America’s Future: Despotism or...
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I s it better to live in a pluralistic society rather than a Christian nation? is question has been misunderstood because of the myth of pluralism. Most believers today have been taught that it is good to live in a “do your own thing” society where “anything goes” because they think that protects their freedom to worship and preach the gospel. For the past century, the progressive public schools have become value changers, and belief system changers, not just places of education. In “values clarification” classes students are taught that there are no more absolutes in our evolutionary, pluralistic world. is is not “values clarification,” but a replacement of Christianity with another religion. English historian E.R. Norman has observed: “Pluralism is a word society employs during the transition from one orthodoxy [religion] to another.” Often the believer who finds the philosophy of relativism personally offensive gives in to it culturally. He does this because he has been conditioned by his education to accept the veneer of a “secular” culture as the norm. To complicate the problem, many Christians for decades have been taught that the world (God’s created world) is evil and under the control of Satan. According to this theology, we as believers are relegated to the status of misfits who can only hope to be a marginalized counter-culture until the Messiah returns. As a result of this attitude, many people pre-suppose the impossibility of a Christian nation because they believe the above distortions. Both Scripture and history teach these distortions to be false. History teaches that secular humanism’s chaos of relative values always results in anarchy which ultimately succumbs to some form of tyranny. Brilliant author Gary North observes, “e leaders of this staggering humanist civilization have now adopted the strategy of every dying civilization which has ever lost the confidence of its citizens: they resort to the exercise of raw power [force].” Our century-long experiment with secular humanism has failed disastrously. If we continue to abandon our American roots for pluralism, we will soon lose all the attending benefits of a biblically grounded civilization AUGUST 2011 America’s Future: Despotism or Freedom? Anarchy in Greece: Is this America's Future?
Transcript of America’s Future: Despotism or...
Is it better to live in a pluralistic society rather than a Christian nation? �is question has been misunderstood because of the myth of pluralism. Most believers today have been taught that it is good to live in a “do your own thing” society where “anything goes” because they think that protects their freedom to worship and preach the gospel.
For the past century, the progressive public schools have become value changers, and belief system changers, not just places of education. In “values clari�cation” classes students are taught that there are no more absolutes in our evolutionary, pluralistic world. �is is not “values clari�cation,” but a replacement of Christianity with another religion. English historian E.R. Norman has observed: “Pluralism is a word society employs during the transition from one orthodoxy [religion] to another.”
Often the believer who �nds the philosophy of relativism personally o�ensive gives in to it culturally. He does this because he has been conditioned by his education to accept the veneer of a “secular” culture as the norm. To complicate the problem, many Christians for decades have been taught that the world (God’s created world) is evil and under the control of Satan. According to this theology, we as believers are relegated to the status of mis�ts who can only hope to be a marginalized counter-culture until the Messiah returns. As a result of this attitude, many people pre-suppose the impossibility of a Christian nation because they believe the above distortions. Both Scripture and history teach these distortions to be false.
History teaches that secular humanism’s chaos of relative values always results in anarchy which ultimately succumbs to some form of tyranny. Brilliant author Gary North observes, “�e leaders of this staggering humanist civilization have now adopted the strategy of every dying civilization which has ever lost the con�dence of its citizens: they resort to the exercise of raw power [force].”
Our century-long experiment with secular humanism has failed disastrously. If we continue to abandon our American roots for pluralism, we will soon lose all the attending bene�ts of a biblically grounded civilization
such as the rule of law, absolute moral standards, a sound economy, a free enterprise system, a limited government, and any vestige of liberty that we still maintain.
Humanism’s bankrupt welfare state with its accompanying rampant immorality, narcissism and hundreds of thousands of laws and regulations sti�ing individual liberty, has completely failed. All of this is unraveling daily, leaving a trail of destruction before our very eyes. �e good news is that our civilization still has a biblical foundation of law and a common faith in God.
A century ago when the National Cathedral began construction in Washington D.C. the vast majority of Americans considered America the �nest, though imperfect, Christian nation in human history. She was a “shining city on a hill” for others to follow. �ey believed the Great Commission in Matthew’s gospel to be their marching orders. In this commission, Christ says to his disciples, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations… teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.” �is commission means to literally “make all nations Christian nations” according to Mathew Henry, the premier Bible commentator of our founding era.
Every nation as well as every individual is called upon to obey Jesus Christ: “O Kings and rulers of the earth, act wisely, be instructed, and warned. Serve the Lord with reverent awe and worshipful fear; rejoice with
AUGUST 2011
America’s Future: Despotism or Freedom?
Anarchy in Greece: Is this America's Future?
such as the rule of law, absolute moral standards, a sound economy, a free enterprise system, a limited government, and any vestige of liberty that we still maintain.
Humanism’s bankrupt welfare state with its accompanying rampant immorality, narcissism and hundreds of thousands of laws and regulations sti�ing individual liberty, has completely failed. All of this is unraveling daily, leaving a trail of destruction before our very eyes. �e good news is that our civilization still has a biblical foundation of law and a common faith in God.
A century ago when the National Cathedral began construction in Washington D.C. the vast majority of Americans considered America the �nest, though imperfect, Christian nation in human history. She was a “shining city on a hill” for others to follow. �ey believed the Great Commission in Matthew’s gospel to be their marching orders. In this commission, Christ says to his disciples, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations… teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.” �is commission means to literally “make all nations Christian nations” according to Mathew Henry, the premier Bible commentator of our founding era.
Every nation as well as every individual is called upon to obey Jesus Christ: “O Kings and rulers of the earth, act wisely, be instructed, and warned. Serve the Lord with reverent awe and worshipful fear; rejoice with
trembling [lest you displease Him]. Kiss the Son [pay homage to Him] lest He be angry and you perish in the way, for soon shall His wrath be kindled. O blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are all those who seek refuge and put their trust in Him!” (Ps. 2:10-12, Amp.)
�e decision that we face today is: Do we want despotism or freedom? Do we want totalitarianism or liberty for our children and grandchildren? In his election sermon of 1799, Dr. J. Morse laid out our choice plainly. He said: “To the kindly in�uence of Christianity we owe that degree of civil freedom, and political and social happiness which mankind now enjoys. In proportion as the genuine e�ects of Christianity are diminished, in
any nation, either through unbelief, or the corruption of its doctrines, or the neglect of its institutions; in the same proportion will the people of that nation recede from the blessings of genuine freedom, and approximate the miseries of complete despotism.”
�e renewal of our nation can only be accomplished as we lead our society through the strength of our character, our love and charity for those in need, sharing the gospel, our biblical reasoning and action
and the wise investment of our �nancial resources. �is strategy of renewal is necessary if there is to be freedom and liberty for all. “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people mourn.” (Prov. 29:2) We must work to restore our biblically grounded Constitutional Republic.
WORLD HISTORY INSTITUTE teaches the liberating lessons of historically-proven biblical principles to bene�t people of all nations. Resources, conferences and tours have been provided since 1976. WHI is a 501(c)3 non-pro�t ministry. Your involvement and tax-deductible contributions are encouraged. © Copyright 2011, World History Institute, PO Box 4673, �ousand Oaks, CA 91362, 805.523.0072, www.WorldHistoryInstitute.org.
AUGUST 2011America’s Future: Despotism or Freedom?
-Marshall Foster
The National Cathedral, rising above Washington D.C., symbolizes America's motto "In God We Trust"
