The United States is in crisis. We are witnessing unprecedented events that may seem a little surreal to most of the people in America. Our national problems are so big and have happened so quickly that most people cannot even get their minds around the issues, much less contemplate viable solutions.
We are at a crossroads in this country. The stakes are high; the battle lines are clearly drawn. The very soul of our nation hangs in the balance. The type of nation we will pass on to our children is at stake. What choice will the people of the United States make?
It is my personal opinion that we are to the point where we have two options available to us. Let’s start with the first option – a revolution. A revolution is a forcible overthrow of a government or social order, in favor of a new system. In a political context, a revolution may take the form of a modified constitution or a complete change from one constitution to another usually through the means of force. Throughout history, bloodshed and loss of innocent life are characteristics of revolutions.
The second option is a Christian revival. A revival best describes a Christian spiritual renewal that causes a fundamental transformation of the individual lives of people within a given society. Individual spiritual transformation sets the stage for fundamental changes to society as a whole. For a period of time people adjust their individual lives to the principles taught in the Bible. The spiritual change of large groups of individuals opens the door to remedy the evils of society by systemically changing the structures and institutions that are misaligned with the principles found in the Bible.
America was founded on biblical principles and our constitution was designed to govern a people who lived by them. John Adams said, “Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”
The distinguishing characteristics of the U.S. Constitution are that…
- Individual rights are derived from a Creator,
- Governance is to be compatible with “the laws of nature and of nature’s God,”
- The human heart is imperfect and will have a tendency to abuse power,
- Restraint of political power is to be guided by a written Constitution which carefully divides, balances and separates the powers of government through a system of checks and balances,
- Most importantly, all powers are left to the people, except those which, by their consent, are delegated to government and provisions made for their withdrawal should that power be abused.
Herein lies the problem
The more we reject God as a nation and the less we trust the Bible for guidance in our moral lives, the less our Constitution is able to adequately govern us as a people. As a result, a small group of self-proclaimed revolutionaries are taking to the streets, demanding change because we have not been able to self-govern our excesses. They are challenging our constitution and advocating for the forcible overthrow of the social order. Historically, these revolutionary movements have not ended well. Here are a few examples in just recent history:
The Bolshevik’s October Revolution brought change to Russia. Joseph Stalin’s reign alone from 1941 to 1953 led to the execution of more than 20 million people in just twelve years. Stalin consolidated his power through the Great Purge that attempted to expel those who disagreed with him in any way.
Moa Zedong, the Chinese Communist revolutionary, held authoritarian control over the People’s Republic of China until his death in 1976. During his rule from 1949 to 1976 he is believed to have killed between 40 and 70 million people.
Change came to Bosnia from 1992-1995. The change expressed itself through an ethnic cleansing campaign that included unlawful confinement, murder, rape, torture, beating, robbery, inhumane treatment, unlawful deportation and the forcible transfer of citizens. There was also unlawful seizure and plunder of real and personal property, destruction of homes, businesses and places of worship. By 1995, over 100,000 people had been killed.
There are too many examples to list of what happens when revolution comes to any country. It may sound benign and innocent at first, but history proves it always ends the same.
Some might rightfully ask, “But wasn’t America birthed out of a revolution, too?” Yes, it was. It might be helpful to compare the American Revolution with the French Revolution that occurred within the same relative time frame. In the American Revolution, individual freedom controlled by morality and religion was the guiding force. By contrast, the guiding force in the French Revolution, as is the case in most all revolutions, was to achieve social justice through a government controlled application of reason.
As Americans, we must decide if we will humble ourselves before God and align society to the standards of honesty, integrity, morality, and ethics taught in the Bible or allow ruthless people to rule over us because we are not capable of self-governance.
I encourage Christians to take the initiative to align your personal lives with godly principles taught in the Bible. Take a stand for righteousness and address the wrongs in our communities before the majority of Americans believe that revolution is the only answer.
I am appealing to everyone who reads this article to elect leaders whose morality comes from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is foolish to expect people who will not yield to the authority of God to yield to the desires of those who elected them once entrusted with power.
Where it is unclear which political candidate follows Jesus, I appeal to you to read the political platforms of each of the parties and vote for the candidates whose platform best aligns with what you understand to be taught in the Bible.
When asked by a citizen what kind of government had been formed from the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin is said to have answered: “A Republic, if you can keep it.” We are very close to losing our Republic. Before a Holy God, we all must do our part to choose which path America will take.