The tragedies we are experiencing, like the school shooting in Florida yesterday, hurt all of us. I spent six and a half years in law enforcement and the past thirty-one years in Christian ministry. I spent the first fourteen days after the Sutherland Springs shooting in Sutherland Springs working with the Church, pastor, first responders, grief counselors, and the community. I was the first one through the doors of the sanctuary after the FBI, Texas Rangers and Sheriff Tackitt released it as a crime scene, and I coordinated the clean up and restoration to make it into the memorial that it is today. I KNOW the pain, grief and despair that come from these tragedies. Those were the toughest fourteen days in my life and still, when I lay down at night I see the inside of that building and smell the stench of death.
I share this simply to explain that I understand the pain, and I do not dispel those who want a quick fix to the problems we are experiencing in America. I also know, however, that our legislature cannot fix the problem. They can't even come together on issues like budgeting, immigration, and trade. The only answer is a return to Biblical principles and for Christian men and women to begin to flesh out those principles in their daily life. We are called to be “in the world, but not of the world.” America didn’t get into the shape it’s in overnight and the problems will not be fixed overnight.
Christians have become complacent and it's difficult to distinguish Christians from non-Christians in our day. There were times when the Christian populace controlled the election boxes. Christians turned out in huge numbers to vote and their Judeo-Christian values were reflected in the results. This was particularly true in Texas and other southern states. Over time, and beginning in the mid to early sixties, this began to change and apathy began to set in within the Christian community. The Christian turnout at the polls began to wane and more liberal officials, both legislative and judicial, began to be elected. Slowly society changed. We moved from a "love your neighbor as you love yourself" society to an "I care only about myself and what makes me feel good" society. We saw courts rule that religious references must be removed from schools, courthouses, and other public venues, and we accepted it. We watched as courts ruled that the murder of innocent unborn children was acceptable, and we accepted it. We watched in complacency as our legislatures passed laws which mandated the governmental acceptance of same sex marriage, the removal of parental control over the sexual conduct of minor children, they funded agencies which promoted abortions, and legislated many other anti-biblical ideals. Through these various legislative and judicial decisions and over a long period of time, we have lost control of basic Judeo-Christian ideals. We have arrived at a point where our teachers in public schools have very little disciplinary discretion.
Today in America there are now virtually no recoginzable absolutes; no black and white. We have raised a generation of young people who believe that society owes them, rather than the other way around. John F. Kennedy, in what was arguably his most profound statement said, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” That ideal has been lost. In fact, it has been reversed. We have raised and are raising a generation of young people who have few if any interpersonal skills. They interact with one another, not in one on one settings, but through the obscure use of social media and on-line gaming. These have become the norms rather than the exceptions. The visualization of extreme violence through hours and hours of video gaming has brought about a desensitizing of young minds to the value of life, and this has gone unchecked by parents who have abandoned their God given roles of parenting, including Christian parents. Today, by and large, parents are allowing their children to make lifetime and life-forming decisions by themselves, rather than directing their decision making through Biblical principles. The cliche, “Parents have become their children’s best friends, rather than their children’s parents” is not a cliche at all. It is reality.
Any real and lasting change for the betterment of our society will take place slowly, but must begin with a return to Biblical Judeo-Christian principles implemented by Christian parents. We must begin to take responsibility for our parenting again. This means saying no to our children, even when their friends are saying yes. It means that our children may not be the most popular among their peers, and that our parents may not be the most popular among their own. Being right, is not always popular. Christians, all Christians, not just parents, must put God first in all matters. This means: God before sports; God before popularity; God first in every avenue of life. Scripture tells us to “Seek FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness...” (Emphasis mine)
Life is not fair, and life is not perfect. We will all fail from time to time, but until we make the decision to give it our all, we will never return to the days of peace as a society that we talk about. God told the people of old, “Return to me and I’ll return to you.” (Malachi 3:7, NIV)
These words were spoken by Jesus concerning the commandments of God:
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” The second is this “The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself.” There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31, NIV).
If we could get these two verses of scripture down, we could change America!
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