America today reminds me of a family-owned business that is about to go bankrupt. The first generation, who founded the business, put in long hours, blood, sweat, and tears to get it off the ground and profitable. The second generation watched the first generation and made the enterprise even stronger and made even more profit. The third generation put in fewer hours and effort but enjoyed the money and the lifestyle that the business provided.
The fourth generation knew little about the business except enjoying the fruits of the hard work previous generations had invested into building the company, and now their customer base is in decline, and the product is starting to deteriorate. Then the business goes into bankruptcy and has to close down, all because the fourth generation didn’t appreciate the values of the first and second generations. They basically assumed the good life would continue forever because it was all they had ever known.
I use the above story as an analogy of where I see the United States of America. I would say we are somewhere between the third and fourth generations.
Freedom and self-governance are not the norm in human history. In fact, most people who have lived on our planet through the ages have lived under some sort of tyranny, ruled by a pharaoh or a king or a sultan or a communist dictator or something of the like. The Roman emperors had a centuries-long run lording over 20% of the globe at the height of their rule.
Despite what modern historical revisionists would have us believe, America’s founders did not invent slavery. It’s been around for all of human history and is still in existence today. In fact, it was the ideas and writings of our founders that set in motion what eventually led to the end of slavery in our country. And it was hundreds of thousands of White soldiers who gave their lives in the Civil War so that Blacks would be free from slavery.
But I digress.
Many of our fellow Americans – especially the younger ones, say 30 and under – have little concept of how our country became the envy of the world. And it all stems from our Christian roots. Without Christianity – in particular Protestantism – there would be no America. Christianity emphasizes the great value of the individual person in the eyes of God. That leads to a belief in human rights and freedom.
But our forefathers understood, as did subsequent generations, that without a reverence for Almighty God by a vast majority of her citizens, America would begin to crumble as the “sweet land of liberty.” When you think God is watching you and you are accountable for your actions to Him, you are far more likely to obey the law, live in peace, and care about your fellow man.
If you lose that fear of God as an individual or as a society (a nation), it is certain, one way or another, you will crumble. You will die.
It’s sad that many of our fellow Americans are ignorant of the truth of what I have written above. Some are not so much ignorant as they are defiant. They shake their fist at God and say they will do as they please with their lives without regard for the consequences of living in rebellion against godly values.
Who knows if we can turn things around in our beloved country before it’s too late? But we have to give it our all. Too much is at stake for our children, our grandchildren, and future generations. 
This column appeared originally in print in the October 2021 issue of "AFA Journal" and online here.
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