Do you think it was a surprise to God that you were born in America, or have had the good fortune of legally immigrating to America? Of course, He wasn't surprised. In fact, the Lord chose to give you the greatest blessing anybody can possibly have by beginning your life here in a nation built on the truth that your liberty comes from the God who created you.
You could have been born in communist China, the old Soviet Union, or under some Third World dictator. But God blessed you by bringing you into the world in the United States of America.
When someone gives you a precious gift, you take good care of it. That's why we at JDFI believe we have a special responsibility—because of our blessing, to make sure America doesn't go off the rails.
Sadly, that sense of gratitude and responsibility has not been passed on to our younger generations. It's been depressing and unnerving to see how many of America's young people apparently don't understand how blessed they are to live here.
Patriotism among younger generations is the lowest it has ever been. Polling finds that just 18% of 18-to 34-year-olds say they are "extremely proud" to be American.
In recent months, a wave of anti-Israel and anti-American sentiment has swept our university campuses. The American flag has been lowered and replaced by the Palestinian flag, the flag of a dictatorship.
But don't give up yet. JDFI is heartened to see the sudden appearance of both Christians and patriots on America's university campuses, standing up against the nihilist, anarchist America-haters and Israel-haters.
One example is the Unite US movement, which began hosting events at major universities in the south. Thousands of people showed up, and hundreds have been baptized—300 at Florida State University, 260 at the University of Alabama, 150 at the University of Georgia, and most recently, at least 120 University of Tennessee students were baptized earlier this month.
The Unite Us movement is an encouraging sign that some young people are turning back to Christ. We praise them, and we will pray for and do everything we can to help them.
There have also been unexpected outpourings of patriotism among America's youth. At the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, a group of students immediately rushed to protect the American flag when radicals attempted to take it down.
At Rutgers, students singing the national anthem and chanting, "U.S.A! U.S.A!" drowned out the anti-Israel, pro-Hamas protesters. Patriotic students marched across the campus of the University of Chicago waving American flags in a counterdemonstration.
There are still many young Americans who love God and Country.
To put it bluntly, if the future of America is the radical professors, nihilists, anarchists, Jew-haters, and pro-Hamas youth, America is done. It's as simple as that.
If the future of America is the youth praising Jesus, fighting against anti-Semitism, protecting the American flag, and singing our national anthem, then the next generation will have the chance to enjoy the blessings of ordered liberty under God.