Well the primaries are right around the corner and the American people are bracing themselves for what could be a catastrophe in the making. During one of the many lackluster Democratic presidential debates, the desire among the candidates was to re-enter what they called the “arena of moral values”. What I found interesting and conspicuously missing was that fact the God was mentioned only once.” I think it is worth asking, “How can anyone discuss moral values and leave not invoke the name of God, at least more than once in a given debate. Of course when liberals talk about the need for morality it generally refers to more government spending on social programs that for all intense and purpose have failed to curb poverty and crime and only helped increase the problem.
So can a person running for president preach ethics and values while at the same time ignore the very one who instituted them? Christopher Hitchens wrote in his new best seller, “God Is Not Great” “We believe with certainty that an ethical life can be lived without religion.” This may indeed sound offensive to those who enjoy reading conservative papers such as the Restoration Herald, but these words from Mr. Hitchens reveal an ugly and perverse mind-set that has found a breeding ground in liberal politicians.
According to Ben Shapiro, in his article in the June 20th edition of the Conservative Chronicle, “A recent Gallup poll showed over-whelming liberal support for homosexual activity (83 percent) premarital sex (89 percent) abortion (67 percent) and doctor-assisted suicide (73 percent)” What makes these statistics even more alarming is that those who hold to many of these ideals, would consider themselves ethical and moral people. That is why there has to be a measuring stick that decides what is moral and what is immoral. There are men and women running for public office that feel sexual expression should have no perimeters and that killing an innocent child is within a persons constitutional rights that stem-cell research should be carried out and to cross the line by sacrificing one life for another should be permissible. Ronald Reagan explained it this way many years ago, “You and I are told increasingly we have to choose between a left or right,” He went on to say, “I’d like to suggest there is no such thing as a left or right. There’s only an up or down- up to a man’s aged-old dream, the ultimate in individual freedom consistent with law and order, or down to the ant heap of totalitarianism.”
Are we, as God-fearing Americans, going to let men and women running for president off the hook? Or are we willing to stand up and demand that whoever wins the nation’s highest office recognize the obvious fact that morality apart from God’s moral will lead to our nation’s demise.
Finally it does concern me a bit to see the church almost in a state of lethargy when it comes to challenging the membership at large to be spiritually viglilant especially in these troubled times. This is the time for the church to prepare for the battle over right and wrong- good vs. evil. The early church was prepared for the onslaught of religious persecution because they were, according to Acts 4:29, filled with “boldness” In other words they held up under enormous pressure because they not only faced the persecution that came with being a servant of Christ in an hostile climate, but also leaned on the Holy Sprit for their message and their courage. The church was also in one accord vs. 24, and that led to a unified effort by everyone in the congregation in Jerusalem to continue living out their faith daily- Acts 2:46.
John R. Mott many years ago stated, “A warring world is the price that we pay for a divided church.” Just think how awesome it would be to see the church regain its proper place in a spiritually famished world. How great it would be to see leaders in both parties recognize the church is serious about revival and that we have already experienced the necessary moral and spiritual renewal in our own lives.
President Reagan was right. There is only an up or down when it comes to law and order and if society rejects God than we will have rejected order and if there is no order than chaos will abound.
Yours for Christ and Country
John Butler Book