The following is a bonus chapter from the 2015 book, The Cost of Our Silence: Consequences of Christians Taking the Path of Least Resistance.
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. 2 Timothy 3:1-4
These Bible verses are not the most inspiring, light, fluffy Scriptures with which to begin a chapter, but few people would disagree these verses reflect society in America today. For those of us unwilling to sit on the sidelines and watch the collapse of a once great Christian nation, we are compelled to understand how we got here, evaluate what can be done about it, and then decide individually what is within our power to do. How can we turn people back to God and bring a sliver of biblical morality back to our culture?
Generations of believers have allowed America’s decline. When Christians slide back into the world rather than present a life-preserving influence, our culture suffers as a result. This should not come as a shock to discerning, informed, mature people of faith. Many of us are disappointed, yes, but not surprised. The natural man lives without moral restraints and accountability, while the spiritually regenerated man, the Spirit-filled Christian, lives according to the Bible’s moral code. It’s easy to see which side is winning.
If the great Charles Spurgeon said – back in the late 1800s – the world has more influence on the church than the church has on the world, what do you think Spurgeon would say about America today? If he were to preach such a sermon today, Spurgeon (as well as men of God we mentioned in chapter 1) would probably lose half the congregation.
Excellent churches do exist out there, but some churches do a better job of attracting unbelievers using entertainment and soft approaches than discipling and equipping existing members. When Christians do not get plugged in, grow in the truth of Scripture, pursue fellowship and accountability, and learn to apply biblical principles to their lives, they often slide backwards and conform to culture.
Making matters worse, many people who barely had a foundation still claim to be Christians even though they’re living as they did before their alleged conversion. This can result in unbelievers erroneously calling all Christians hypocrites. You and I both know that’s a cop-out, and they’re just looking for an excuse to avoid turning to Jesus. Their point, however, about worldly, professing Christians is both biblical and valid.
Jesus called some of the most religious leaders of His day “hypocrites” and told His followers to do what they say, not what they do. You cannot have it both ways. If you say you’re a believer but still have one foot in the world, you’re not fooling God. He knows His sheep, those who have true fellowship with Him and are striving to live by faith and holiness.
This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth (1 John 1:5-6).
Our decline began well over a century ago. However, in the last fifty years, millions of religious citizens have watched as this country has spiraled downward in every way. Biblical literacy of Christians today is at an all-time low. We need to dust off our Bibles and live as if they are true, just as our founders believed.
That book, sir, is the Rock on which our Republic rests.
—Andrew Jackson
Too many Christians cannot explain what they believe and why they believe it. Therefore, they have fallen for the lies, accusations, and talking points of those opposing Christianity. Second to Satan, the biggest enemy of the average committed Christian is not atheism, humanism, or liberalism. We can cope with the media and Hollywood. We can combat Islam and Marxism. Even the government and false teachings in the church cannot destroy us. The greatest threat to Christians is our apathy.
Many of us love God and have placed our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, but this world seems to get the best of us at times. With so many Christians conforming to the world’s ways, have we reached the point when God has removed His restraining grace necessary to preserve our nation? Some conservative pastors such as John MacArthur suggest sin may be too entwined in the very fabric of our lives for this republic to be saved. We can’t deny sin is rampant and even approved of throughout America, but to what extent has sin infected the church?
Are Christians more like the world or less? Do we love Jesus Christ and His Word more than the temporary pleasures and pursuits of this life?
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? (1 John 2:15)
Are we set apart from unbelievers to the point people can tell we’re Christians by our words and deeds? If we don’t live consistently according to the Word of God we preach, we cannot expect sinners to believe the gospel, can we?
Not only is it important to repent, believe, and grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18), but we must also remember and understand the very foundation upon which America was established. President Ronald Reagan once said,
If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.
So where are we today? Compared to many countries, America is a good, compassionate, virtuous country. We do more for people in need throughout the world than any other nation in history. But our standard is not some other nation that never knew the God of the Bible. Our standard is Jesus Christ. Christians have been responsible for holding back the tide of evil and the complete destruction of America.
What is interesting is how far man has improved and progressed in scientific, medical, historical, educational, psychological, and technological knowledge. In contrast, man’s morals have consistently degenerated. Rather than increase the moral and spiritual quality of life, man’s discoveries have provided ways to express and promote his depravity even faster.
Some believers agree, but they are choosing to avoid any conflict or confrontation, and are staying out of the game. They figure that we must be in the last days and Jesus’ return is drawing near, so why put in the effort? The problem with Christians going about their own business is this mentality just allows society to become worse.
Consider the political process for starters. When Christians refuse to vote, we end up with more corrupt, ungodly leaders elected – to both major parties – and more evil in our culture. We see more threats to our freedoms, especially to our religious freedoms. Sometime around 1880, Republican President James Garfield said the people were responsible for who gets elected, and if representatives are reckless and corrupt, it is because we accept and tolerate that behavior rather than demanding character, integrity, and family values. Garfield went on to say,
If the next centennial does not find us a great nation … it will be because those [citizens] who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces.
In my first book, Eradicate: Blotting Out God in America, I provide extensive evidence showing how our nation is influenced more by politics than the church. Major institutions and organizations were hijacked by evildoers. I also prove how damaging and destructive certain individuals have been on Christianity. Let’s look at six major players whose impact on our faith, freedoms, and morality in America has been devastating.
Mother of the abortion movement, Planned Parenthood founder, atheist, Marxist, and feminist – Margaret Sanger: Celebrated today by Hollywood, liberals, and the media, Margaret Sanger coined the term “birth control.” She believed in and promoted eugenics, population control, and the elimination of minority races as well as those deemed less fit for society.
In 1926, Sanger gave a lecture on birth control to the women’s auxiliary of the Ku Klux Klan, and by 1930, she opened the first clinic in Harlem. With the aid of prominent elites, leftist clergy, and politicians, Sanger successfully promoted abortion to the point that 37% of all abortions are done on black women. Today, approximately 78% of Planned Parenthood clinics are in minority neighborhoods and have grown to nearly 900 abortion businesses across America.
What Adolf Hitler did to millions of Jews through eugenics and sterilization, Margaret Sanger has dwarfed by pioneering a birth control movement causing the abortion of over one hundred million babies in the United States since the 1930s. Sanger believed it is merciful to kill infants in large families and emphasized that “the unbalance between the birth rate of the unfit and the fit [is] the greatest present menace to civilization.” Today, Planned Parenthood receives over a half billion dollars in federal funding from American taxpayers and they have a total annual revenue of over one billion dollars, helping them eliminate over 900 babies a day – or one life every ninety-four seconds.
Father of Modern (progressive) Education, socialist John Dewey was the honorary president of the National Education Association (NEA) and co-authored the first Humanist Manifesto, which stated:
Any religion that can hope to be a synthesizing and dynamic force for today must be shaped for the needs of this age.
Dewey wanted to transform America by diminishing traditional American education and its emphasis on faith and morality. He is primarily responsible for public school acceptance of socialism. Returning from a trip to Russia in 1928, he praised their system of progressive education, and the Bolsheviks even translated Dewey’s books into Russian.
John Dewey was opposed to anything that would support the Christian faith because he was a totalitarian socialist who wanted the state to take over all education via government schools. He was an atheist who taught evolutionary theory. A member of Marxist organizations, John Dewey indoctrinated many of the professors who trained America’s teachers.
You can’t make socialists out of individualists. Children who know how to think for themselves spoil the harmony of the collective society. —John Dewey.
Father of the Sexual Revolution, bisexual pedophile, atheist – Alfred Kinsey: Hollywood, academia, and the media have buried the truth about sexologist Alfred Kinsey whose early research on human sexuality began in the attic of his home. If you consider this horror, he was the one who initiated the future trend of pornography. Among his “research” subjects were young children. His sex findings are still cited as fact by academia today, many of his surveys were done on (a non-representative group) sex offenders, homosexuals, prostitutes, prison inmates, and exhibitionists.
