America remains a place of spiritual opportunity and freedom. But there is a growing sense among us that things are changing and that, at least from the Christian perspective, this is not the America we once knew. For many years, freedom’s mantra has rested securely on our belief in America as a Christian nation. The overwhelming majority of our founding fathers expressed their belief in God as our Creator and the Bible as His inspired word. We have often connected our nation’s acknowledgement of faith with its long-term success as “one nation under God.” And, justifiably so, for Scripture says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord…” (Ps. 33:12).
A book by Ken Ham recently came across my desk which argues that America is changing and, in many ways, has already changed from being “one nation under God” to being “one nation under many gods.” He cites a speech in which a recent president said, “Whatever we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation. At least not just. We are also a Jewish nation, a Muslim nation, and a Buddhist nation, and a Hindu nation and a nation of non-believers” (Ham 80). In 2009, Newsweek’s cover read: “The Decline and Fall of Christian America.” Its featured article by Jon Meacham was entitled, “The End of Christian America” (Ham 83). Of course, these are alarming thoughts to anyone who loves our country and prays for its well-being.
Experience teaches us that the moral and spiritual pendulum of any people can swing back and forth–that, with the right motivation, we might move back in the direction of God. However, a broad view of the last 50 or 60 years suggests that, generation by generation, we are plodding steadily in the direction of becoming a secular society. The cause of Christ can thrive in any society because its driving force is centered in heaven. However, because worldviews are changing, there are times when we must change how we approach people with the gospel. This is illustrated by the apostle Paul’s approach to those in Athens during his second missionary journey. Because he saw that the city was full of idols and would, therefore, have little or no knowledge of the God of the Bible, Paul centered his remarks around an inscription he found which read: “TO AN UNKNOWN GOD” (Acts 17:22-31). Beginning at this point, he told them about the Creator and His will for man. Some were converted who might have been confused had Paul stuck to his usual approach as when preaching in the Jewish synagogue (Acts 17:34). While we can adapt our approach to an audience, but we must never change the message of the gospel for it is “the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes” (Rm. 1:16).