Changing Times, Unchanging Truths

By Dick Biggs

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"It is impossible to govern without God and the Bible."

--George Washington

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If George Washington was alive today, what would the first president of the United States say about 21st century America?

Reporter: Mr. President, how has America changed since you led our nation?

Washington: Oh, it's vastly different than when I went out of office in 1797. For one thing, the population growth is amazing. Also, I'm awed by the incredible industrial and technological advances.

Reporter: Overall, sir, have these changes been good for America?

Washington: For the most part, yes. Life was so much harder in my day, so I'm delighted to see the conveniences of modern America. Unfortunately, I believe this economic success has overshadowed the timeless truths which enabled our nation to become so prosperous in the first place.

Reporter: For instance, Mr. President?

Washington: As you should know, America was founded upon Judeo-Christian principles. Since these principles were good enough to establish and expand our nation, I believe they're good enough to help us endure as a nation. History teaches us that all great powers fell morally before they fell militarily. I'd say America is suffering from a severe erosion of its ethical foundation.

Reporter: Can you be more specific, sir?

Washington: Certainly. Look what happened to our families, schools and government in the last half of the 20th century. The traditional family is more fragile and fragmented than ever due to the looseness of premarital sex and adultery, legalization of abortion, and lax divorce laws. Undisciplined kids have exchanged school prayer and Bible study for drugs, sex, profanity, pornography and violence. And sadly, our government has lost its integrity. Bill Clinton commited adultery in the White House and lied about it. Yet, the American people tolerated a Congress that wouldn't oust an unworthy president because the economy was booming. Shame! Shame!

Reporter: Mr. President, are you saying we've tampered with or tossed out the timeless truths that you and the other founding fathers believed necessary for our long-term success as a democracy?

Washington: Exactly. As the great French writer Alexis De Tocqueville said a few years after my death, "Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secrets of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." De Tocqueville made that statement after observing our way of life for several years in the 1830's. And even though the number of American churches and synagogues has grown dramatically since then, it has become politically incorrect to teach Biblical principles in our schools, communities and workplaces. Instead, moral relativism teaches that people should just "do what feels good" because there are no moral absolutes.

Reporter: But what about separation of church and state, sir?

Washington: While there are valid reasons for such a separation, the founding fathers understood the importance of acknowledging God and the Bible as the source of our unique form of government. For instance, John Adams, the man who succeeded me as president, said: "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is holy inadequate to the government of any other." James Madison, our fourth president, said: "We have staked the whole future of American civilization...upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves...to control ourselves...to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments." And wise Ben Franklin said: "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom."

Reporter: Mr. President, are you suggesting we could lose our freedom if American continues down this path of moral decline?

Washington: Definitely. Isn't that why the English people came to America? When freedom is taken for granted and proven principles are forsaken, it's only a matter of time before any democracy is doomed. But perhaps this anonymous piece will answer your question better than anything I could say:

Stages In The Cycle Of A Nation

Bondage to spiritual faith
Spiritual faith to courage
Courage to freedom
Freedom to abundance
Abundance to complacency
Complacency to apathy
Apathy to fear
Fear to despondency
Then bondage
At what stage are we?

Reporter: Well, sir, what stage would you say we're in now?

Washington: I'd say between complacency and apathy.

Reporter: Are you suggesting this situation can't be reversed, Mr. President?

Washington: Of course not. The situation can change if America has the courage to return to its roots. I'm talking about the goodness written about by De Tocqueville. I'm talking about the high ideals addressed by Adams, Madison and Franklin. I'm talking about how Abraham Lincoln drew strength from his prayer time as president during the Civil War. I'm talking about how Martin Luther King, Jr. used the power of the churches and synagogues in his fight for social justice in the l960's. In summary, I'm talking about a massive return to Biblical truths that have stood the test of time--the Ten Commandments, the Proverbs, the Sermon on the Mount, Paul's letters and many other sound teachings in the Word of God. We must live out these principles every day if America is to remain a great nation.

Reporter: But sir, won't these actions offend a lot of people and invite law suits from people who don't believe in God or the Bible?

Washington: America has become the greatest nation ever conceived by being a melting pot of many colors, cultures and creeds. And even though our Constitution guarantees everyone the freedoms of speech and religion, the founders understood that freedom without responsibility is chaos. It's no coincidence that America's moral digression has corresponded proportionally to its disobedience of God's laws. Yes, law suits are proliferating, but God's laws take priority over our laws. If America will focus on the fundamentals cherished by its founding fathers, I firmly believe God will bless this nation with a flourishing future. On the other hand, if America continues to reject its Judeo-Christian heritage and become more secular, we face a future filled with fear, despondency and bondage. In these changing times, it's my fervent prayer that America will favor God's unchanging truths.

                              

If you and your organization would like to learn more about dealing with change, please e-mail or call Dick Biggs at (770) 886-3035 for more information.