This Issue...

• Righteousness Exalteth A Nation — Rusty Stark p.73
• Abortion, America's Holocaust — Garland M. Robinson p.74
• Where Do The Candidates Stand on Abortion? — p.75
• What God Teaches About Homosexuality — James W. Boyd p.78
• It's a Crying Shame! — Chuck Northrop p.79

        When I go into the woods, I use a compass. It helps me when I don’t know which way to go — when I have no inner sense of which direction to go to get back to the road, when I can see neither sun nor stars, when every tree looks the same, or when darkness falls and I can’t even see the trees. My compass points the right way. I have learned to trust my compass. My compass knows direction better than I know direction.
        Unfortunately, our country — the USA, America the Beautiful — has voluntarily given up its moral compass. It has exchanged the truth and guidance of God’s Word for feelings, fads and fancies.

        It is important in an article about problems with our nation to acknowledge that this nation is a truly great one. Every Christian ought to have feelings of gratitude for the freedoms this country affords us. Freedom of religion, freedom to worship as we believe God wants us to, is not a minor thing. Ours is a truly great country that has recognized this freedom as the right of all men before God. And it has upheld and defended this freedom, for our good.
        Furthermore, this country defends my freedom to preach the Gospel boldly, without fear, without loss of property, without torture, without being killed for speaking out. I would like to think that I would preach the Gospel boldly even if our country tried to repress this right of mine, but I know that it is easier to preach the Truth because I live in this great country. As a preacher, allowed to devote my time and effort to spread the Gospel, I must be careful what I say in criticism of the country that protects me in this effort. Many preachers have died at the hands of lesser countries who wanted to suppress the Gospel.

        Many in this great nation have mistaken freedom for license. Instead of being grateful to the God who our founders recognized, many in our country have tried to throw off the bonds and responsibilities that faith in God brings with it. Instead of seeing freedom as a responsibility, many have tried to use it as an excuse to do whatever feels good. This type of lawlessness is not true freedom, and it brings reproach on any people.
        This country has lost the only true moral compass. Instead of looking to and following the Truth of the Bible, it has looked to philosophers, educators, scientists, and psychiatrists to determine what is right and what is wrong in our new, modern world.

        The Bible comes from the mind of God. It always points the right direction. Morality flows from the nature of God. It is a reflection of his character and purity. There is nothing we can substitute that will guide us into right and away from wrong like the Bible can.
        Morality cannot be found in the mind or heart of man. It is not a subjective matter. It is not subject to what I feel or think at any given moment, and it is not subject to the thinking of the masses. Morality cannot be decided by popular vote. Many years ago the prophet wrote: “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps” (Jer. 10:23). Solomon wrote: “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Prov. 14:12).

        Is the United States more morally deprived than other nations? Maybe not. Those who have traveled to other countries realize that, in a comparative way, the U.S. may be better off morally than many other nations.
        Many countries display their pornography on magazine and postcard racks and broadcast it more openly than do we. Those who have done mission work in Russia know the extremely high divorce rate and the casual attitude toward abortion. Some Scandinavian countries have ‘led the way’ in things like euthanasia, sex-change operations, etc. Many countries have openly nude beaches and other depraved practices.

        Whether or not we are a morally deprived nation cannot be determined by comparison with other countries. Other countries are not the standard. God’s word is. Comparing ourselves among ourselves is not wise (2 Cor. 10:12). Do we really get any pleasure or sense of well-being from claiming to be the least smelly skunk in the woods or by pointing out that the other snakes are more poisonous than we are?
        Regardless of how we compare with other countries, two things are clear: 1) Our moral standards have declined from where they used to be. 2) We do not come close to acknowledging or upholding God’s moral standards.

