The following events over the last five decades prove how God has been gradually blotted out of this great country causing some to ask, ‘where were the Christians?’ Because of our past ineffectiveness as the salt and light of Christ in our culture, morals and values have eroded. If more believers are conforming to the world than nonbelievers converting to Christianity, the enemy is winning.
America was a much more conservative, family-friendly, safe place to live in 1962 and before. Unlike the fast-paced, impersonal, high-tech, Internet age today, there was a sense of community. Churches, libraries, and playgrounds were always packed, young people had a notable work ethic, and families spent plenty of quality time together.
Generally, most Americans had no problem with the notion that we were one nation under God, but enemies of freedom via anti-Christian movements were working steadily to fundamentally transform the country we love.
HIGHLIGHTS from this shocking chronological timeline, in ERADICATE: Blotting Out God in America:
1962: Engle v. Vitale. Suddenly, after about 184 years of American history and progress, the court became concerned with reinterpreting the First Amendment. Why? Some parents of public school students complained that the voluntary prayer to “Almighty God” contradicted their religious beliefs. This was the [offending] school prayer:
“Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our country. Amen.”
The court decided prayer in public schools breached the constitution’s wall of separation between church and state.
1963: The Bible is kicked out of public schools. In this case, (Abington v. Schempp) the court ruled that no state law or school board could require the reading of Bible passages at the beginning of each school day…
Madalyn Murray O’Hair creates the group American Atheists. O’Hair took the school board of Baltimore to court for allowing prayer in school. Attorneys representing the school districts stated “the purpose of Bible reading and prayer was to keep order in schools and provide a proper moral climate for students.” Christian organizations were silent so the case went virtually uncontested… The Supreme Court ruled 8 to 1 in favor of abolishing school prayer and Bible reading in the public schools.
1964-1968: President Lyndon Johnson launches his Great Society, establishing Medicare, Medicaid, The Housing Act, and dozens of other programs intended to lift Americans out of poverty… Congress also gave Johnson the green light to begin funding education and environmental programs. The era of big government spending was underway! The “War on Poverty” failed to help those who needed it the most and has piled massive debt on future generations.
*In 2011, the number of people receiving food stamps has soared to an average of 44.7 million, up 33% from fiscal year 2009 when President Obama’s stimulus act made it easier for childless, jobless adults to qualify for the program and increased the monthly benefit by about 15 %.
1966: Time Magazine celebrates Easter with cover story “Is God Dead?” William Hamilton, the leading radical theologian who helped influence the controversial 1960’s Death of God movement said, “We need to redefine Christianity as a possibility without the presence of God.”
1967: It’s the Summer of Love in San Francisco as the hippie movement becomes increasingly prominent. One hundred thousand hippies celebrate the sexual revolution which is known for “free love” (sex with no thought of consequence). During the Vietnam War, “make love, not war” is the motto.
1969: In a Gallup poll, 68% of respondents said premarital sex was wrong and 21% said it was not. (By 2009, forty years later, in response to the same question only 32% said premarital sex was wrong and 60% said it was not wrong.)
1973: In the Saturday Review of Education, radical feminist leader Gloria Steinem declares, “By the year 2000 we will, I hope, raise our children to believe in human potential, not God.”
AMERICA, YOU MAY NOW KILL YOUR BABIES
1973: Roe v. Wade –court makes final decision to legalize abortion in all states. This single, detrimental decision by seven unelected justices defines life and death via federal abortion policy in America. Invalidating 200 years of state law, the ruling is made on the naive basis claiming that “no one knows when life begins.”
1976: The Hyde Amendment is enacted. Congress adopts the first version of the legislation proposed by pro-life Congressman Henry Hyde (R-IL), barring the use of federal funds to pay for abortions.
1977: The ACLU opposes the Hyde Amendment claiming it unfairly targets low-income women and the amendment is revised.
1980: Take the Ten Commandments down! In a five to four decision, the Supreme Court rules a Kentucky law, requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted, is unconstitutional. In the case Stone v. Graham, it was ruled: “If the posted copies of the Ten Commandments are to have any effect at all, it will be to induce school children to read, meditate upon, perhaps to venerate and obey the Commandments … this … is not a permissible state objective.”
1981: MTV launches an entirely unique new product that would be one of the biggest influences on American youth for twenty-five years. “Music Television.”
*In 2010,a study by the GLADD found that of the 207.5 hours of MTV programming, 42% included content reflecting the lives of gay, bisexual and transgendered people– the highest gay-friendly percentage ever.
