Madeline Crabb
America's true condition: Spiritual bankruptcy
By Madeline Crabb
Newsflash: Neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton can save America because there are no political solutions for spiritual problems. While in the natural it appears we are politically, economically, and morally bankrupt, America's true condition is that of spiritual bankruptcy.
Yes, it is an election year, and most Americans spend time, energy, and money in the attempt to get "our candidates" into office. While this effort was once a good thing, it is now little more than a rote exercise. Actual thought is seldom involved in the process – we simply push R or D, and continue to get the same old, same old results.
Additionally, there is no longer a spirit of coming together to do what's good for the nation as a whole. Far too many people only care for their own issues and causes, or their own race/ethnicity, demonstrated by the all the "hyphenated" Americans. Instead there is a spirit of selfishness and entitlement that puts me before we. Our individual desires outweigh those of the community. We've seen the disastrous results of such mentality since prayer and the Bible were removed from schools.
In 1960, atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair decided she didn't want her son objected to Bible reading. The issue was pursued all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court (USSC), ending with the Bible being removed from all public schools, and thus, all children. A case that started with the parents of ten students objecting to school prayers directed to "Almighty God" eventually ended with prayer being removed from all schools by the Supreme Court in Engel v. Vitale. One woman initiated a case taken to USSC that led to a ruling allowing over 58 million unborn babies to be murdered in America. BTW...While abortion is considered "the law of the land," when was there an actual law passed by the U.S. Congress? How about on prayer, Bible reading? Just sayin'... Or how about last year's USSC decision on the marriage of homosexuals in Obergefell? (Another "law of the land" decision that neither Congress nor the president participated in.) These issues are just a few examples of how the will of "the few" now carry more weight than the will of the "majority."
Not only are we becoming a selfish, I-want-it-my-way people, we are showing that if we can't persuade our fellow Americans that our cause/belief is just and get them to join us, we will simply sue, even all the way to the Supreme Court, to achieve our will. And the Court has sadly become a group of ideological oligarchs who force their will on all people. Forget the Constitution! Also, notice how almost all court decisions appear to go against our previous moral underpinnings, our belief in the God of the Bible, and adherence to, or at least respect of, biblical teachings. Sidenote: Congress has oversight of the Courts, and could stop some of the "legislating from the bench" that has been occurring for many decades. Sadly, they have abdicated their responsibility in this area, but I digress.
Of course, those of us who still believe in God and follow His teachings understand our nation's dangerous course. Indeed, several different books of the Bible describe what society will look like during these times. In Second Timothy we read:
"For people will be lovers of self and (utterly) self-centered, lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate (greedy) desire for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive (blasphemous, scoffing), disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane.
(They will be) without natural (human) affection (callous and inhuman), relentless (admitting of no truce or appeasement); (they will be) slanderers (false accusers, troublemakers), intemperate and loose in morals and conduct, uncontrolled and fierce, haters of good.
(They will be) treacherous (betrayers), rash, (and) inflated with self-conceit. (They will be) lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements more than and rather than lovers of God.
For (although) they hold a form of piety (true religion), they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it (their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession).
(2 Tim. 3-5 AMP)
Doesn't this aptly describe Americans in general? Of course it doesn't apply to everyone. There still are God-fearing, Jesus-loving, and faithful Christians living in America. While a majority of Americans cannot discern our condition, many other countries have correctly identified us as being morally and spiritually bankrupt. Some Muslim countries believe we are so bad that they want to destroy us. Ha! So what do we do? We invite these people to come live in our country, many times even paying their expenses to live here, even though it's like inviting the fox to bed down in the hen house. We are so incredibly self-centered that we are seemingly also incapable of rational thought. But then, Scripture addresses this as well. It's called the reprobate mind and futile thinking. (Rom. 1) (More on this in another article.)
Something else worth mentioning from the above scripture is that the Apostle Paul is speaking about those who have a form of piety (true religion). These people are so-called Christians, or those we now might call Christians in name only. This, dear friends, is at the very root of our problems. It's not the unsaved, unbelieving world that is responsible for the spiritual bankruptcy in America. Ungodly people do what ungodly people do. Christians are supposed to believe, act, and speak differently. In fact, Scripture calls us salt and light.
