New polling shows that the American people are deeply worried about the future of our constitutional Republic. An astonishing 74% of the country believes we are headed in the wrong direction. Our historic optimism is eroding too, as 58% of Americans tell researchers they believe our best days are behind us. Many of the issues our country is confronting are rooted in moral relativism and growing nihilism. Bad public policy often worsens the problems. This is a perfect moment for Christians and the church to step up and lead the nation. Sadly, powerful forces are trying to force Christians out of the "public square" at the very time we are needed the most. Even some pastors seem oblivious to or uninterested in the survival of our nation. Our country has protected our religious liberty for nearly 250 years and now it needs us.
Previous generations of American Christians have played a central role in our country's history. If they had not done so, there very likely would never have been an America at all.
The first Great Awakening or revival in the 1730's helped fuel the colonial resistance to British oppression. Pastors inspired their congregations from the pulpit to courageously stand for liberty. They led Christian men to join George Washington's colonial army to win our independence. The prayers of colonial Christians inspired and encouraged the emerging nation. George Washington said in his first inaugural address as President, that without the hand of "providence" we could not have defeated the most powerful nation in the world.
When America did win our freedom, we enshrined religious liberty in the very first amendment in the Bill of Rights. In our Declaration of Independence, we asserted the revolutionary idea that our liberty is a gift from our Creator, not our government. This idea has inspired millions of people all over the world to rise up against tyranny.
The second Great Awakening prior to the Civil War inspired the abolitionist movement against chattel slavery. In the aftermath of the Civil War to end that slavery, over 600,000 men died. President Abraham Lincoln brought the nation together by appealing to Christian forgiveness and charity to help the nation bind its wounds. In his second inaugural address, Lincoln reminded us that we all worship the same "just" God, and he expressed hope that God would have mercy on us.
In the 20th century, the U.S. military liberated Europe from Nazism, defeated the Japanese warlords and then restored peace and prosperity to our defeated enemies. That military was made up of men and women of all faiths, but the great majority were Christians since America was predominantly a Christian nation. Franklin D. Roosevelt led the nation in a radio prayer on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
During each of these historic crises, Christians were key to the success of America and the preservation of liberty. Of course, not every church did the right thing, and history has judged them harshly.
The Civil Rights movement of the 1960's and 1970's was led by Christians, the most notable being the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. He faced great opposition fighting to overcome racism, but sadly, many pastors refused to stand with him. He wrote the famous "Letter From a Birmingham Jail," attempting to "convict" pastors who were critical of him for "rocking the boat" and causing division. Reverend King said that the future he wanted was an America where race didn't matter and all people would be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. What a contrast to "critical race theory" today that teaches race is the only thing that matters.
Today, when we look back at Christians who boldly led, spoke the truth from their pulpits, were actively engaged citizens who voted and ran for office themselves, we should all be inspired by their examples.
Yet at this time of crisis, there are still voices in our churches urging us to stay out of the battle for fear of offending someone. And radical secularists go even further and are trying to force Christians out of the public square. Virtually all of our problems are caused by a combination of bad government policies, coupled with our abandonment of Judeo-Christian values. The only way our pressing problems, including the breakdown of the family, rampant crime, drug addiction, gender dysphoria, sexual exploitation of children, and corruption from Washington, D.C., to Wall Street, can be overcome is with the active involvement of Christians in the national debate, and a massive turnout of Bible-inspired voters on Election Day year and every election year.
Action Items:
1. Pray for America.
2. Register to vote.
3. Support only candidates who are pro-life, pro-family, and believe our liberty comes from God.
4. Reject fear.
