How did the U.S.A. become what we are today? I’m referring to virulent attacks on one another by those who disagree politically… philosophically… or morally, embracing immoral behavior as normal (Divorce, fornication, homosexuality, abortion), the increase of violence on college campuses, and the list could go on. All we have to do is read/watch any new organization to see all these things on display.
Where did it start? Is there a point in time that can be identified as a turning point for American Society? Consider a few quotes about America from the famous French Statesman Alexis de Tocqueville: (About The United States he wrote)
The sects that exist in the United States are innumerable.They all differ in respect to the worship which is due to the Creator; but they all agree in respect to the duties which are due from man to man. Each sect adores the Deity in its own peculiar manner, but all sects preach the same moral law in the name of God….Moreover, all the sects of the United States are comprised within the great unity of Christianity, and Christian morality is everywhere the same. In the United States the sovereign authority is religious… There is no country in the world where the Christian religion retains a greater influence over the souls of men than in America. America is great because America is good…
This is no longer true of us. Why? When did we change? Is there a time when a shift took place from being “good” to sliding down a slippery slope?
Well, that’s a difficult question to answer. Like with Israel in the time of Old Testament judges, there is a cycle of honoring God… falling away from God… God’s discipline… followed by repentance and restoration… and the cycle repeats. There are several cycles that can be identified in the U.S. over the course of our nation’s existence. But I’d like to suggest the latest one that began a few decades ago and seems to be continuing if not increasing.
After WWII, the “Greatest Generation” came home to begin their families. These men and women sacrificed greatly to win the war. Then they came home… bought houses… were educated… and had children. Their children came of age in the 1960s. What was the moral climate of the 60s and early 70s? Drugs, “free love,” and campus revolts. Prayer was removed from school without much opposition. Abortion was made legal, again without much opposition. It was also during this time that “no-fault” divorce became possible. It was the children of The Greatest Generation who have been the political leaders and law makers for the last couple of decades. The moral fallout and impact of their decisions show that it may very well be God Himself and taken the same approach with us He took in the Old Testament… we have been weighed in God’s balances and found wanting. It may very well be God’s wrath has been loosed on the nation (“God’s Wrath” is simply Him letting us have what we want… WITHOUT HIM).
America has not been “good” for a long time. Were de Tocqueville tour America today he would be astonished at the change that has taken place. There is only one good thing about the condition of America today. It is exactly in times such as these that God sends revival and awakening… if He so chooses to do so.
And I for one, hope He chooses to do so soon. Thanks for your timely thoughts, Br. Ron.