When speaking about our being salt, the Lord Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." (Matt. 5:13 NIV) Salt is mainly used for two things: preserving and flavoring. Christians, as salt, are supposed to add a certain "flavor" to the society in which we live, and should also be a "preserving factor" in our society. Within the last 60 years, Christians have been adding a decreasing amount of flavor to surrounding society, and we've failed at preserving biblical values as well. In other words, we have lost our saltiness, a condition that Jesus says is fatal. We are no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men! Isn't that what is happening to us?
We are being trampled by men – by judges, presidents/dictators, congressmen and senators, the entertainment and news media, by wolves-in-sheep's-clothing pastors, and by people of other religions trying to impose their "gods" upon us.
As for being light, Jesus said, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matt. 5: 14-16 NIV)
Light dispels darkness, and also helps us to see more clearly. In the spiritual realm, evil dwells in dark places. Light exposes evil deeds, those done in darkness. Unfortunately, far too many Christians no longer provide any light for the society around them. Some have come to believe they should only "show their light" within the four walls of the church building. Yes, society tells us to keep our religious beliefs to ourselves. Much of society likes living in the darkness; it doesn't want its evil deeds exposed. But, dear friends, aren't we sinning when we don't let our light shine before men? Is it possible that when we don't let our light shine that, like useless salt that is thrown out, our light suffers as well? Perhaps when our light isn't properly used, it just gets dimmer and dimmer until it simply goes out altogether? For a Christian, this should be a scary thought.
The fact is that true Christians are supposed to influence the world around us in a positive, God-honoring way. Everything we say and do should demonstrate God's nature and truth. However, statistics show that in the last 50 years there has been about a 20 percent decline in people professing Christian faith. It shows. Yet, of those who still claim to be Christians, exactly what impact are we making? What do your eyes tell you about our "salt and light"? I submit there's a severe shortage of both, indicating the decline in Christianity is far worse than polls tell us.
There's much more to discuss regarding our nation's spiritual bankruptcy. It won't be fun, but must be addressed. Again, we either expect our political representatives to do miracles, or provide for all our selfish individual needs and desires. Both are wrong thoughts. If we don't change course, America will not just be spiritually bankrupt – she will be totally destroyed. Nobody wants that – right? To anyone willing to hear....
© Madeline Crabb
August 10, 2016
Newsflash: Neither Donald Trump nor Hillary Clinton can save America because there are no political solutions for spiritual problems. While in the natural it appears we are politically, economically, and morally bankrupt, America's true condition is that of spiritual bankruptcy.
Yes, it is an election year, and most Americans spend time, energy, and money in the attempt to get "our candidates" into office. While this effort was once a good thing, it is now little more than a rote exercise. Actual thought is seldom involved in the process – we simply push R or D, and continue to get the same old, same old results.
Additionally, there is no longer a spirit of coming together to do what's good for the nation as a whole. Far too many people only care for their own issues and causes, or their own race/ethnicity, demonstrated by the all the "hyphenated" Americans. Instead there is a spirit of selfishness and entitlement that puts me before we. Our individual desires outweigh those of the community. We've seen the disastrous results of such mentality since prayer and the Bible were removed from schools.
In 1960, atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair decided she didn't want her son objected to Bible reading. The issue was pursued all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court (USSC), ending with the Bible being removed from all public schools, and thus, all children. A case that started with the parents of ten students objecting to school prayers directed to "Almighty God" eventually ended with prayer being removed from all schools by the Supreme Court in Engel v. Vitale. One woman initiated a case taken to USSC that led to a ruling allowing over 58 million unborn babies to be murdered in America. BTW...While abortion is considered "the law of the land," when was there an actual law passed by the U.S. Congress? How about on prayer, Bible reading? Just sayin'... Or how about last year's USSC decision on the marriage of homosexuals in Obergefell? (Another "law of the land" decision that neither Congress nor the president participated in.) These issues are just a few examples of how the will of "the few" now carry more weight than the will of the "majority."
Not only are we becoming a selfish, I-want-it-my-way people, we are showing that if we can't persuade our fellow Americans that our cause/belief is just and get them to join us, we will simply sue, even all the way to the Supreme Court, to achieve our will. And the Court has sadly become a group of ideological oligarchs who force their will on all people. Forget the Constitution! Also, notice how almost all court decisions appear to go against our previous moral underpinnings, our belief in the God of the Bible, and adherence to, or at least respect of, biblical teachings. Sidenote: Congress has oversight of the Courts, and could stop some of the "legislating from the bench" that has been occurring for many decades. Sadly, they have abdicated their responsibility in this area, but I digress.
