“For fools speak folly, their hearts are bent on evil: They practice ungodliness and spread error concerning the Lord; the hungry they leave empty and from the thirsty they withhold water.”
Isaiah 32:6
Introduction
America is a different country today than even 20 years ago. It has become more secular than at any other time in our history, and we have witnessed the decline in the respect of the Bible and Judeo-Christian values. America as a nation continues to distance itself from God and has descended into ungodliness. What is ungodliness? It is anything that is not of God. Since God is good (Proverbs 34:8), then anything that is not of God is evil. We are witnessing a culture in America that calls evil, good, and good, evil. Evil is not only accepted, but also promoted! The Bible warns us that, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” (Isaiah 5:20)
The Current Reality
America’s descent into ungodliness did not just suddenly appear the past two years. It has been slowly occurring over the past 60 years. I documented this decline in my book, About Face: A Call to Turn America Back to God, that I wrote and published in 2015. In that book I document the decline in morality since 1963 across several statistics, including abortion, divorce, violent crime, drug use and church attendance. I also wrote about the rise in sexual idolatry, devaluation of life, greed, dishonesty, and lack of personal responsibility. This clearly shows that America has been descending into ungodliness for a long time. And we are now at a point where we have seen the emergence of gender self-identity, critical race theory, socialist policies, open borders, and attacks on police officers. These are all against God’s order and design and threaten the stability of our nation. Furthermore, this is also resulting in the coercion of Americans to accept these evils as if they were good!
It is obvious that America is becoming less Christian. Recent polls by Pew Research show that only 63% of Americans now identify as Christian and 30% of Americans now say they have no religious affiliation at all. This compares to 75% and 16% just 10 years ago! Furthermore, according to a 2020 survey by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, only 41% of Americans believe the Bible to be the Word of God and without error, and only 14% of Americans have a Biblical worldview! In other words, America has become more pagan as well!
It is also clear that many Americans have abandoned our Judeo-Christian foundation and have turned to the god of self and man’s wisdom instead of the one true God. As Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:3-4, “For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”
Not only that, but persecution against Christians in America has risen as well. Christian bakers are being sued, Christian professors and other employees are being fired, pro-life centers are being attacked, and mass shooters are now targeting churches. And while I have yet to personally experience this persecution, I know that the possibility exists that I could be targeted one day for a simple FaceBook post, attending a Christian event, or simply standing up for my beliefs. And if this continues, things could get a lot tougher for Christians in America.
Our nation is divided and headed down a self-destructive path. But let’s not forget that while ungodly forces may be currently running the media, corporate boardrooms, education, and many government positions, there are still a great number of Americans who trust in God, value our freedoms, believe in the free market economy, and respect our fellow citizens. All is not lost – at least not yet. There is still hope and time for America Christians to respond. But it will take courage, perseverance, patience, and prayer to bring this about.
It won’t be easy either because the Church in America is not unified around God’s Word and its truth. The true Church is who God will use to bring this about. Unfortunately, many churches and denominations have turned away from God’s Word as well and are following the same ungodly myths and beliefs Paul spoke about in his 2nd letter to Timothy. So, the situation in America today is really not that different than when Paul wrote those words!
The Solution
First, to turn America away from its current path, we must start with the truth. God’s truth. The ungodly believe that each person can have their own truth, which is absolutely absurd on its surface. There has to be one standard of truth that applies to all people. And the only truth that will do that is God’s truth. So, we must ignore the media, academics, and government officials who make up their own truth and look to the Bible to find it! (Isaiah 45:19)
Second, we need to share Jesus! The only remedy for an ungodly person is to put their faith in Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to work in their life. It is Jesus who makes us Godly and righteous and enables us to do good. He calls us to live like Him and love others as He has loved us. When we do that, we help and bless other people, and we are blessed in return. As Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:12, we are to “live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.”
Our task is to do these two things and leave the rest up to God!
Two Final Thoughts
First, many people think that Christianity is doomed in America. But we know from Scripture that is impossible. Remember Jesus’ words to Peter in Matthew 16:18? Jesus said, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it.” Christ’s Church in America, and on earth, will continue, and it will ultimately prevail when He returns!
Second, many people doubt that Christianity can grow again in America. But we don’t have to look too far back in history to see that when the Church is persecuted, it grows! Christian missionaries were driven out of China by Chairman Mao in 1948, and the Church in China grew from 4 million Christians to an estimated 100 million today! More recently there is growth in the number of Christians in Iran and North Korea as well. Even in Europe, where Christianity has declined greatly, it is not extinct and is still very active in places like England, Germany, and Sweden.
So, let us not lose hope, but instead cling to it, knowing that our God is greater than anything or anyone!! To God alone be the glory, and may He use you and I to witness to the gospel and His truth to help save our nation from itself!