Why we're in the mess we're in,
We are in a mess. The country is split and there doesn't seem to be any hope of bridging the gap. The government is running amok, it is so far down the road to ruin there doesn't seem to be any way to turn it around. The politicians can't or won't work together, and when they do they make things worse. The people are more interested in what they can get for themselves than what is right or sustainable.
How did we get here? Here is my opinion.
Our nation was founded on Biblical principles. Notice I didn't say that we were a Christian nation, I don't believe we were. I do believe that the Bible permeated the thinking at that time. This is obvious from reading the writings of the people of that era, there are constant Biblical references. The following quote is from George Washington, it is an example of the thinking of the times, “it is not possible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible”. The Bible was believed to be the Word of the Creator. The people, even those not Christians, still gave God the glory, they believed in His sovereignty. They believed He had worked to give them a nation, and the nation prospered.
They instituted schools in order to teach everyone to read. In the beginning, it was so they could read the Scripture. Gradually the people read the Bible less. People came whose purpose was either explicitly to remove the Biblical influence or others who inadvertently reduced the Biblical authority. Men like Darwin who used science to “kill God”. Men like Dewey who started the modern public education movement for the purpose of indoctrinating children in humanistic thought. Men like Finney who denied the clear teaching of grace and said he could talk anyone into the kingdom. Men like Irving (who denied the virgin birth) and Darby who together created a totally new doctrine, unheard of in previous generations. Now more people can explain the rapture then can explain the Gospel. As the Bible lost influence, its influence was lost. The Creator slowly removed His Grace and let the nation fend for itself. As more and more decisions were made without Him and against His Word I believe He left us to our own devices.
Arminianism replaced the doctrines of grace. As salvation became a work of man and not of God alone, opinion of man and man's reason became sovereign. Theologians forced the Word into obscure interpretations bolstered by a few proof-texts to prove their point, regardless of the overall real meaning of Scripture. Religious academia cared more about what so called “scholars” thought than staying faithful to the Creator and the Word. The sovereignty of God was repulsive to them so they replaced it with the sovereignty of man. They made a system in our own image. They looked for ways to redefine inerrancy, so they could justify their own twisting of the Word of God. The Word describes them as “having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” We do well to obey.
As the precepts of Scripture lost influence in society, we needed more laws in a vain attempt to coerce humanity to behave honorably. As one astute person said “you can't make fun of honor then be surprised when people act dishonorably” We expend enormous amounts of money trying to prove we descended from rocks then act surprised when people act as if there are no consequences to their actions.
Now we are in open opposition to Him, we kill babies in greater numbers than the Canaanites, we openly defy His laws in our society. Watch TV for one night and see if any of the couples portrayed as having sex are married. Our “pastors” name their ministries after themselves and money pours in. Our “pastors” regurgitate doctrines with no Biblical backing, learned from seminaries where man is glorified. The people don't recognize there is no correlation to the content of the Bible. We are Biblical illiterates. We trust ourselves more than His Word. “Science” says we evolved so our “scholars” adapt His Word to accommodate people who reject the suggestion that the Creator even exists. Science presupposes naturalistic explanations so any other explanation is rejected out of hand. Science says evolution is the only option, even though there is a great deal of evidence against it. If they knew in Darwin's day what we know now, Chuck's theory would never have got off the ground.
When the Israelites quit following the God of the Bible and times got tough, which it always did, The Lord said "But where are your gods you made for yourself? Let them rise up and save you in your time of disaster if they can, for your gods are as numerous as your cities, Judah. Why do you bring a case against Me? All of you have rebelled against Me." This is the LORD’s declaration. (Jeremiah 2:28-29, HCSB) America has put it's trust in government and ourselves when it doesn't work out so well, like 9/11, then we cry out. The Creator says tough, I'm not a genie that has to grant your wishes, if you trust in your government, money, etc then let them save you.
God will be glorified, if not directly, then indirectly. He is glorified indirectly when those who flaunt His laws suffer. Right now our nation is suffering. We will cease to suffer only when we get back to honoring Him and His Word. Our political efforts will come to naught unless there is a change of heart. We will trade tyrannies. God will not be mocked, whatsoever a man sows that will he reap, if he sows political solutions, from those political solutions he will reap destruction. If he sows honor to the Creator, from the Creator we will reap benefits. We should heed the words of Daniel Webster “If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity”. We are in danger of profound obscurity.
Why is the nation in the mess it is in? We have glorified ourselves, starting in the churches with our self righteousness, our songs celebrating self. Listen to the songs we sing on a typical Sunday, count how many times we sing about ourselves, the pride seems overwhelming. What has happened to Paul's statement “For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified”. We have millionaire “pastors” with private jets paid for by people that claim to know Christ. We have popular teachers who deny the clear statements of Jesus Christ by saying “I cannot conceive of a loving god that would send people to hell”. Is this the new orthodoxy, what we can or can't conceive? I can't conceive of a just God who would allow any of us into His presence. What has happened to the fear of the Lord?
Bible study must assume the Bible is the Creators communication with us. If that statement is not true, then we are on our own, we are adrift, whatever we do has no meaning, we are slaves to our own reason with no way to know if anything is true. “Scholars” that debate whether or not Moses wrote the Pentateuch should be ostracized from our seminaries. The Lord is the Author, if Scripture says Moses wrote it then we ought to trust it. We need to have John Newton's attitude when he said, “I will put down all apparent inconsistencies in the Bible to my own ignorance.” We need to question our interpretation but some questioning is a way to regurgitate the adversary's statement in Eden, “did God really say?” Honest attempts to understand are necessary, this is the Creators Word to us, we will need to study and wrestle with the meaning. I believe He knew what He was doing, he wasn't trying to fool us. He knew as we studied and prayed for understanding we would grow closer and grow in our understanding. Our society wants a pill, a quick fix, we want to spend an hour a week listening to someone else give the secret so we don't have to do the work. It's been said “it's the journey not the destination”, I think that applies to this. As we grapple with hard to understand concepts like predestination, as we look at all sides of the issue, and as we apply the clear statements of Scripture we will grow to understand God and ourselves better than if the answer is dropped into our lap. He could have given us black and white statements, but He didn't. I think the pondering is healthy as long as we don't harden and think we are Gods gift to humanity and others have to listen. Pride is the prime quandary, Saul tried to make everyone conform to his beliefs until he encountered the risen Christ on the road to Damascus. It could be why he called himself the chief of sinners. The Lord blessed him with a thorn so he wouldn't get proud again.
Will this get us out of our mess? We are stuck without God's grace. If He decides to take pity on us and help us to glorify Him instead of ourselves, then there is hope for change. If He gives us the understanding to apply the Biblical precepts that we have lost, if He helps us to repent of our pride, if He helps us to rely on Him and Him alone, then there is hope for change. If He helps us understand that government will fill the vacuum left after removing Him. The more we divorce ourselves from the Creator, the more government we will get. Being enslaved to His Word we will find Freedom. The more we free ourselves from His Word, the more we will get tyranny.
Here are some interesting unrelated articles and some related websites.
Answer to Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren
Here are some good quotes.
"Our idea of God [should] correspond as nearly as possible to the true being of God...A right conception of God is to practical Christian living, what the foundation is to the temple; where it is inadequate or out of plumb the whole structure must sooner or later collapse. I believe there is scarcely an error in doctrine or a failure in applying Christian ethics that cannot be traced finally to imperfect and ignorant thoughts about God." A.W. Tozer
"Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason, my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. God help me. Amen. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise." Martin Luther