1986: No more abortion restrictions whatsoever! In a five to four court decision in Thornburg v. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, all restrictions on abortion were struck down. No more requirements to inform women about alternatives to abortion. No more requirement to: educate women about prenatal development, to inform women about the potential risks of abortion, to keep medical records of abortions, and no requirement that third trimester abortions be performed in such a way as to spare the life of the viable child.
1987: The Gay and Lesbian Caucus of the National Education Association is established.
1993: With NYPD Blue, Steven Bochco launches network TV’s first R-rated prime time series.
1997: Ellen De Generes becomes the first lesbian character to star in a lead role in a prime time series. During the fourth season of Ellen, De Generes “comes out” publicly as a lesbian in an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
1998: America’s First Playboy President – Bill “I screwed up with that girl” Clinton and Monica Lewinsky dominate headlines. When the truth about the scandal comes out, the media basically rationalizes his behavior.
SEPTEMBER 11 – THE DAY THAT CHANGED AMERICA
2001: Forever known as 9-11, TERRORISTS (already living in America) ATTACK AMERICA when nineteen Islamic fundamentalists, identified as al Qaeda terrorists, attack the United States killing 2,977 Americans by hijacking four fully fueled jetliners… America was hurt, but not humbled by the attacks, and sadly, our ‘unity’ lasted about nine months.
2008: Barack H. Obama is elected the first black President of the United States. First president in our history to be elected without having to provide his college records, transcripts, financial, or medical records. Entire periods of his life are missing from his biography.
2009: Newsweek proclaimed “The Decline and Fall of Christian America” on its cover. Editor Jon Meacham argues the falling numbers of self-identified Christians in America is a “good thing.”
2010: Over 46 million American people live below the poverty line in 2010. Remember Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” and the billions of dollars that have since been spent to stop poverty?
2011: A record 44.7 million people – or one in seven Americans – are on food stamps. In fiscal year 2011, the federal government spent more than $75 billion on food stamps, which provided an average monthly benefit of $133.85 a month. That’s up from $34.6 billion at the end of fiscal year 2008… The Heritage Foundation says that “spending on income-based programs, such as food stamps, has increased by one-third to $900 billion under Obama.”
2011: Eighty percent of evangelical Christians from the age of twenty to twenty-nine have had premarital sex according to a study called National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. In the same poll, about 88% of all single young people in that age range have had sex. The difference between Christians and non-Christians is about eight percent. Even more startling, the findings also revealed that just 76% of evangelicals believe premarital sex is immoral!
2012: Vice President Joe Biden endorses same-sex marriage. Next, Barack Obama becomes the first president in United States history to openly support all forms of homosexuality, gay rights, gay adoptions, and civil unions.
2012: Democrats move to eradicate God from their Party platform and decide to remove all references of God during the 2012 Democratic National Convention. They take a vote to reconsider and the majority of Democrats boo!
Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD, since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. (Proverbs 1:29-32)
Has America chosen to hate knowledge and to not fear the Lord? Is our complacency beyond cure? Are we at the point where God will not answer our cries? The Lord is a patient and compassionate God, but His anger won’t be held back forever. We must choose this day whether we will serve our culture or Christ.
The signs of the times indicate we should have an extreme sense of urgency. …This may require some extra effort and perhaps a lifestyle change, but it will be worth it in the end, because our labor in the Lord is never in vain (1 Cor. 15:58).
“If by excessive labor we die before reaching the average age of man, worn out in the Master’s service, then glory be to God. We shall have so much less of earth and so much more of heaven. It is our duty and our privilege to exhaust our lives for Jesus. We are not to be living specimens of men in fine preservation, but living sacrifices [Rom.12:1], whose lot is to be consumed.” – Charles Spurgeon
Christ is our future and our hope, and He gives us purpose to live every day. We don’t know when our journey will end, but until the Lord returns, there will always be an agenda to blot out the God of Christianity. Will the church continue conforming to culture? It will depend on the choices individual believers make. It is my hope that I have encouraged you to live a more undaunted life in passionate pursuit of Truth. It is my prayer that we work to impact America together. You and I are here for such a time as this.
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. (Matthew 5:14)
*This excerpt from “The Last 50 Years in America” includes about 10% of the chapter’s content. For more information or to purchase ERADICATE: Blotting out God in America, please go to www.BlottingoutGod.com
