Wednesday, January 23, 2013

The Increasing Mutual Exclusivity of America and Christianity

As we note the 40th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade (which legalized abortion), I think it is important that Christians, followers of and believers in Christ, pause and really think deeply about what our culture has descended to. We perhaps have an annual sermon about "the sanctity of life" like my church does, or at least take note of the fact that abortion has been legal for however long. Some might even care enough to post a Facebook status. And even fewer might take a stand against such things. Sadly, I must admit I most often fall into the majority in this case. Here I will challenge you to think and reflect more deeply on what is going on in our country and in our society.

It is easy to focus on issues like same-sex marriage and abortion because they are perhaps the most heated and debated in America today. But we must not overlook issues like an increase in sexual promiscuity, an increase in violence, a decrease in healthy marriages, and the list could go on forever. We have become numb to the majority of the "issues" that we face in America because they have become normal to us. This is partially due to the way that our country is changing. We have an increasingly immoral and un-Christian government that is permitting such terrible things as abortion. And not all blame must go on those in charge, like our current President, who is in favor of both same-sex marriage AND abortion. Let me pause briefly and ask this question that I genuinely wonder: How could a true Christian and follower of Jesus Christ, ever support a President who condones such evil? I read recently that over 55 million babies have been murdered in the last 40 years in America alone. 55 MILLION!

We as a nation have lost sight of God and his truth. We have allowed this evil to enter into our country, break into our lives, and even seem normal, permissible, and maybe even favorable because we have become tolerant of sin and intolerant of God's truth. We have placed a higher level of importance on tolerance and openness than on what the Bible clearly teaches. I love my country, and I love the freedoms and principles on which our nation was founded, but I must state that I am having an increasingly difficult time dealing with the clash between what my nation legalizes and encourages and what my God demands. It becomes harder every day to be obedient to the calling of Christ without being labeled as intolerant, prejudiced, hateful, or narrow-minded by American society. What are we do to? How are we to respond to the decline Christian morality in our nation that still bears the motto "In God We Trust"?

If you claim to be a follower of Christ, these are things that you must wrestle with. What stand are you going to take for God and his truth? What light will you bring into our ever darkening culture? What Good News will you bring? What love will you share? One of tolerance, or one of truth? How can we break through the numbness that our culture has forced upon us? And most importantly, how can we honor, worship, and obey our God with our thoughts, words, and actions?


*This is specifically for believers to read and respond to. If you don't claim to believe in Christ or hold to the Christian faith, then I am not writing this for your benefit, but for the benefit of those who I share my faith with. Please leave comments with your thoughts, criticisms, or questions. God bless.