Is America a Christian Nation?
"More than 90 percent of Americans who express a religious preference identify themselves as Christians." So said a December 2014 Gallup survey after interviewing 173,490 U.S. citizens.
Furthermore, "Eight in 10 Americans attend religious services at least occasionally, while more than half attend monthly or more frequently." The pollsters concluded that, contrary to the view of America as no longer predominantly Christian but a conglomerate of many opinions, "the U.S. remains a largely Christian nation."
If these figures are accurate, why are the Christian faith and followers of Christ under such relentless attack? In an interview that aired recently on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, well-known evangelist Franklin Graham articulated what more and more believers across America are thinking:
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"I believe there'll be some persecution in this country. . . . We see it now in some sense. Hollywood has demonized people of faith—pastors and Christians—and for 50 years [they've] been poisoning the minds of people against the church of Jesus Christ. … You can't even pray now at football games. You can't have the Lord's Prayer read. I prayed at President [George W.] Bush's inauguration [in 2001], and he was sued because of my prayer because I prayed in Jesus' name; we're living now in a time where we see the spirit of Antichrist is at the government level."
Mr. Graham's conclusions are borne out in the plethora of legal decisions legitimizing deviant practices that directly contradict biblical mandates and historical national mores. Thus, the enormous contradiction between the Gallup poll and the current anti-God religious, social and political revolution seems, to say the least, enigmatic. Perhaps while America appears Christian by profession, it is unchristian in practice. Certainly, the silence of Christians on fundamental
aspects of national cohesion has been like an endorsement of America's burgeoning neo-pagan culture, and their passivity will exact a heavy penalty.
God metes out judgment eventually. A striking illustration of the process is found in Israel's history, unsullied by the passage of time. God directed the prophet Jeremiah to speak to a people "who have eyes and see not, and who have ears and hear not" (Jer. 5:21).
Americans should take a few moments to absorb Jeremiah's warning on the high cost of forgetting God. The basic issues of good and evil, right and wrong, order and chaos remain the same. Despite the liberals' progressive mantra touting a secularized new order, everything they tout has been tried before, and without exception, it all crashed and burned.
Scripture emphatically states, "Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD" (Ps. 33:12). Despite flippant reactions to the contrary, history bears out the declaration's veracity. Great nations and empires that denied or defied biblical principle dominated the world for a while with great pomp and circumstance, but in the end, they withered and died.
America is a nation on notice. We have endured as a country blessed beyond anything known on the planet. Without question, this republic was raised on Judeo-Christian foundations, which have undergirded the national structure.
Today, we seem to be approaching the tipping point. While atheists, hedonists, neo-pagans and liberals wage a war against Christianity and God, our nation's international reputation is in sharp decline. Those who want to turn the United States into an also-ran, Third World-like entity are making headway.
People who live only for the moment and refuse to believe anything bad will happen here need to reassess their views. History reveals that nations at the pinnacle of material success and personal comfort can mask potential calamity. However, they are at the greatest risk of losing it all. Or, at the least, becoming has-beens on the world stage. Can the prognosis change? Certainly. When Israel fell into the depths of what appeared an incurable situation, there was hope.
Jeremiah pressed a divine nevertheless into his narrative: "'Nevertheless in those days,' says the LORD, 'I will not make a complete end of you'" (Jer. 5:18).
The key is simple: Therefore say to them, "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'Return to Me … and I will return to you'" (Zech 1:3).
