I want to be clear from the outset, that I do not believe that what appears to be the rapidly increasing downward spiral of our nation’s culture is irreversible. I believe in genuine, biblical “HOPE,” and that hope is grounded in the power of God to change the course of nations as He changes the hearts and lives of its citizens.

It would be a simple task for me to simply list the “10 indicators of decline” that Jim Nelson Black enumerates in his book, but I’d like to bypass such a list and simply offer some insights from the book itself: “When Nations Die, America on the Brink: Ten Warning Signs of a Culture in Crisis.” The is not intended to be a “gloom and doom” blog, but to provide a thoughtful summary of his assessment of the condition of our country from the first chapter entitled, “America on the Brink.” The following quotations are from this first chapter, with page numbers noted from the 1994 hardback edition.  

However, before we look at Black’s book, I’d like to take us back to our high school and/or college history classes. I used to get totally immersed in learning about the ancient world empires, including the Egyptian, Assyrian, Babylonian, Greek, and Roman empires. Years ago, I could tell you about each of the prominent kings, or queens, and of most of the important and decisive battles. And if you remember your history, it is littered with the remains of these ancient empires. Where did they go? Black provides some answers in his book, and he begins with a keen observation,    

“The lesson of history is that nations die from a lethal combination of internal and external pressures. Moral decay, combined with rising violence, lawlessness, and intellectual apathy, lead to the disintegration of the structures that make civilization possible” (pp. 4-5). 

In spite of all of our problems, including issues of social and racial injustice which are continually being exposed, Black observes that, “America was once a beacon of integrity and virtue…and the envy of the entire world….But today, America is more of an example of what happens to great nations when they lose their vision and moral restraint” (p. 5).

Black then quotes William Bennett of the Heritage Foundation, “While the world still regards the United States as the leading economic and military power on earth, this same world no longer holds us in moral respect as it once did…They no longer see a ‘shining city on a hill,’ but a society in decline…We should accept the hard truth that something has gone wrong with us.” (pp. 5-6).

But I am also grateful that Black offers a challenge and a solution to the current downward trends in ethics and morality at all levels of society, including government, “We must redeem the time and reclaim the higher vision. Whenever a people are presented with a formidable challenge, whether by nature, terrain, internal conflict, or foreign invasion, the character of the response determines the future of the nation” (p. 15-16)

I totally agree with Black that the “character of our response” to these trends will determine the future of our country. And then Black concludes this chapter by saying, “Two roads stretch before us. One way lies the road to renewal and regeneration; the other way lies the well-worn path to disaster” (p. 16).

 In similar fashion, almost 3,500 years ago, after spending 40 years in the wilderness, Moses gave his “farewell address” to the nation of Israel as they prepared to enter the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua. Like Black, Moses spoke of “two roads” that the Israelites could take once they entered Canaan. Here is what he said,

“I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love the LORD you God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgements, that you may live and multiply, and that the LORD your God may bless you in the land where you are entering” (Deut. 30:15-16).

You see, in the Old Covenant, obedience was the key to receiving God’s blessings, while disobedience resulted in “disaster” for the nation. Moses continued his address by saying,

“But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them,, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So, choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants,…” (Deut. 30:17-19).

The Nation of Israel was the people through whom God had already determined would come the Messiah. Not only did God command them to obey His moral laws (the Ten Commandments) but also civil and ceremonial laws. It was a daunting task, in fact, an impossible task to keep the Law in its entirety. That’s why the Apostle Paul would later say that the “Law” was like a teacher to show us our need for Christ and the gift of grace that He offers (Gal. 3:24). 

Interestingly, like Black and Moses, Jesus also spoke of two gates and two roads in His “Sermon on the Mount” (Mt. 7:13-14). One gate is wide enough to allow a myriad of belief systems to pass through, and then the moral and cultural choices beyond that gate are seemingly endless as the traveler can walk along a broad path with few constraints. Jesus made it clear that those who enter this gate and walk the road beyond it will end in destruction.

But Jesus also spoke of a smaller gate and a narrow road leading beyond it. The smaller gate allows anyone to pass through it, but only a few choose to do so. You see, the Gate is a Person, and that Person is Jesus. He is the One who called Himself the “Gate for the sheep” (Jn. 10:7 ). And the road beyond the Gate is a narrow road constrained by the teachings of Jesus. But no one walks this road alone, as He called all those who pass through the Gate to follow Him, and if they do, they will find “LIFE,” not destruction.  

Returning to the issues facing our nation at this time, Black is correct in that we have choices to make. Like Moses spoke to the nation prior to their entrance into the Promised Land, and like Jesus spoke to the multitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, two roads stretch before us — one will lead to “renewal” and the other to “disaster.” And as Black says, the “character of our response” to our present crises will determine the future of our nation.

As a nation, we must respond, and it is to that response that I’d like to focus on next week. In the meantime, let’s all be praying for our country. And let’s all do our part to be that light set on a hill to bring hope back to our nation! Peggy and I send our blessings to all of you.