What Went Wrong?

Back in the early 1960's then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Sam Rayburn speaking at the opening of the 87th Congress observed that "Christian civilization is facing the greatest danger today it has ever faced in the past two centuries -- since Christ Himself walked upon the earth."

I wonder what he would say today. Maybe, "I told you so." Or, more than likely he'd be speechless. I'm not sure he could have imagined where we would be today when it comes to Christianity in America.

As I reflect back on my own experience as an evangelical Christian who was born in the mid-1940's and experience the evangelical revival of the 1950's as a youth and served as a Baptist pastor heavily involved in denominational life into the 21st century I wonder, "What went wrong?".

I lived through my own denomination's fight, the so called "Battle for the Bible," which in fact was really a battle for the denomination and control. Saw first hand a bloody civil war in our Southern Baptist religious life that set Christian brothers against one another. It was my first experience as a "full-time" Christian minister with the decline of Christian ethics not just in the pew but the pulpit as well.

It was in the mist of this that American Christianity decided that to preserve our Christian American heritage we had to become politically active. Soon religious leaders were forming packs with politicians who spouted the right words but whose personal lives were far from the words they spoke. In short, we decided that we had to become political if Christianity was to be saved in America. I want to say to those who lead us down that path what Dr. Phil often says, "How's that working for you."

It didn't work then and it is not working now. Why? Because in the process we lost our direction as the Body of Christ. We ceased attempting to be salt and light to our nation and became just one more large Political Action Group. We stopped depending on God to preserve us and started asking Him to bless our attempts at it.

I suggest that we do what has always worked . . . . Get our own house in order. "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Dr. A. C. Dixon, a fine expositor of the Word of God, once said, "that when we depend upon organization, we get what organization can do. When we depend upon education, we get what education can do. When we depend upon money, we get what money can do. When we depend upon singing and preaching, we get what singing and preaching can do. But when we depend upon prayer, we get what God can do."

We need to do now what we should have done then . . . "Repent and do the things you did at first." I suggest that the proper role for Christians is to get off their political soap boxes and down on their prayer rugs and pray in earnest. We need to sprinkle a goodly amount of confession and repentance in that praying as we ask God to heal our land. Remember, God's time honored order of things is that it is God's people who must swallow their pride and prostrate themselves before Him. "Judgement begins in the House of the Lord." It's high time we Christians stopped carping and complaining about those outside the house and as one who lives in the house follow God's directions if you really want God to heal the nation. Don't know if you noticed or not but it is the Christian's sin that prevents God's blessing on the nation and too many of us are playing the role of Achan and trying to keep our sins hidden. Is it possible that our national experience today is the product of all the hidden sins of Christian people.

Could it be that in our zeal to heal the nation we have actually told God, "Not to worry, we will get this done" in a way that doesn't involve humbling ourselves and confessing our sin. Well, you see what we have produced. Perhaps we should try something a little more novel, like, really doing what God commanded. He didn't suggest this he commanded it. If as a Christian you want the nation healed then you must take I Chronicles 7:14 serious.

I remember hearing the late Pastor Pepper Rogers as he talked about his experience as a child of riding in the rumble seat of the family car saying that, "God does not ride in the rumble seat. If He isn't driving then He isn't riding." Christian friends, lets move over and let God have the steering wheel.