America: From Glory to Shame

America: From Glory to Shame


I wrote this blog and due to my dumbness, I lost it and so here it is again, not exactly the same, but for the most part the same. I hope you will read this and then pray and ask God to bless America. We are in deep trouble and it doesn’t seem like we have any concept as to why things are going South for America. I am gathering my information from the book that I just read called “Truth Decay”. It is authored by Steve Hale who is an evangelist.

In Matthew 7: 24-27 we read about obedience and disobedience to God’s word being likened to two different types of foundations. One built on rocks and the other built on sand. Foundations are important to the final structure of a building. Poor foundations built on sand are likened to a foolish man and a well built foundation built on rocks is likened to a wise man. Which are you? Foolish or Wise

One thing about both foundations is that storms of life come to both. In these verses, the differences in the two foundations were directly related to how God’s Word was received. Obedience to and reverence to God’s Word creates a solid foundation that can withstand the storms of life. However, disobedience to and defiance of God’s Word creates a sandy, unstable foundation that leads to a great fall. What can be said about individuals can also be said about nations. In the early stages of America, scripture was highly esteemed, and throughout history as we know it, God has protected America. However, it is well documented that the centrality of the Bible has now been replaced with other ideologies. Our forefather’s commitment to absolute truth as contained in Scriptures has now been substituted for moral relativism.
Jesus warned that any person or nation that disregards God’s Word would experience a great fall. History proves Him right and America will not be an exception. Steve Hale likens our position today as that of the titanic. We know that all the reports show that the icebergs are out there and we as a nation are saying, “full steam ahead”.

Even though America is not mentioned in scripture, as we read chapter one of Romans, we feel as though it is a mirrored picture of America. Vs. 18 of chapter one says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” We must not miss this; that through out scripture we read where God “gave them over”, “He gave them into the hand”, “He gave them up”. Now we read again in verses 24,26,28 that again God is saying He will give individuals or nations over to their own desires and take his hand of protection and provision away. In Psalms 81:9-14 we read that God commanded that Israel not worship other God’s and they did so and so He gave them over to their own stubborn heart. Psalms 106:35-42 we see where they started sacrificing their own daughters and sons and shedding innocent blood. ( Could this be related to our practice of abortion today?)

The Vietnam War Memorial contains 68,000 names and it stretches 500 feet long, however if a memorial was built today for all the innocent, defenseless babies whose blood we have shed since the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, it would have some 50 million names on it and would stretch for some 80 miles. Remember, Israel was brought into subjection to her enemies for these very things and that’s why God will have to deal with America if we don’t change. See Psalm 78:58-62—Nehemiah 9:29-30---1 Kings 14:9,16 Romans 1: 26 says, “For this reason God gave them up”. America has exchanged truth for a lie and rather than serving the Creator, we serve the Creature. If you continue to read these two verses 26 and 27 we see that God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise, men did the same. Verses 26 and 27 tell us that the Homosexual lifestyle is , 1. Unnatural 2. shameful 3. in error to the truth 4. penalty to be paid. Notice, verse 26 strongly claims that homosexuality was not the cause of God’s judgment, but rather it was the consequence. Homosexuality was an instrument of God’s judgment.
Social Experts say that America’s social cauldron began in 1987. That’s the year that the number of kids in foster care began to rise and continued to keep climbing. Out of wed-lock births began to rise at very high rates. The rate of juveniles committing violent crimes began to rise and the national drug network started exploding off the charts. AID’s had a big jump in cases. Now these same social experts wanted to know what really made 1987 so significant to cause this kind of massive change. So they went back in the archives and chronicled the news for 1987. Here are the top four news events in 1987. 1. Jim Bakker and Jessica Hahn with their sex and money scandal; 2. Jimmy Swaggart charged with plotting hostile takeovers; 3. Oral Roberts holing up in his university’s prayer tower vowing never to emerge unless he raised $8million dollars that God told him to do. (so he says)
4. Oliver North’s Iran-Contra, charge of trading weapons-for-hostages.
All of these were Christian leaders engaged in unethical behavior. 1987 was also important because of more development in drug trade began. That’s when smokeable cocaine, better known as “crack” became available to the public. Although America has morally changed, drugs was not the reason, it was only a symptom. America believes that there is no such thing as absolute truth. America believes that Truth and morality are relative. What’s right for you, might not be right for me and vice versus.
So when did this exchange of truth for a lie actually happen? It was not 1987. That just happened to be when (social experts) noticed it. Some would say it started in 1925 with the Scopes trial, others would say it was 1947 when evolution began to be taught in our public schools. Some say the 1960’s when in 1962 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that leading in prayer in our public schools was now illegal and unconstitutional. Here is the prayer that they ruled illegal. Only 22 words and it stirred hatred and strife. “Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and we beg thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers, and our Country.
Amen. Really threatening don’t you think? That was just a beginning of what was to come. The next year, the same court outlawed the reading of the Bible in our schools. Then in 1965, that same court ruled it was against the law to verbally pray over your meal in a school cafeteria. In 1973, that same court ruled in favor of abortion on demand. In 1980, it became unconstitutional for the Ten Commandments to hang in the hallways of classrooms of our educational institutions. In the early 90’s it was ruled unconstitutional to pray at high school graduation exercises. It is now unconstitutional for a board of education to use or refer to the word “God” in any of its official writings. Without question, it is now unconstitutional to show the film that depicts the settlement of Jamestown because the fact is there was a cross erected at the Jamestown settlement. Don’t forget that Woodstock New York occurred during the 60’s
Now that we’ve told God that He is not wanted in our schools, our court houses, our homes, our businesses and certainly not in our education process, is it no wonder that God might just “give us over to our own desires”.
Until the 1960’s, America was still considered and respected as a God-fearing and law-abiding nation. Interestingly enough, from 1927 to 1962 there were never more than two consecutive years in which SAT scores declined. But then after the Supreme Court started rulings like I just spoke about the SAT scores declined for 18 consecutive years. Since these dates, America has become the world leader in crime, juvenile homicides, pornography, divorce, abortion, teenage pregnancies, and illegal drug use. I said WORLD LEADER! Now not only are we world leaders in these areas, to top it off we are now among the world leaders in illiteracy. Yes, Glory turned to Shame! Bill Bennett in his address to the Southern Baptist Convention several years ago said this; “The simple fact is that we cannot expect to maintain our civilization with 12 year olds having babies, 15 year olds killing each other, 17 year olds dying of AIDS, and 18 year olds ending up with diplomas they can’t even read. Our glory is changed to shame and we don’t even know it.
I won’t even give you the test scores that are written on pages 29 and 30 but the end result is we are last in almost everything.
Well, America said “we did not like to retain God in our knowledge” and so there you go. Here we are and the down hill grade is steep and we are speeding up.
Steve goes on to say that the solving of this problem is not in the White House but in God’s House. Jesus clearly handed the church the responsibility of upholding the nations morality when He declared to us to be the salt of the earth.

OKAY, I know this has been long, but I hope I have wetted you appetite to get his book and read it. Here are the chapter titles. 1. A nation is crisis 2. Moral Relativism 3. Truth Matters 4. The way we were 5. America’s favorite pastime
6. The danger of “safe” sex 7. Abortion: The American Holocaust 8. Alcohol: America’s beverage of choice 9 Random chance or intelligent design
10 The glut of smut 11. The abnormality of Homosexuality 12. Bring back the glory.

Its’ only 233 pages long and you will really like this book.