Of course, those of us who still believe in God and follow His teachings understand our nation's dangerous course. Indeed, several different books of the Bible describe what society will look like during these times. In Second Timothy we read:
"For people will be lovers of self and (utterly) self-centered, lovers of money and aroused by an inordinate (greedy) desire for wealth, proud and arrogant and contemptuous boasters. They will be abusive (blasphemous, scoffing), disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy and profane.
(They will be) without natural (human) affection (callous and inhuman), relentless (admitting of no truce or appeasement); (they will be) slanderers (false accusers, troublemakers), intemperate and loose in morals and conduct, uncontrolled and fierce, haters of good.
(They will be) treacherous (betrayers), rash, (and) inflated with self-conceit. (They will be) lovers of sensual pleasures and vain amusements more than and rather than lovers of God.
For (although) they hold a form of piety (true religion), they deny and reject and are strangers to the power of it (their conduct belies the genuineness of their profession).
(2 Tim. 3-5 AMP)
Doesn't this aptly describe Americans in general? Of course it doesn't apply to everyone. There still are God-fearing, Jesus-loving, and faithful Christians living in America. While a majority of Americans cannot discern our condition, many other countries have correctly identified us as being morally and spiritually bankrupt. Some Muslim countries believe we are so bad that they want to destroy us. Ha! So what do we do? We invite these people to come live in our country, many times even paying their expenses to live here, even though it's like inviting the fox to bed down in the hen house. We are so incredibly self-centered that we are seemingly also incapable of rational thought. But then, Scripture addresses this as well. It's called the reprobate mind and futile thinking. (Rom. 1) (More on this in another article.)
Something else worth mentioning from the above scripture is that the Apostle Paul is speaking about those who have a form of piety (true religion). These people are so-called Christians, or those we now might call Christians in name only. This, dear friends, is at the very root of our problems. It's not the unsaved, unbelieving world that is responsible for the spiritual bankruptcy in America. Ungodly people do what ungodly people do. Christians are supposed to believe, act, and speak differently. In fact, Scripture calls us salt and light.
When speaking about our being salt, the Lord Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." (Matt. 5:13 NIV) Salt is mainly used for two things: preserving and flavoring. Christians, as salt, are supposed to add a certain "flavor" to the society in which we live, and should also be a "preserving factor" in our society. Within the last 60 years, Christians have been adding a decreasing amount of flavor to surrounding society, and we've failed at preserving biblical values as well. In other words, we have lost our saltiness, a condition that Jesus says is fatal. We are no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men! Isn't that what is happening to us?
We are being trampled by men – by judges, presidents/dictators, congressmen and senators, the entertainment and news media, by wolves-in-sheep's-clothing pastors, and by people of other religions trying to impose their "gods" upon us.
As for being light, Jesus said, "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." (Matt. 5: 14-16 NIV)
Light dispels darkness, and also helps us to see more clearly. In the spiritual realm, evil dwells in dark places. Light exposes evil deeds, those done in darkness. Unfortunately, far too many Christians no longer provide any light for the society around them. Some have come to believe they should only "show their light" within the four walls of the church building. Yes, society tells us to keep our religious beliefs to ourselves. Much of society likes living in the darkness; it doesn't want its evil deeds exposed. But, dear friends, aren't we sinning when we don't let our light shine before men? Is it possible that when we don't let our light shine that, like useless salt that is thrown out, our light suffers as well? Perhaps when our light isn't properly used, it just gets dimmer and dimmer until it simply goes out altogether? For a Christian, this should be a scary thought.
The fact is that true Christians are supposed to influence the world around us in a positive, God-honoring way. Everything we say and do should demonstrate God's nature and truth. However, statistics show that in the last 50 years there has been about a 20 percent decline in people professing Christian faith. It shows. Yet, of those who still claim to be Christians, exactly what impact are we making? What do your eyes tell you about our "salt and light"? I submit there's a severe shortage of both, indicating the decline in Christianity is far worse than polls tell us.
There's much more to discuss regarding our nation's spiritual bankruptcy. It won't be fun, but must be addressed. Again, we either expect our political representatives to do miracles, or provide for all our selfish individual needs and desires. Both are wrong thoughts. If we don't change course, America will not just be spiritually bankrupt – she will be totally destroyed. Nobody wants that – right? To anyone willing to hear....
© Madeline Crabb
The views expressed by RenewAmerica columnists are their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of RenewAmerica or its affiliates.
(See RenewAmerica's publishing standards.)