        We once saw HOMOSEXUALITY as the shame and perversion it was. This was God’s standard (Rom. 1:26-27; 1 Cor. 6:9-10), and it was our standard also. Now our political and social climate encourages people to openly choose and live a homosexual lifestyle. We adopt children into homes with two ‘daddies’ or two ‘mommies.’ We allow our school systems to teach this an as alternative lifestyle. And, we condemn those who are old fashioned enough to speak up against this perversion.
        ABORTION was once outlawed. Now it is available virtually on demand, even for minors. Our attitude toward the sanctity of life has now changed to where people are clearly advocating further strides in killing, like active euthanasia. Peter Singer in his book Practical Ethics argues, “If we can put aside these emotionally moving but strictly irrelevant aspects of the killing of a baby, we can see that the grounds for not killing persons do not apply to newborn infants” (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1979, p.124). He goes on to say, “...killing a defective infant is not morally equivalent to killing a person. Very often it is not wrong at all” (p.138). Not only do these chilling words represent a decline from where we once were morally, they are clearly against God’s standards (Gen. 9:6; Prov. 6:16-19). Cecil Hook (one who claims to be a brother in Christ) in his book Free In Christ argues for euthanasia, comparing it to putting down his family’s fox terrier (New Braunfells, TX, p.33).
        PORNOGRAPHY is a threat to the fabric of our society. The standard of God is plain; pornography is sin (Matt. 5:28). As a nation, we used to have laws against it that we actually enforced. Today we are faced with some truly terrible statistics (from www.safemedia.com, current as of 2003):

• Revenue from pornography in the USA (app. $12 billion) exceeds the combined revenue of ABC, CBS, and NBC (app. $6.2 billion).
• Child Pornography generates $3 billion annually.
• There are 4.2 million pornographic websites on the world wide web. That’s about 12% of total websites.
• There are 68 million search engine requests for pornographic material every day. That’s about 25% of total search engine requests.
• There are 116 thousand internet requests for “child pornography” every day.

(Some of these stats represent worldwide figures and are not limited to the USA. However, the U.S. is actively involved in this worldwide degradation.)

        DIVORCE was once viewed as shameful. Every divorce has sin in it — either the sin of the fornicator who caused a just divorce, or the sin of people who divorce but have no scriptural cause (Matt. 19:9). Not everyone who has been through a divorce should be ashamed, but every divorce has shame in it. Today’s view of marriage is simply a trial and error approach. Marriage vows are not seen as vows but as vague hopes. Commitment to spouse and to marital faithfulness is a lost concept. This represents a decline.
        Our CHOICES IN ENTERTAINMENT represent an area of rapid and alarming decline. The ‘funniest’ and most used phrase on television seems to be “Oh My God!” used to express surprise, dismay, fear, and even lust. How can we make any pretense to revere the God we blaspheme? Standards of speech have declined from where we once were, and especially in movies and television they are far from God’s standards (Eph. 4:29; 5:3-4). Even cartoons made for children have curse words. One movie had as its basis the idea that God gave his power to a man (Jim Carey) who was then ‘Bruce Almighty.’ Some will condemn me for criticizing a movie I did not watch, but I don’t need to eat rotten fish to know it is bad. On the advertisements for this movie the main character used the power of God to blow up a lady’s dress so he could see her. How much more blasphemous can we get? And, even some Christians could not see anything wrong with such blasphemy. How easy it is to become desensitized!
        And what shall I say more? Time would fail me to tell of the decline in modest dress, the crude, antisocial, sensualized, and violent lyrics of modern music, the casual attitude toward sex before marriage, the increase in gambling and related crimes and on, and on, and....

        It is not only Hollywood that has led us down the steep path of moral degradation. Political leaders — Senators, Representatives, Presidents, and Governors — and many religious leaders and educators have publicly lied, been caught in illicit romances and perversions, and have defended themselves or their colleagues by saying that such things have nothing to do with being fit for positions of leadership. The only way we can accept that premise is if we simply close our eyes to the very real danger that a whole nation of children — including our own — will follow these leaders into sin, and into hell.

