Root Reasons for
America’s Decline
Pastor Steve Nash
Few would
argue that the world’s last great hope is in decline. Since WWII America has been the moral,
spiritual and social compass for all nations.
We have become the richest, strongest and most admired nation on planet
earth. Our illustrious reputation has
become clouded over the past decade.
Instead, we see a growing disdain from countries on every continent.
In recent years
we have experienced moral, political, economic and military decline that is
steadily heading south. There are many
reasons that can be quickly cited by those who have knowledge of current
events. We could blame the progressive
socialists, the political correct movement, the massive debt we have acquired
or weak leadership in Washington and around the country. I have come to realize that these are only
surface problems springing from root reasons for America’s decline.
The Bible
declares that, “any nation that forgets God shall be turned into hell.” That is the root problem – we have forgotten
the God who raised this nation in the first place. Chrisma
Magizine (3-27-13) reports “ that
Americans overwhelmingly believe morals and values are declining in the
U.S. (77 percent). The most-cited
cause for the decline is a lack of Bible
reading.”
Fewer young
people show any desire to “seek first the kingdom of God.” They have become distracted by the many would
be philosophers over facebook or the blogosphere. They don’t have time to consider the God of
their fathers. One percent of those
between 18 and 25 are regular attendees of a church or synagogue. They have decided to do what is right in
their own eyes. We are on the brink of
losing an entire generation if there isn’t a dramatic shift back to the things
of God.
Michael
Snyder has written, “Is Christianity in decline in America? When you
examine the cold, hard numbers it is simply not possible to come to any other
conclusion. Over the past few decades, the percentage of Christians in
America has been steadily declining. This has especially been true among
young people. Millions upon millions of Christians in the United States simply
do not believe many of the fundamental principles of the Christian faith any
longer. Without a doubt, America is becoming a less “Christian”
nation. This has staggering implications for the future of this country.”
The above
observation is tremendously sad when we take into account that this nation was
launched, sustained and made to be the greatest because of our spiritual
foundation. There is presently a rapid
shift in another direction; a direction that is disastrous! This morning I heard a news report that a
Florida church will be destroyed in order to make room for a sports stadium
parking lot. In many communities
“sports” has become the Sunday morning activity parents have chosen for their
children. Our children are taught that
religion is not as important as football, baseball or soccer. And we wonder why our youth are becoming more
confused, angry and violent. They are
turning on their parents who have failed to build a solid foundation for living
in a turbulent world.
“The State
of the Bible 2013” done by the Barna Group for the American Bible Society found
that, “Americans are losing interest in the Bible. In just one year, the number of people who said
they read the Bible to be ‘closer to God’ dropped 9 percentage points from 64%
in 2012 to 55% in 2013. Results show a
drop from 75% to 69% of people who said, ‘the Bible contains everything a
person needs to know to live a meaningful life.’ Those people who agreed that the Bible has
‘too much influence’ in U.S. society increased from 13% to 16%, while those who
thought the Bible had ‘too little influence’ dropped from 54% to 47%.”
For those of
us who claim to be Christian, we must look inwardly at our own souls to determine
whether we have the biblical faith and convictions we say we do. Could it be a distraction of the devil to get
us galloping on some hobby horse (cause) and neglect the worship of the only
One who can change anything in the first place? It is more important to worship our God in
heaven than it is to attend a Tea Party, Right to Life meeting or some other
worthy cause. It is idolatry to put any
cause before the calling we have as people of God.
