“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” (Matthew 5:13).

In facing life issues and problems, the first and most important question centers on God. Does God exist? As soon as one claims that God does not exist, any notion of law or accountability outside of man is eliminated. Thus when an atheist does make good moral choices, he is borrowing from outside his belief system.

The greater problem, and the more troubling one, pertains to the vast majority of Americans who say they believe in God. The question is, How does this belief translate into the constraints of living within the will of God? (I think a lot of people go to church on Sundays and still manage to avoid answering this question.)

So, does God simply conform to what one chooses to do? Despite being totally irrational, this is probably the most pursued lifestyle in America today. Even the Supreme Court of the land has reflected the switch from a foundation of unchanging moral standards to a culture in denial of the supreme God. This can only lead to do-as-you-please moral relativism.

For most of our history the high court had claimed that the United States is a “Christian” nation. This was based on the fact that applied Christianity was the prevailing standard of the land. Prayer and Bible reading were encouraged, homes and schools imposed a standard of discipline on children on the assumption that right and wrong were cast in stone. Marital fidelity was expected. Permanent marriages were the norm. Divorce carried a stigma. Living together without marriage was practically unheard of. Crime rates were low. Human life was held special and sacred. The average citizen modeled a high degree of integrity and was a contributor to the wider needs of the culture. (In contrast, today there is a high level of personal greed, and taking advantage, whether from government or corporations, or in gambling.)

This accounts for the fact that Biblical law permeated even the laws of the land. These principles made their way into state constitutions and are still inscribed in stone on federal buildings (doubtless to the consternation of the A.C.L.U.). Public obscenities, pornography, adultery, abortion, homosexuality, and even Sunday business were all on the forbidden list. Righteousness does indeed exalt a nation.

But today, by definition of the high court, the United States is a secular nation. This translates into a rule of law that is wholly materialistic, man-centered, and unmoved by any kind of religious argument. This would be tragic enough, if it could be applied. But this is impossible. Man’s best ideas and reasoning have proved totally inadequate to the great task of modeling the morals and ethics of any culture. No nation or culture functions apart from religious guidelines.

However, there is a system to displace Christianity that is being applied and with devastating effect. Secularism is merely a stepping-stone to paganism. Paganism has room for every sort of deviant behavior. It lends itself perfectly to polytheism (many gods), and to hedonism and sensuality (check out college campuses and even church youth groups). It is inclusive of all beliefs and religious practices, except genuine Christianity.

Because absolute truth has fallen out of favor with the elitist powers that be, one would expect that Christianity might be banned from this postmodern irrational mix. In other words, if absolutist Christianity is true, then paganism is condemned as false. But that is not the sole reason. For even while this western paganism seeks to obliterate Christianity, it extends the olive leaf to Islam. Yet Islam is as absolutist as it can get, and that from a dangerously perverted view of God through Mohammed. Islam is by definition obligated to destroy the pagan hand in the west that feeds it.

But I suspect that there is another reason for the rejection of Christianity. The Christian right, along with many churches, has been deceived by what they perceive as a special permanent connection between God and America. By mistakenly latching onto government for moral authority and moral leadership, the church has reneged on its true responsibility, and has been blinded to the abominations that identify America today.

Society has embraced the notion of “Christian” government to chart the course of righteousness. This has created the irony of mostly “born again” presidents presiding over the slaughter of 40 million innocents, and of inroads of legal mercy killings, and all kinds of perversion. On Thursday, July 12, 2007, a Hindu prayer opened the United States Senate session, for the first time in history. (What does this say for the power of Christian politicians?) Add to all this, a militant zeal to spread “democracy” across the world. Couple this to the ebbing morality in the churches. So why would “Christians” not be despised by the pagans among us?

God’s covenant with individuals, churches, and governments is based only in righteousness. We need not be surprised, then, if “church” and government fall under wrath and judgment by the same millstone.

I fear that in holding out for “Christian” government, the church has forgotten that the role of government is but secondary (or less), in the preservation of righteousness in the culture. We might survive the loss of Christianity in government, if we hadn’t also lost it in the pulpit and the pew.

Christianity is not some vague belief in “the man upstairs.” “Christian” does not come with loose labels that can be applied to the changing tide of opinions and the moral shift embraced in the “church” today. It identifies specifically with the God of the Holy Scriptures. The Bible clearly portrays the one unchanging, Almighty God of all creation and all people. It reveals the way of repentance, forgiveness, and redemption through Jesus Christ—the only name under Heaven whereby man must be saved.

GM recalls defective parts in cars or trucks because defective parts compromise the integrity of the whole and the safety of the user. The sheer number of recalls and expense incurred does not allow for glossing over defective parts. Why does the automobile industry understand this better than the churches?

A slide away from God has no stopping place, and provides no direction. Once moral underpinnings and integrity are gone, so are the answers to all of life’s issues and problems. The aspirations for man’s best, coupled with rejection of the ways of God, prove confusing, rudderless, and vain. This dilemma is not lost on the watching world. Ultimately, the whole of western civilization is at stake. As worthless salt, how will we escape being trampled underfoot?

Come, and let us return unto the Lord. He alone can heal our backsliding.

-by Lester Troyer