        Since righteousness exalts a nation, can we say that we should be exalted for our righteous behavior? Since sin is a reproach to any people, should we not, as a nation, hang our heads in shame? Indeed, shame is foreign to hearts that are seared; we have forgotten how to blush, even when we should (Jer. 6:15).
        The United States of America has changed to a point that it is unrecognizable. It is not the country our founders dreamed of. It is not characterized by the slogan on our money — In God We Trust. Instead, it is characterized by its attempt to leave God, the mention of his name, and the demands of his morality, behind.
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        In 1857, the Dred Scott decision said that black people (slaves) were not persons and could therefore be “used” as their owners chose which included abusing and even killing them. The 14th Amendment overturned this decision in 1868.
        January 22, 1973, was one of the blackest days in the 225+ year history of the United States. On this day [called Black Monday], the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the killing of an unborn baby is an act protected by the Constitution of the United States. In this landmark decision the Court decided that the unborn child is not a “person” in any meaningful sense, and therefore, is not protected by the Fourteenth Amendment. Any woman who wants to terminate her pregnancy and thereby take the life of her offspring may do so, in some cases right on through the ninth month of pregnancy!
        Since that fateful day in 1973, over 44.6 million babies/infants have been aborted/killed in America alone! In the year 2,000, there were more children slaughtered by the ruthless and brutal act of abortion than Americans who died in the Revolutionary War, the war of 1812, the Spanish-American War, the Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean, Vietnam and Gulf Wars combined. Can you believe it? In that same year there were 306 children killed by abortion for every 1,000 who were born alive! Pharaoh’s extermination of the infant Hebrews was but a ripple on the ocean of time. Herod’s massacre of the babes of Bethlehem would not equal one modern abortion clinic’s daily quota. Hitler’s slaughter of nearly six million Jews in the 30s and 40s was but a drop in the bucket. I certainly do not wish to minimize any of these historic atrocities, but at the same time, I wish to magnify what our country and many of its elected and appointed officials are doing in comparison.
        There’s an outrageous inconsistency in our land when campaigns have been raised to save the spotted owl, the snail darter and animals and birds of all kinds (even while they are yet unborn or not yet hatched) while the human species are being systematically exterminated! What about the baby humans? Who will champion their cause? Who will rise up and protect them? If it’s not God-fearing people across this land, then who will?

        To those who believe the unborn child is nothing more than a lifeless piece of flesh, consider the following medical facts of the unborn.
        1) At 2 1/2 weeks, the heart begins to beat with the child’s own blood supply, often a different type than the mother’s.
        2) At 3 weeks, eyes, spinal cord, nervous system, lungs and intestines are present.
        3) At 6 weeks, brain activity can be recorded on an electroencephalogram. Mouth and lips are present. Fingernails appear. Movement can be detected.
        4) At 7 weeks, there are fingers, knees, ankles and toes.
        5) At 8 weeks, the child can grab an instrument placed in his/her palm. An electrocardiogram can be done on the heart. The child can begin to hear.
        6) At 11 weeks, all organs are present and functioning.
        7) At 18 weeks, the child is active, energetic, flexing muscles, punching and kicking.
        8) At 20 weeks, the baby can recognize the mother’s voice.
        All these facts prove that life begins at conception. The infant, though yet unborn, can feel pain and experience horror.

