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The Bible is clear: those who forget God will not endure (Job 8:13). This truth applies not only to nations but also to churches and individuals. God, who sits enthroned above the Earth, sees all inhabitants as mere grasshoppers (Isaiah 40:22). When a nation turns away from God, it sets in motion a process of escalating chaos, disunity, and eventual destruction. It is tragic and ironic that many of today’s leaders—whether in politics or media—fail to recognize this historical pattern. While no nation is without flaws, America’s historical success has often paralleled its alignment with Christian principles. However, as we drift from these foundations, the fabric of our society begins to unravel.
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Believing the Bible
God’s sovereign rulership does not require our acknowledgment or acceptance to make it factual. God’s way is right and true regardless of our allegiance to Him and His Word. The call to action for all people and nations is to repent of their sins and trust God (Proverbs 28:13; Matthew 4:17). We see this necessity demonstrated with Jonah calling the country of Nineveh to repentance (Jonah 3:1) and the Lord calling the rich young ruler to faith (Matthew 19:16-22). The calls are the same; we must all bow our knees to the Lord. The decision is ours as to when we will do it, whether in this life or the one to come. The proactive, humble human sees the wisdom and benefit of following the Lord of the universe today instead of later.
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11).
The integrity of this worldview stands on the legitimacy of God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17; John 17:17), which brings us to the most crucial question we can ever ask ourselves. Is the Bible true? Your answer to that question will determine your next question. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing comes by the Word of God, but if anyone disbelieves and discredits God’s Word, they will not come to faith in God and never experience the benefits of adoption into His family (Romans 10:9, 13). Our starting point will determine the course of our lives, making the Bible the nonnegotiable starting block to live well in the Lord’s world. Do you believe God’s Word? See 2 Samuel 7:28; Psalm 19:9, 119:160.
We come to regenerate faith by God imposing Himself in our lives; it’s a spiritual decision that is personal and unique to each individual (Romans 10:9, 13). Trusting and following God does not mean we’ll have all the answers to the world’s problems. We’ll never be able to understand all the complexities and inconsistencies of life (Isaiah 55:8-9; Psalm 92:5; Amos 4:13; Micah 4:12; 1 Corinthians 2:14).
Competing Worldviews
If a person chooses not to believe in God in a salvific sense, they must turn to other objects to worship. God implanted in every human a desire to worship, and that desire does not turn itself off if we reject our Creator (Ezekiel 23:7; Leviticus 26:1). We need something outside of ourselves to trust, embrace, obey, and follow. These objects of worship become our agendas, passions, and systems of belief. Eventually, these belief systems become so crucial to us and cherished by us that any perceived attack on them is an insult that requires a defense—a counterattack. A Christian will die for his faith, and a non-Christian will harm you if you threaten the things they cherish the most.
The result is a world with competing belief systems. Without the governing respect for the Imago Dei, these fierce adherents to their anti-Christian belief systems assume they can no longer coexist because if someone does not believe as they believe, they must make life intolerable for them. From this juncture, each worship group strategizes how to make their belief system the dominant worldview in the culture or nation. I am not speaking of Christians. We believe the Lord provides repentance to all those who want to follow Him, and it’s not our responsibility to manipulate or mandate Christian faith on anyone (2 Timothy 2:24-25). The gift of Christianity is a gift that only God can give (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Currently, in our country, those who oppose God are winning the cultural scrimmage. They have learned that the way to win is by legislating their beliefs into the cultural mainstream. Their strategy is to own the zeitgeist, either by force or our willful resignation. Their primary modus operandi is to lobby the government to mandate laws to support their belief system. They leverage the governmental political class to persecute those who reject their views. They legally separate our religion from the government while legislating their religious and moral views into our way of life.
Practical Mobilization
Without a revival from the Christian world, the incrementalization of the predominant culture’s belief system will eventually become the dominant thought and practice of the society. Sadly, too many Christians have had a stay-away attitude regarding culture and politics. Their “you leave me alone, and I will leave you alone” mantra is a one-sided affair. The culture is at war with Christianity whether we want to accept it or not. Unwittingly, too many of us have ceded the government’s turf to the liberal, progressive activists who took it gladly, and they have no intention of leaving us alone.
The followers of God will have to do more than complain about the societal ills or preach against our country’s moral decay, which are the two main reactions when Christians lose conservative cultural ground. We must mobilize practically. The adversary does not care if we preach from our social media platforms into the echo chamber of our congregations. Preaching to the choir against the woes of a nation becomes a form of public grumbling if there is not a practical plan to confront the encroachments of those who are tearing away at the moral fabric of our country.
Of course, others sentimentalize how this country is not their home. This type of spiritualized passivity flies in the face of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), an active call to action to go and make disciples of the nations. It would behoove the Christian world to rethink how to make disciples. Those on the other side, who despise God and His followers, have a strategic approach to making their disciples. Then some say, “God will win in the end.” That, too, is a form of spiritualized passivity that dismisses our missional calling to convert others to Christ. Yes, God will win in the end. But we must not deny the process that includes our cooperation with God as we wait for Christ’s future rulership to come.
Call to Action
Each Christian must seek God’s guidance and learn from one another how to respond to the challenges of our time. While we are not advocating for a theocratic government, we must recognize our God-given responsibility to be salt and light in the world. Our current challenges are generational, and our response must be both practical and deeply rooted in the Great Commission. Now is the time to act, to be the influence that God has called us to be in our respective spheres, and to trust that He will use our efforts for His glory.
- What will you do?
- How are you to respond to the cultural demise of your world?
- In what ways can you practice the Great Commission in your community?
- How can you emulate those on the other side without resentment, hostility, fear, hatred, vengeance, or a desire to punish anyone?
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Rick launched the Life Over Coffee global training network in 2008 to bring hope and help for you and others by creating resources that spark conversations for transformation. His primary responsibilities are resource creation and leadership development, which he does through speaking, writing, podcasting, and educating.
In 1990 he earned a BA in Theology and, in 1991, a BS in Education. In 1993, he received his ordination into Christian ministry, and in 2000 he graduated with an MA in Counseling from The Master’s University. In 2006 he was recognized as a Fellow of the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC).