The Barna Research Group surveyed American’s
attitudes toward ten moral behaviors, and found that 60 percent consider it
acceptable for unmarried people to cohabit. Fifty-nine percent believe sexual
fantasizing is appropriate. Nearly half (45 percent) consider abortion
acceptable, and 42 percent approve of extramarital sex. Thirty-eight percent
approve of pornography, and 30 percent find homosexuality acceptable ("Morality Continues to Decay," November 3,
2003).
Whether you attend church or
not, you surely understand that the church’s influence on the moral fabric of
our culture has been of extreme benefit in the past. In fact, if you were to do a study on early
government policies and papers, you would see that they were heavily laced with
Christian morals and ethics. I am afraid
that is not necessarily so today. The
truth is that the decline of Christian influence is directly proportionate to
the increase in the level of immorality in our country.
You cannot legislate
morality. It has to come from the heart
and soul of people. And if the very
entity that teaches and instills morality is in decline, it only makes sense that
morality itself would also be in decline.
You do not have to look far to see the results! Seventy-plus years old men who are shooting
their ex-wives is an indicator. Young students bringing guns to school to shoot someone because they made fun of them
is another.
What is it going to take to
turn our country around? The answer is
simple, a return to that which taught and upheld morality and good ethics … the
church. But not only should people be
returning to what upholds good morality, but the churches themselves need to
return to the Word of God that teaches such behavior. It just might be that the exodus of people
from organized Christianity is more the church’s fault than the people’s. Maybe they were more wise than us. Maybe they saw that the church had left their
first love in order to tickle the ears of the people. So my plea is twofold: Brothers and sisters in Christ … Return to
what this great nation was first built on … Christian morals found in God’s
word. 2 Chronicles 7:14 states it this
way … “if my people, who are called by my
name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their
wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will
heal their land.”
My second plea is for those who
are searching for a place to learn the standard of good moral behavior to check
out God's Word. Hopefully you
will find what you are looking for there.