        The methods of killing little babies are many. Here are but a few.
        Suction aspiration. This is perhaps the most common procedure performed in the first trimester. It involves a powerful suction tube and sharp cutting edge which dissects the baby and suctions the body parts, blood and fluid out into a collection bottle. A similar procedure is called the D&C or Dilation and Curettage. It involves a loop shaped steel knife where the baby’s body is cut to pieces and the inside of the womb is scraped to clean it from all the different parts.
        RU 486 is a drug used when the baby is from five to nine weeks old. It basically starves the developing child which induces its early death. Once this has occurred, another drug is introduced which causes the mother’s body to expel the dead baby. In 5 to 10 cases out of 100, surgery is necessary to remove the dead infant. There are many serious well documented side-affects of this method to the mother including prolonged and severe bleeding (up to 44 days), nausea, vomiting, pain and even death.
        Saline amniocentesis is a method where, after the 16th week, a needle is inserted into the womb injecting a solution of concentrated salt. The baby breathes in, swallows the salt and is poisoned. It causes severe burning and deterioration of the skin. Thirty three to thirty five hours later, the child is delivered dead with a burned shriveled body.
        Partial birth abortion. This is another of the many horrifying methods that is so much in the news today. This procedure is performed in later months where the doctor actually pulls the baby out feet first while still alive. The entire body of the baby is exposed outside the womb with the exception of the head which is deliberately kept inside. Scissors are then shoved into the back of the baby’s skull and its brains are sucked out through a tube. The child’s head can now be delivered and its entire body thrown in the trash. If this sounds gruesome to you, then won’t you try to do something about it?
        These methods, and many others, are all in a day’s work for multitudes of doctors, nurses and clinics all across America and around the world. From an economic standpoint, it’s big business. It fuels the economy. It provides jobs. But on the moral and spiritual platform, it’s sick, sin sick, morally despicable and eternally damning to the soul!

        From “cover to cover” the Bible teaches that human life is a sacred gift from God our creator. Acts 17:25 says God “giveth to all life, and breath, and all things.” Even the Declaration of Independence declares: “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
        Many passages teach that life in the womb is an innocent human being.
        Jeremiah 1:5. “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” How could God have known Jeremiah before he was born if the unborn is not a living human being? It doesn’t sound like Jeremiah was just a blob of “fetal tissue” does it? He was a real person!
        Psalm 51:5. “Behold I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.” David was still David even prior to his birth. Does that sound like he was a lifeless piece of flesh in his mother’s womb? Not from this passage!
        Romans 1:31 speaks of those “without natural affection.” The Greek defines this as the “love of kindred.” It speaks of those who lack the affectionate regard toward their children. Without a doubt, a mother that can deliberately kill the innocent child in her womb is lacking that natural motherly affection that God places within mankind and is a natural response that even animals have toward their young.
        Proverbs 6:17. God hates those who “shed innocent blood.” The unborn are certainly innocent and helpless. How can men be so brutal and cruel to execute the unborn — even one’s own children?
        Luke 1:40-41. Mary “entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb.” Though yet unborn, was John a living human being or merely a “growth” in Elisabeth’s womb? Just what was it that “leaped in her womb?” What if Elisabeth had decided she wanted a career rather than a baby and had opted for an abortion?
        The word “babe” is defined as: “an unborn child, embryo, fetus; a newborn child, an infant, a babe.” It is used of those who are still in the womb (Luke 1:41; Matt. 1:18) as well as infants (Luke 2:12) and children (2 Tim. 3:15). The Bible makes no distinction between an unborn baby, an infant, toddler or even a small child.
        Matthew 1:18 says Mary was found with child. She was not found with “tissue” or a “growth.” But what if she had wanted an abortion? We should be thankful God did not choose to send “his only begotten Son” in our generation, he might have been aborted long before the scribes and Pharisees could crucify him!
        The Bible condemns murder, the killing of innocent human life from cover to cover (1 Tim. 1:9; 1 John 3:15; Rev. 22:15). Abortion is murder. What else could it be called?

