In my previous post, we looked to Scripture to answer the question, had God forsaken America? We traced the degeneration that the Apostle Paul described in the first chapter of his Epistle to the Romans. His thesis was that when people suppress the truth of God, He will turn them over to a depraved mind that manifests sexual immorality and a multitude of evil behaviors. It gives us pause as we observe the same happening throughout our land.
In this offering, I wish to look at some of the social commentary given over the past few centuries by some notable theologians, Jonathan Edwards and Francis Shaeffer. Edwards, of course, is considered by many as the greatest theologian America has ever produced. He pastored and wrote in the 18th century and was one of the fathers of the First Great Awakening in America. Francis Shaeffer was a prodigious writer of numerous books and founded the L'Abri Fellowship in Switzerland. Sheaffer was a brilliant theologian and philosopher who spoke prophetically concerning the Bible, competing worldviews, and their impact on culture, mainly in the 1970's.
Edwards saw that there were four harbingers of cultural demise observed from history. I notice that these are ominously present in our own country. First, he marked an invasion of a country encouraged by unsecured or weak borders. This warning seems obvious, for without a clear and secure border, vulnerability is promoted. Furthermore, Edwards emphasized that such a glaring problem comes to pass due to a mismanagement of the State. Again, it is not difficult to "connect the dots."
Secondly, Edwards identified an overall instability in government as problematic. Of course, Edward wrote in a pre-constitutional America where kings and emperors ruled the world, yet he saw the need for governments that inspired confidence in the citizenry. Once said confidence is lost, unrest is soon to follow. This tenet is eerily present in our own time.
Thirdly, Edwards saw as problematic governmental overreach. What he was referring to was branches of government overstepping their bounds. Even in the days preceding the Republic, he saw a significant problem with the chief executive issuing numerous orders that were not checked by some form of legislature. We would call them executive orders in present-day parlance. Also problematic would be a judiciary that, rather than interpreting the law, would legislate from the bench, usurping the function of a parliament or congress.
Finally, Edwards saw that once a political system became polarized, it would soon collapse. It would fail to function without a government willing to compromise due to a balkanized environment. It would remain gridlocked and hopelessly stagnant. Sadly, each one of these concerns is evident in contemporary America.
Francis Schaeffer also observed several historical landmarks, beginning with a mounting show of affluence, an obsession with all things material that detracts naturally from all things spiritual. The more we have, the more we want, as the proverb goes. Sadly, the accumulation of goods does not produce satisfaction, as King Solomon observed in Ecclesiastes, chapter two.
Next, Schaeffer observed that there would be a widening gap between the rich and the poor in a deteriorating culture. How often we as parents have asked ourselves how our nation's children and grandchildren will be able to afford homes, families, and educations? What will be the attitude of the majority that can't afford life's necessities as the observe the affluence of politicians and the upper crust of society?
Thirdly, Schaeffer saw as problematic in history an unhealthy obsession with sex. Need we say more? As one may read concerning this unsavory topic in the annals of Roman history and the debauchery of its emperors, we see much of our society as following suit. Millions of pornographic websites, television programming, and advertising consciously and subconsciously appeal to our flesh.
Fourthly, Schaeffer identified what he called "freakishness in the arts." There will be an absence in the creative beauty of classical music, art, and literature. These disciplines will give way to the grotesque. Any and all forms of expression are displayed, no matter how repulsive. Nonsensical and vulgar lyrics become the norm in music, and art forms are developed to shock the senses instead of pleasing the pallet.
Finally, Schaeffer saw an increased desire amongst the citizenry to live off the State as the final nail in the coffin. Of course, the State has no money of its own but must tax the population to provide for this desire. Hence, there is no promulgation of the industrious but a proliferation of the dependent. Again, we see a surge in this attitude in recent days. The re-emergence of Marxism and Socialism coming from the universities despite their terrible an deadly track record. The "you owe me" attitude despite a lack of experience or known commodity is commonplace.
So, how do we answer our initial question? I am convinced that God has removed His hand from our country. That isn't to say He is done using us, but it may mean He is done blessing us. I take solace in the fact that He allowed Ninevah to repent, as seen in the Old Testament book of Jonah. May we do the same.
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