The headlines this week deviated from the standard fare of election year politics to cover the story that the Susan Koeman foundation (an organization that raises funds to fight breast cancer), was cutting its funding of “Planned Parenthood,” an organization that among other things provides and promotes the practice of abortion. The media reported an enormous outcry of protest against the Koeman Foundation and charged it with being unduly influenced by “radical right wing extremists.” After two days of the media generated hullabaloo the Foundation made the decision to restore the funding.
Anyone who is familiar with world history, United States history and Biblical history should be able to see that our country is engaged in a struggle that is much deeper and broader than standard election year politics. It is a battle that is far greater than the ongoing tiff between political parties and ideologues.
The Old Testament prophet Amos proclaimed that he was “not a prophet nor the son of a prophet,” and yet he had an important, God given, message for the people of ancient Israel who were about to be conquered by the Assyrians. I am neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet but based upon my observations of both Biblical and secular history I feel confident in making the following observation.
The cultural battle that began in the 1960’s with the removal of prayer from public schools quickly moved on to the “feel good” sexual revolution of the 60’s and 70’s. In the early 70's came the Supreme Court's decision of Roe vs. Wade that legalized abortion. Twenty years later came the explosion of the homosexual movement and today's legalization of "Gay" marriage that has led the United States into a full blown cultural war. Fueled by the advent of Cable Television with its twenty-four hour a day news coverage, endless blabbing political commentary and subscription channels (not to mention network programming) that display and glamorize every perversion known to man the forces of evil have found ready access into the marketplace. This rising tide of immorality has been transformed into a virtual Tsunami by means of the internet’s dark side with its bottomless cesspool of immoral behavior.
I regularly hear prayers in our congregations expressing the desire that our country “turn back” to God and that our leaders turn to God for wisdom and guidance. Unfortunately, I fear such prayers are in vain for I believe the United States has crossed a line. I fear that like those spoken of by Paul in Romans 1, God has given this country up and over to its depravity.
Given the lessons of history here is what I see. With the dissolution of the family and continued degradation of values and morals the political infighting and cultural conflict will only grow worse. There will be a steady erosion of our political, economic and defensive structures until we are totally bankrupt. The history of our nation will be revised to eliminate the heroism of those who served, fought and died for liberty while glorifying those who encouraged lawlessness. From within and without the borders of the country there will arise those, perhaps espousing false religions, who will assume power until they have the means to revoke the constitution established by the founding fathers of the United States and replace the government with a structure that denies the basic rights espoused by the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. No longer will people be free to worship as they please, live where they choose, work on the job they desire and speak freely as I have in this piece. Christians will be persecuted and churches, taken for granted by so many today, will be closed and forced “underground.” Free enterprise and civility will vanish.
Unfortunately I see this happening sooner rather than later. In that time, perhaps within only a generation or two, my children and their children may have to look at succeeding generations and wistfully say, “It wasn’t always this way. There once was a place called . . . America.”
I do not like being pessimistic. I long for the United States to be the "shining city on a hill" spoken of by President Reagan twenty-five years ago. I hope I am wrong. Oh, how I hope I am wrong. I would like nothing more than to see a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Unfortunately I see none except this, “Maranatha. Come, Lord Jesus.”