Believing that waiting to have sex was psychologically harmful, one goal of Kinsey’s research was to prove that humans are sexual beings. In his case, “obsessed with sex” is more like it. He promoted the viewpoint that the earlier in life we start to experience sexual pleasure, the better, which is why he experimented with infants and toddlers. Kinsey said his mission was to remove the Judeo-Christian influence from America and eliminate its sexually “repressive” legacy. A tool of Satan, Alfred Kinsey has been one of the most damaging and dangerous influences on sexuality in America.
Father of community organizing, leftist, and Marxist – Saul Alinsky: Former 1960’s radical and FrontPage Magazine Editor David Horowitz describes Alinsky as the “communist/Marxist fellow-traveler who helped establish the dual political tactics of confrontation and infiltration that have remained central to all subsequent revolutionary movements in the United States.” Author of Rules for Radicals, Saul Alinsky dedicated the book to Lucifer (Satan), “an acknowledgement to the very first radical.”
Power at any cost was an Alinsky motto and termite-like radicals and rebels set out to eat away at the foundations of a government system in order to bring its eventual collapse. Once recommended reading for teachers on the National Education Association website, Alinsky’s books have been read and his rules implemented by liberal unions, non-profits, and ordinary, progressive citizens to gain control and incite “social change.”
Saul Alinsky helped lay the foundation to wreak havoc on America and its people in an effort to force revolutionary change. An admirer of Vladimir Lenin, Alinsky sought to bring the international socialist revolution to America. He believed all morality was relative and thought it necessary to destroy America’s “unfair” system of capitalism (“economic injustice”) as well as the Judeo-Christian values and ethics that permeated the country. His impact is deeper than we realize. Alinsky’s son, L. David Alinsky, praised Barack Obama for stirring up the masses at the 2008 Democratic National Convention: “Obama learned his lesson well.” Alinsky concluded, “I am proud to see that my father’s model for organizing is being applied successfully.” Two of the most famous Saul Alinsky disciples are Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama.
Community organizer and liberal Democrat, current President Barack Obama: For several years, Obama taught workshops on the Alinsky method, and it’s no secret Obama worked with the corrupt, leftist group, ACORN – an Alinskyite grassroots political organization. Obama’s roots have been well documented and verified – just not by the American media. Born to a white mother and a communist father whose extended family were all devout Muslims, Obama grew up around Marxist and socialist radicals.
Deeply ingrained in Black Liberation Theology, Barack Obama eventually sided with the Christian Left (liberals and anti-American progressives) and the social justice worldview when it was politically expedient for him to decide. People’s ignorance of biblical Christianity paved the way for Obama to get elected, as he has mastered the ability to say all the right things, including claiming to be Christian, moderate, and a man for all people.
President Obama has said on more than one occasion America is no longer a Christian nation, and he is the only president to mention nonbelievers in an inauguration address. The most pro-abortion politician in our history, he has been a huge ally of Planned Parenthood. Having built his cabinet with homosexual advocates, Obama has spoken to groups such as GLAAD more than any other president. In fact, the president has used the word gay 272 times in just five years in office (270 times more than President Bush), lobbying for those who are openly hostile toward God and toward practicing Christians.
He led the charge against the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), calling it “discrimination enshrined in law” after the Supreme Court struck it down. Speaking to the Human Rights Campaign, Obama stated: “My expectation is that when you look back on these years, you will see a time in which we put a stop to discrimination against gays and lesbians – whether in the office or on the battlefield … Day by day, law by law, changing mind by mind, that is the promise we are fulfilling.” President Obama has also given federal money to Muslim Brotherhood groups overseas while doing and saying little or nothing to aid persecuted Christians worldwide.
He used the 2009 economic crisis to take over whole industries and has proceeded to nationalize the health care system, essentially handing government a sixth of the American economy. He has reduced and weakened the U.S. military. Obama’s policies at home and abroad support anti-American, anti-Christian nations and religions while weakening our foreign policy, including our relationship with Israel.
