America is a beacon of hope because of the faith of her people. The American spirit is the faith in which America was founded, is preserved, and will ensure American’s freedom in the future.
There is no country like the United States of America and that which makes her unique is her people. Those Europeans who first set foot upon North American soil didn’t come seeking treasure. They were fleeing religious persecution by the political church and sought the freedom to worship God, as dictated by the Bible and their conscience. Many of them believed that God was establishing His Kingdom in the new world and this is why the battle cry of the revolutionary war was, “No King but King Jesus“. Without their faith, there would be no America as baby boomers have known America to be. It not only required great faith to endure the hardship and threat of death that sailing across the ocean to begin a new life in a strange and largely, untamed land entailed; it also, required great faith to take on the British Empire and fight for independence. “Now faith is being certain of what we hope for and sure of what isn’t seen”. This description of faith, by the Apostle Paul in the book of Hebrews, is the kind of faith that was foundational in creating our nation. Though there are people of many faiths in the United States, it is the Christian faith that has had and continues to have, the greatest influence on the American people and the prevailing culture. The American church is the force of liberty and independence that makes our country great. Though secularism is gaining ground as we move away from the Constitution toward becoming a secular democratic state, patterned after the European Union, Jesus still reigns in many American hearts.
Though there are still millions of Christians living in the United States, the church does not influence our modern culture the way it has in our history. Our schools, our government, and the popular culture are more heavily influenced by secular humanism than by Christianity. Christianity is fast becoming a sub-culture as we move into what is called, the post-christian era. There are those who say we are even beyond this stage and are entering an anti-christian era in our history. If this is true and the church is contained and overly, subdued, it will die; and the freedoms we’ve enjoyed will die with it. Western Civilization is based upon the Bible and the Bible is presently, being marginalized by those secular forces that want a new constitution with the United States fully socialized. We are at a crossroads and I believe, faith is the crux of the issue. Socialism has no use for the Bible and Christianity as they are a threat to the principles of socialism.
The baby boomer generation is a generation that seeks truth over tradition. Our seeking has caused a great deal of destruction that is not all bad but has caused as much damage as good. Losing the faith and values that united us as a people is the root cause of what many are calling, America’s decline. Empty traditions are useless and they needed to go but I’m afraid, that our generation was used by socialists in colleges and universities to destroy the values that created America, in the first place. Christianity is a highly tolerant faith and it is that tolerance that our enemies use against us. Becoming intolerant is not the answer but Americans who believe in, Jesus must become confident in their faith and become more involved in the communities we live in. If our early settlers depended upon God, against all the odds, and prevailed then surely, we can prevail when we exercise that same faith. We do have the power to turn things around but we will never do so as long as we give in to the negativity directed toward us and view our God and ourselves as weak and incapable.
In recent decades, the church has voluntarily withdrawn from the culture in reaction to the influence of secular humanism. The more Christians withdrew, the darker our culture became. We now have so little influence that the world around us no longer understands what our faith is about. We have a new generation of Americans who are Biblically illiterate, believe the Constitution is outdated, are ignorant of our history, and are being brainwashed in the public schools and universities into believing that socialism is the superior form of government. Too many young people who were raised with christian values, lose those values during their college careers. Some secularists even refer to universities as re-education centers and view the christian faith as mass delusion and their christian students, as mentally ill. As long as christianity is demeaned in our educational institutions, it will be an uphill battle to return this country to the values that ensure freedom and independence. Intolerance of the Christian faith is highly accepted and intolerance of christian people is not far behind, when the demeaning of an entire group of people, is widely accepted. However, it isn’t impossible to win the hearts of the younger generation to Christ because what is impossible for human beings is possible with God.
I believe that the American church and her values are still crucial to the well-being of America. Even though we appear to be far from God, I know many of us still believe that Jesus is the only King anyone should serve. We have to quit being afraid of the darkness that has consumed our culture and begin living as citizens of the Kingdom of God; and live not only as citizens but as children of the King. We need the bravery of those who established this nation. That bravery was and is the product of faith in the God of the Bible. When we live in obedience to the Bible, there is no need for a strong government to rule over us. Even in a socialized democratic state, those of us who serve Jesus first will fare better than those who don’t. It is the only way we will serve as the salt that disinfects and purifies and the guiding light that we are to be in the world. The Holy Spirit lives in us and without that Spirit, our nation and the world will be consumed by its own darkness. Not everyone will become a Christian and I would never take freedom away from someone who worships and serves a different god than me. However, I do believe my faith is the correct faith and I do my culture no good if I don’t live as if I believe that to be true. I believe the future of America depends upon those who remain faithful to the God who established, preserved, and blessed her. The most important thing we can do in service to our country is to fervently, serve our God. We need good leaders and how we vote is important but a spiritual revival in America is what this country needs to turn us around and head us in the right direction. I hope that in the coming year, you will join me in praying for that revival and in seeking to live according to God. Faith in America is vital to maintaining our freedom.
