John Adams, the second president of the United States,
wrote, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people.
It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.... Free government
rests upon public and private morality." It is not our government that has
failed; it's the church that has failed to be the salt of the earth (Matt.
5:13).
Read what Dr. Jedediah Morse said in 1799: "In
proportion as the genuine effects 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...Whenever the pillars of Christianity
shall be overthrown, our present republican forms of government, and all the
blessings which flow from them, must fall with them." He was saying that
Christianity, not government, is the driving force behind true freedom.
When World War II brought America back to her knees, a
revival broke out that is still referred to as the era of the highest church
attendance in recent history. A time of repentance and seeking God brought
peace and a period of great prosperity. But sadly, the result was a church that
was lulled to sleep. While it was sleeping, a generation of "baby
boomers" became obsessed with materialism and freedom from moral
constraint.
How did the church react? In a variety of ways, some of
which were very good. People began seeking the Lord, and the Lord answered
through what is often called "The Jesus People Movement," "The
Charismatic Movement," "The Word of Faith Movement," "The
Lay Witness Renewal," and others. These revivals were not spearheaded by
any individual, yet they had worldwide impact. Truly these were mighty moves of
God's Spirit.
Yet, as a whole, the church responded by promoting
political involvement as the answer to society's woes. Make no
mistake--Christians who live in a country that provides them the freedom to
govern through voting or holding political office have a responsibility to
participate. However, for many, politics has not been a weapon against the
moral decline; it has been the only weapon.
The `70s and `80s saw the largest influx of Christians
into the political process in recent history, and it did produce some good
results. It influenced who was elected president and helped change the balance
of power in Congress and the Supreme Court. Although some good came of it and
the potential destruction of our nation was stayed off a little longer, it
hasn't turned the tide. There are still millions of innocent children killed
every year. Immorality continues to advance nearly unchecked. And some of our
so-called "conservative" Supreme Court appointees defied logic by
turning the government loose in ways that would have caused our Founding
Fathers to mount a revolution.
Calvin Coolidge, the thirtieth president of the United
States (1923-1929), declared, "The foundations of our society and our
government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be
difficult to support them [the foundations of society] if faith in these
teachings would cease to be practically universal in our country"
(brackets mine).
Our society isn't sick because of the government; it's
sick because the church has not made faith in the teaching of the Bible
"practically universal in our country." Once we cease to win the
hearts of man, it is inevitable that ungodly people will make their way into
leadership and take the country with them.
If we change people's hearts with the Gospel, the people
will change the government with their votes. Government merely reflects what
people believe in their hearts; it does nothing to form those beliefs. William
Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, wrote in the late 1600s, "Government
seems to me to be a part of religion itself.... Let men be good, and the
government cannot be bad."
It's good to pursue legal action and political means to
right wrongs. But the power of the Gospel has more power to change the hearts
of man than all the military might and legislative bodies of any government.
Billy Graham understood that when he was asked to run for president in the
1950s. He responded by saying he would not lower himself to that position. He
was not attempting to diminish the office of the president; he was elevating
the office of a minister of the Gospel.
Elias Boudinot, president of the Continental Congress in
1783 and later congressman from New Jersey who served as president of the
American Bible Society, said "the moral character of a people once
degenerate, their political character must soon follow."
There is a civil war going on in America today, but it is
not political. Sure, the courtrooms and congressional halls are the
battlegrounds, but the war itself is between light and dark--the truth of the
Gospel and the lies of the devil. It's between the people of God and the
children of the devil.
In this war, the Enemy tries to hide his true objectives
behind the mask of individual rights and personal liberties. But make no
mistake: The real goal is the elimination of God and His influence from society
so people can indulge in their carnal lifestyles without conviction or guilt.
The way to win this war and save the political character
of this nation is to change the moral character of its people with the Gospel.
Our Founding Fathers understood that. Dr. Benjamin Rush said in 1786,
"Nothing can be politically right that is morally wrong."
The church needs to refocus its energies back to the
Great Commission that our Lord Jesus Christ gave us: "Go ye therefore, and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded
you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen"
(Matt. 28:19-20).