I agree with Franklin Graham who suggested anyone can say they’re a Christian, but you have to look at what a person does and evaluate whether his words and actions line up with the Bible, which is the ultimate authority. In his own words, Obama believes the meaning of sin is “being out of alignment with my values,” and finds it hard to believe God would send people to hell. He said he wants his government to support all faiths and peoples, including atheists and agnostics. For these reasons and countless others, he is one of the more dangerous people in American history.
Father of Marxism, German philosopher, revolutionary socialist, and author of The Communist Manifesto – Karl Marx: Those mentioned above as well as many other influential individuals in America were inspired by atheist and radical, Karl Marx, and make no mistake: Marxism has infected the United States. Influenced by Charles Darwin and convinced religion is oppressive to mankind, Marx believed in a state controlled, anti-Christian utopia. Marx evolved into a God-hater and joined a satanic cult. He associated capitalism with the evils of dictatorship and claimed mankind’s foundational dilemma was the history of the “class struggle,” or war between the Haves and the Have Nots. Tragically, Marxist leaders and their disciples have killed over 100 million of their own citizens – not during wars, but at peacetime.
Satan has used these and many other powerful individuals to tear away the moral fabric of American society, causing the erosion of our Christian foundation. They are either ignorant or evil, but most of them knew exactly what they were doing. We now see evidence of Marxism-based policies supposedly enacted to help the poor and hardworking citizens – within the United States economy today.
The end goal of Marxists is to nationalize, to take control of every aspect of society under the auspices of making life better for the people. Labor unions and worker parties worldwide are heavily influenced by Marxism. Power is the ultimate aim. To Marx, that power was in the form of world destruction and domination in order to feel equal to God. For Communists, Fascists, Statists, and Socialists as well, the aim is the eradication of Christianity and the takeover of America and its people. They work toward destroying the history of our nation and detaching our culture from every possible moral anchor, especially the Bible. The implementation of a socialist agenda is the first necessary step towards communism.
Those who are hostile toward Jesus Christ have grown in power, control, and influence through secular education, anti-Christian non-profit organizations, as well as public policy and laws. This should be reason enough to engage in the resistance as responsible Christian citizens. When believers are silent, comfortable, complacent, or worse – when we conform to this world, moral decline is inevitable.
Some denominations have capitulated to the demands of the homosexual rights movement and now accept homosexuality as a valid lifestyle. Show me where this aligns with God’s Word. When we quietly blend in with culture, marketers of evil and perversion push every boundary of decency as far as possible – while our children watch.
Speaking of children watching, the 2014 Grammy Awards blindsided many families as the show opened with Beyoncé and her dance of seductive gyrations worthy of an adults-only audience, complete with a stripper chair as a prop. Her partner Jay-Z then joined her to sing “Drunk in Love.” Also in the program was Katy Perry’s performance, essentially a witchcraft ceremony.
Sandwiched in the center of the Grammys and advertised in the days leading up to the program was a mock “marriage” ceremony boasting thirty-three couples, gay and straight, while Macklemore & Ryan Lewis performed their gospel-tinged, gay-marriage affirming anthem “Same Love.” Lewis said the so-called weddings represented the ultimate statement of equality. The festivities were introduced and “officiated” by Queen Latifah, who – get this – had been legally deputized by Los Angeles County to marry the couples.
Unbeknownst to many American parents, however, something monumental took place on another network that made history on the very same night: The Disney Channel featured its first gay couple on Good Luck Charlie, one of the network’s most popular original comedies. The episode featured a lesbian couple on January 26 in a series aimed at very young children. After meeting the women and inviting them into their home, the lead actor gave his forehead the V-8 slap and said, “Taylor has two moms.” His wife replied, “Nothing gets by you, does it, Bob?” It was a clear attempt to help normalize homosexuality.
A few weeks later on Valentine’s Day, ABC’s World News gave a sympathetic portrayal of a polygamist family, the Browns, featured on TLC’s Sister Wives. Cecilia Vega spent most of her report interviewing the family, allowing them to defend their behavior. To be fair, she did give voice to critics but also said the family maintains that their lifestyle is a healthy one.
