has the ultimate authority to define reality. This is what Weaver wrote:
“The issue ultimately involved is whether there is a source of truth higher than, and independent of, man; and the answer to the question is decisive for one’s view of the nature and destiny of humankind.” 1
One can expect that the godless and progressives/leftists will reject God Almighty as the source of truth and appoint themselves as the only interpreters of what is truth in all areas of life, in this planet, and the universe. Never mind that they recycle failed ideas, which has destroyed humanity for thousands of years. Weaver also wrote:
“The denial of universals carries with it the denial of everything transcending experience. The denial of everything transcending experience means inevitably – though ways are found to hedge on this – the denial of truth. With the denial of objective truth there is no escape from the relativism of ‘man is the measure of all things.’” 2
Only neophytes disagree that ideas have consequences. Let me repeat; the equation is very simple: our philosophies or thoughts will determine what we believe, what we believe and think will determine what we do and how we govern our lives.
In the Foreword of Weaver’s book it says:
The book was written in the period immediately following the second World War, and it was in a way a reaction to that war—to its immense destructiveness, to the strain it placed upon ethical principles, and to the tensions it left in place of the peace and order that were professedly sought.
Was Adolf Hitler the main culprit that led the world into war? What about the German Christians? Why did the majority of them elevate him to the level of savior and ignored all the flaws of his worldview? Was not Germany the land where the Protestant Biblical Reformation began on October 31, 1517, and that is still impacting us today? Needless to say that centuries before, Christian Germans, departed from the biblical foundation and produced generations of prodigals, lukewarm and self-righteous Christians. That segment of Christians opened the way for the philosophers of the humanist worldview, and they allowed others to push them aside and conformed to the new wave of godless ideas by walking away from God’s absolutes as revealed in His Word of Truth. The truth is, the majority of Christian Germans became enemies of their nation when they turned their back against God’s will here on earth as it is in heaven. Those are the indisputable facts of history, regardless of how anyone may want to twist them.
The same historical principles must apply to the United States of America. God brought from among His people in England those that would lay a biblical foundation in His design for this nation. Subsequent generations were responsible for continuing in building and reforming upon God’s revealed truth. John Wycliffe, in his General Prologue to the Bible translation of 1384, stated: “This Bible is for the Government of the People, by the People, and for the People,” referencing the supremacy of biblical law.
Graham and all concerned Christians in America must stop blaming the godless and progressives as the enemies; they are committed to a cause and are succeeding in their original vision from past generations. Let us place the blame where it belongs. That is, Christian America is directly responsible for the deplorable condition of the nation for departing from God’s cultural commission. MAKE NO MISTAKE! There are devastating long-term consequences when Christians do not comply with the Great Commission of Mathew 28:18-20.
When people compromise, ignore, deny or rebel against God’s revealed truth the outcome has never been pleasant, on the contrary, it is always very painful. However, if Christians who profess that the Bible is the Inerrant, Inspired, and Infallible Word of God would apply it to all areas of life and culture the positive evidence would be more than well known. Furthermore, the world would be running to embrace the biblical principles to get the same powerful results since no other worldview can even come close to producing the same results.
Christ’s commission to the first disciples to go and disciple the nations with the Good News of a living hope for genuine social progress and justice for humanity remains the cultural mandate. Certain parts of the world have seen rays of God’s manifested knowledge, understanding, and wisdom and can attest to revolutionary cultural benefits by obeying God’s commandments.
The responsibility of carrying out God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven falls squarely on the shoulders of the church—every born-again believer in covenant with God and His Word. When the church loses sight of her real duty and departs from God’s absolutes and embraces evil ideas, the nation greatly suffers. On the other hand, when the church teaches the eternal revealed truth of God’s Word, societies rejoice and cultural transformation moves in the right direction. “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan” (Proverbs 29:2, NKJV).
The church has a choice to wisely build upon God’s ideas and usher in His blessings, or choose to construct foolishly and in the process ruin society and bring God’s judgment upon it. “For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?” 1 Peter 4:17 (ESV)
Here is the formula for God’s people to turn the nation in the right direction. In Solomon’s prayer at the Temple’s dedication in Jerusalem, beginning in 2 Chronicles 6, he enumerates the consequences of personal and national sins and pleads before God to open His ears and listen to the prayers of repentance. Please take the time to read this chapter and find out that it is not only prayers that God requires, but also to acknowledge that national problems are the outcome of the sin of God’s people, and they must do the corrective changes in their lives. In 2 Chronicles 7, God appears to Solomon in a dream letting him know He has heard his prayers and promised to reverse His national judgment if the people do the following:
“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
It is useless to pray for God’s national healing without following His requirements step-by-step. His people must do the following: (1) humble themselves, (2) pray and seek my face, in spirit and truth and search His commandments, laws, and statutes to live and apply them to all areas of life including civil laws and government; (3) turn from their wicked ways, a change of life is an indication of willingness to be the new creation in Christ and the hope of future generations; and (4) then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land–this has always been God’s condition for healing the nation, and He never compromises His Word.
It was convenient for Adam to blame Eve for his sin of disobedience thinking it would cover up his irresponsibility; and it was easy for Eve to blame the serpent for her sin, she thought it was her way out of not having to take personal responsibility (Genesis 3:8-13). We can never outsmart God; even though His people throughout generations have thought they could do it only to find out that the consequences of foolishness are a terrible price to pay. On the other hand, by humbling and surrendering unconditionally to God’s standards for living always makes His people knowledgeable, wise and very productive for the benefit of society.
As for the future of America, it is not in God’s hands. He has put the responsibility upon His people and no one else. It is our call. When God’s righteous people honor Him, they will be made to lead as the head. Those who now oppose His will accept their defeat in all areas of life and will have two choices: experience the new life in Christ or to work from behind to recuperate what they lost.