Where is America headed?
By Steve Huston
The trajectory for American
Christianity appears tragic!
I’m pretty sure
I just heard someone somewhere “harrumph” and say,
“You’ve gotta be kidding me. I might have agreed with
that statement during the last administration, but look at all
the good that’s being done and the return to common sense.
Why, I could list off 100 things that point to better days ahead.”
Most conservatives, including
Christians, look at the political revival taking place around
them, but fail to realize that it’s nothing compared to
the spiritual revival that America needs. Forget the political
landscape for a moment; if “We the People” do not
turn our hearts, minds, and wills back to God quickly, I’m
not sure that there’s any hope for America. That’s
not the same as saying there’s no hope for individual Americans.
One may disagree with
my assessment, but if we look at the generational downward trend,
it should give us at least pause for thought. According to George
Barna, the percentage of US adults who identify as Christian has
decreased from 72% in 2020 to 66% today. In this same time frame,
while Christianity dropped 7%, other faiths have increased: no
faith (10%), Judaism (21%), Islam (12%), Buddhism (56%), and other
non-Christian faiths (77%).
But it’s even more
disturbing when one considers that the Bible reveals who God is,
what truth is, and yet, “the survey found that fewer than
one out of every five adults (18%) consistently rely upon the
Bible to discern moral and spiritual truth.”
As we consider the trajectory
of true Christianity in America, the next part is the really scary
part. Of these 18%, only 9% of the youngest adult generation –
Gen Z, 18 to 21 year-olds – hold to the “scripture
first and foremost” mindset about truth.
Barna helps put this in
perspective: “Another way of viewing that information is
to realize that although Baby Boomers represent just 24% of the
adult population today, they constitute 36% of the U.S. adults
who consistently turn to the Bible first and foremost to determine
what they believe to be moral truth.” Dear Reader, we are
failing to pass the Christian faith on to our children and grandchildren.
We are suffering from “Truth Decay!”
Some of the other factors
that weigh into the equation of American minds when deciding what
truth is: Law/Public Policy/Political Leaders; Societal norms;
Philosophical/religious views other than the Bible; Family/friends.
Of the eight total factors, number one is one’s own feelings
and personal emotions (74%), with the Bible only coming in at
44%.
But what does the Bible
– God’s revelation of truth – say about this?
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto
thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and
he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear
the LORD, and depart from evil.” (Proverbs 3:5-7)
If America would escape
the undertow of secular humanism which is pulling her under, then
we must fall in love with Jesus once again; we must love His Word
and trust in Him instead of ourselves, government, society, or
even AI.
Our founders were not
perfect, they were but men; but they were, by and large, men who
honored the Word of God and submitted to His ways when it came
to building a nation. Their speeches, writings, laws, calls to
prayer and days of humiliation, and foundation of government give
proof to this.
It would seem that we,
like the church of Ephesus in Revelation 2, have lost our first
love. Do we have the humility to admit that we’ve fallen
short in our efforts? Do we have the intestinal fortitude to,
by God’s grace, strive to fulfill Christ’s prescription
for overcoming? In verse 5, Jesus takes them (and us) to school,
teaching the 3 Rs. 1) Remember – look to your history (nationally,
ecclesiastically, personally) as it relates to Jesus. 2) Repent
– Turn from whatever is hindering you from fully returning
to your first love of Jesus, turning to Him. 3) Redo – Start
over again with those good works which God gave you to do, with
the heart you once had for them.
This is not a call to
traditionalism; it’s a call to fall in love again with the
written Word and the Word Incarnate. It’s a call to be deeply
rooted and built up in Jesus and to teach our children how to
diligently add to their faith daily. It’s a call to turn
away from those things which will rob us of our spiritual riches:
philosophy and vain deceit, following after the traditions of
men, the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. In essence,
it’s a call to follow Paul’s exhortation in Colossians
2:6-9. Such faith is a gift of God, but we have a responsibility
to grow that faith, by His grace.
At one time, American
families largely represented the mesquite tree, as described by
A.B. Simpson: “There is a very singular shrub which grows
abundantly in the west and is to be found in all parts of Texas.
The mesquite, sometimes called the ‘mosquito tree,’
is a very slim and willowy looking shrub and would seem to be
of little use for any industrial purposes; but it has extraordinary
roots growing like great timbers underground and possessing such
qualities of endurance in all situations that it was once valued
as pavement material. It is said that the city of San Antonio
was once paved with these roots. The mosquito tree reminds us
of those Christians who make little show externally, but their
growth is chiefly underground-out of sight in the depth of God.
These are the men and women that God uses for the foundations
of things, and for the pavements of that city of God which will
stand when all earthly things have crumbled into ruin and dissolved
into oblivion.”
With God’s help,
may America build such families again. It must start with yours
and mine.
Contact us @
sghuston@yahoo.com
(231) 245-0002
VOTL
/ WOTL Radio - IHC 24.7
|