Parents, please help your kids. Teach them to love the Lord and guard their hearts and minds from soul pollution. Some of us recall the days when there was no profanity, nudity, sex, or violence on prime time television and in movies. The movie rating system didn’t exist because there wasn’t a need for it! Remember when God was glorified and the lust, depravity, and perversion of mankind was considered shameful and sinful? It was around the time a gallon of gas was 28 cents; a time when Zenith began selling color TVs; and only 21 percent of Americans thought sex before marriage was acceptable. Today, over 70 percent of Americans think adultery and fornication are fine.
Abortion was illegal and people’s consciences had not yet been seared. Children were still allowed to pray, read their Bible, mention Jesus Christ, and celebrate Christmas in public schools. Ten Commandments displays were allowed, and judges decided cases based on the Constitution, not according to their liberal ideology or allegiance to the Democratic Party.
Time and space do not permit me to touch on video games, the Internet, movies, music, and our perceived obligation to keep up with the Joneses. When it comes to the latest gadget, some feel obligated to give their kids whatever they ask for, because all their [non-Christian] friends have one. The enemy uses many things in society today to tempt us and to steal our time with God, causing our spiritual growth to be stunted. Christians need to understand the church is not immune to corrupt influences and Satan’s seduction.
And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them (Romans 1:28-32).
Paul wrote this to believers in Rome almost two thousand years ago, so imagine how much more it applies to us today. Some say God’s wrath that has been building for many decades is finally being released on a people whose forefathers once established this nation upon His laws, with Christ and the Bible as cornerstones of our faith, freedoms, and government.
Though I’m convinced God will judge America as we deserve, the collapse of our country is the result of our own choices – rejecting God and exalting ourselves above Him. Therefore, He has abandoned us to our own devices, lusts, and every sin imaginable. In an article by writer Madeline Crabb, “America’s turned her back on God – now God’s turning His back on us,” she states:
The Bible teaches that Christians do two things: Love God, and obey His commandments. In fact, Jesus said that of all the commandments, the most important is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.” (Mark 12:30) Could it be that many who call themselves Christians don’t actually love God, let alone do so to the extent Jesus calls for? Because, according to Scripture, we show our love for God by obeying His commandments.
Obedience is something we don’t discuss in depth often enough. Obedience is an authentic response to salvation and often follows repentance. When we love Jesus Christ and understand His sacrifice for us, our obedience will flow naturally from a thankful, willing heart. In contrast, when we conform to culture, the result is instability or stagnation in our spiritual lives.
A dead thing goes with the stream but only a living thing can go against it.
—G.K. Chesterton
Believers are either new creations growing in Christ and living with enthusiasm for Him, or we are lukewarm in our faith (neutral and ineffectual), or we are backsliding. It takes much effort, but wouldn’t you rather be an instrument in the hands of God than caught in the grip of the enemy? Maybe we have hesitated to get in the trenches and grab a weapon because we know it will take commitment and discipline. I implore you to [re]commit to the cause of Christ!
As Christians who care about our country, we must overcome the temptation to be silent witnesses and seek comfort or worldly success. Nowhere in the Bible are we taught to pursue our own interests and isolate ourselves from other people. Instead, we are to trust Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and speak about our faith with confidence.
This starts with establishing our foundation on God’s Word, strengthening our faith while encouraging those around us, and getting people saved by preaching the good news of the kingdom of God. This is what dedicated men of God did throughout our history – with far fewer resources. The message has not changed: Repent!
Since we can’t possibly know how much time we have left, we had better be about the Lord’s business. Christian friend, let’s get back to the Bible because we have work to do.
Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the LORD of hosts, “Return to Me,” declares the LORD of hosts, “that I may return to you,” says the LORD of hosts (Zechariah 1:3).
Let us examine and probe our ways, And let us return to the Lord. Lamentations 3:40
*B o n u s C h a p t e r from The Cost of Our Silence (chapters not included in the published paperback)
