Listening to academics, politicians, and commentators both conservative and liberal, one gets the impression that the greatness of America stems from our form of government. This position is suggested in the commonly held theory that if only we can spread democracy around the world, everything will be just fine.
One reason this is such a popular position is that it is nonsectarian, that is, it offends no one. In today’s climate, who could object to the spread of democracy?
One problem with this perspective is beginning to surface all over the world. Democracy can be the handmaiden of cruel and unrighteous causes. For example, Muslim countries can democratically choose to institute sharia law, which is the source of untold human suffering. In Venezuela, Hugo Chávez has been able to distort democracy to serve his purposes, to the injury of many, and ultimately, I believe, to the destruction of that country. The point is that democracy can be used as a tool to serve the purposes of good or of evil.
Another problem with viewing democracy as that which made America great, and consequently what can be the salvation of other nations, is that some nations can’t seem to make it work. Russia seems to be so riddled with corruption that democracy there is struggling to survive.
If not democracy, what did make America great? Our nation thrived because our culture was shaped by the Word of God. Democracy can only work in an environment where people are willing to be honest and moral rather than dishonest and self-serving.
Multiculturalists notwithstanding, only the Bible can produce those qualities. America has been great because of its integrity, and that integrity was a product of our commitment as a culture to the truth and authority of the Bible. It might be noted that even those who have not made a commitment to Christ are still influenced by the presence of the Word of God in a society and by believers who function as salt and light.
As liberals succeed in rewriting history, the impact of Scripture on our heritage is becoming lost. One bit of history trivia reveals the depths of our Christian roots as a nation. Recently I discovered that Harry Truman learned to read by following along as his mother read to him from the King James Bible.
We don’t normally think of Harry Truman as one of our more spiritual presidents. He is better known for getting theological words at the wrong places in sentences. Nonetheless, this little factoid reveals that even he was influenced substantially by the Word of God from a young age.
Democracy is not working in many places, or it is not serving the cause of righteousness, because we have tried to transplant it in cultures that lack the necessary biblical foundation.
Though this may offend some, this is like placing chimpanzees on university campuses and expecting them to become intellects. A university is a wonderful tool for those who have intellectual capacity, but it will not supply it to those who do not. Likewise, placing people without a Christian foundation in a democracy only provides the shell, but not the vital internal principle necessary to make democracy work.
As the United States continues to reject its Christian heritage, we are becoming more like chimpanzees at a university. Our handling of the immigration and oil issues make that evident. This can only change when evangelicals gain the vitality to reshape our culture, and that can only happen if we experience an evangelical reformation.
Perhaps 9-11 does not represent the most damaging attack by Islam on the United States. An even more lethal invasion is described in the Issues and Insights column of Investors Business Daily website. Investors Business Daily is a very credible national business newspaper, similar to the Wall Street Journal. I quote a large section of this fact-filled article.
In our brave new schools, Johnny can’t say the pledge, but he can recite the Quran. Yup, the same court that found the phrase “under God” unconstitutional now endorses Islamic catechism in public school.
In a recent federal decision that got surprisingly little press, even from conservative talk radio, California’s 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled it’s OK to put public-school kids through Muslim role-playing exercises, including:
Reciting aloud Muslim prayers that begin with “In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful . . . .”Memorizing the Muslim profession of faith: “Allah is the only true God and Muhammad is his messenger.”Chanting “Praise be to Allah” in response to teacher prompts.Professing as “true” the Muslim belief that “The Holy Quran is God’s word.” Giving up candy and TV to demonstrate Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting.Designing prayer rugs, taking an Arabic name and essentially “becoming a Muslim” for two full weeks.Parents of seventh-graders, who after 9-11 were taught the pro-Islamic lessons as part of California’s world history curriculum, sued under the First Amendment ban on religious establishment. They argued, reasonably, that the government was promoting Islam.But a federal judge appointed by President Clinton told them in so many words to get over it, that the state was merely teaching kids about another “culture.” So the parents appealed. Unfortunately, the most left-wing court in the land got their case. The 9th Circuit, which previously ruled in favor of an atheist who filed suit against the words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, upheld the lower court ruling.This information is significant for several reasons. First, it tells us that we are under attack, and that the attack is succeeding, at least in California. It also demonstrates the inequity of the left-wing judges and the liberal establishment in general. Imagine if such expressions of Christianity were proposed for public school curriculum. The ACLU would be in court before the proposal made it out of the printer. It also poses the question: Why are liberals so in love with Islam? It seems that Islam embodies to the extreme all of the things liberals hate such as authoritarian religion, militancy, and the diminishing and mistreatment of women. It represents the ultimate anti-liberal system. The reason for liberal infatuation with Islam is found in the only factor that the two systems have in common: a hatred for Christians, Jews, and the God of the Bible. It is the old story of Pilate and Herod finding friendship through their common rejection of Jesus. One positive outcome of this liberal infatuation with Islam is that it is driving many Jewish people, who historically have been liberal, away from liberalism, leaving them more inclined to migrate toward a more conservative position. This successful incursion of Islam into the California school system calls for a strong evangelical response. However, the fact that most evangelicals are not even aware of this situation conveys that we are not up to the task. The necessary strength will only come through an evangelical reformation.