        PRO CHOICE — those are the words of men and women all across the country who so passionately believe that every woman ought to have the constitutional right to kill her children whenever and however she decides. Pro choice is pro death. Though many argue it’s the woman’s right to do with her own body as she chooses, everyone must be reminded that the baby she carries is not her body. It belongs to another human being! If a woman has the constitutional right to destroy an unwanted child in her womb, why doesn’t she have the right to destroy an unwanted six-month old or three year old outside her womb? Where is the infant’s moral and constitutional right? There is no more moral wrong in killing a baby outside the womb than there is in killing a baby while still in the womb.
        How tragic and lamentable is the fact that lawmakers (in office and those hoping to be in office) and appointed officials and judges stand in line to promote and advance the cause of killing the unborn. Multitudes are gathering to support a mother’s right to kill her unborn children. Judges are appointed who will uphold the same.
        Where have the moral senses of those in our nation and around the world gone? Where is the public outcry for the innocent? Do they care more for the promise of jobs than they do the lives of the innocent? Do they care more for their own pleasure and satisfaction than they do their own offspring?
        May God help us respect and reverence life, for we are made in His image (Gen. 1:26). May he give us the courage to help those little infants who cannot defend and help themselves. They too have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness!
        As Christians and American citizens, let us do everything within our power to change the murderous mandate of our high court. As long as we continue to place in positions of authority those who have no respect for human life, how can we expect the situation to get any better? Christians are the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the world” (Matt. 5:13-16). Our job is to permeate and influence society for righteousness sake. Work and pray that godless morals may be reversed in our great land today.
        While God hates it, many love it! While God condemns it, many promote it. While God denounces it, many defend it. God’s eternal book, the Word by which we will all one day be judged, so clearly says, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter” (Isa. 5:20)!
        Where do YOU stand? What will you DO? What will you promote, advance and contend for? We will all have to give an account for what we’ve done one day (Rom. 14:12; 2 Cor. 5:10).

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        Christians acknowledge, accept and agree with what God teaches on any subject. If you love God you will obey His will. First John 5:3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.” Philippians 2:5 teaches us to have the mind of Christ in all things. If we are honest, whether we agree with God or not, we will acknowledge what He says. Most of the world rejects so much of God’s will. Many will even refuse to agree that God has taught on certain themes, therefore, they will ignore, deny and defy His will. Preferring to accommodate sin, rather than avoid sin or seek forgiveness of sin, many try to prove that sin is not sinful.
        The information that our subject suggests is so clear that we need not belabor it in order to learn the correct conclusion. Even though it is a “hot topic” in society, which is evidence of man’s rebellion against God, there is no doubt what God has taught on homosexuality.

        God created male and female. The marriage was composed of a man and a woman. He created Adam and Eve, not Ellen and Ann, or Phil and Will. From the beginning we know what is the intention and plan of God.

        From Genesis thirteen, can there be any doubt about God’s anger toward this sin? After the separation of Abraham from Lot, Lot chose to pitch his tent toward Sodom. This was before the Lord decided to destroy the place. When the Lord proposed the destruction, Abraham bargained and negotiated with the Lord to preserve the city for Lot’s sake. Beginning with fifty, Abraham finally asked if he could find ten righteous men in the city, would God spare it. God said He would. But evidently there were not even that many righteous men in Sodom.
        Lot was warned by angels what was coming. The angels were set upon by a homosexual mob, and the angels smote the mob with blindness. Would you like to have lived in that neighborhood?
        The sin of sodomy (sexual relations between men) gets its name from this wicked and abominable city. GOD DESTROYED THOSE PEOPLE. Homosexuality is one form of fornication. Can there be any question in the mind of any honest person of God’s displeasure toward those who commit such things?

        We can only appeal to the honest. Leviticus 18:22, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” Deuteronomy 23:17, “There shall be no whore of the daughters of Israel, nor a sodomite of the sons of Israel.” Judges 19:22, in that period of Israel’s history when every man did that which was right in his own eyes, “Now as they were making their hearts merry, behold, the men of the city, certain sons of Belial, beset the household round about, and beat at the door, and spake to the master of the house, the old man, saying, Bring forth the man that came into thine house, that we may know him.” Again, how would like to have lived there? While not “politically correct” and not fitting according to some “thinking” and moral levels, even among government and social leaders, can there be any doubt as to the mind of Deity regarding this sinful conduct?

        Be opened minded enough to open the Bible and read Romans 1:20-25. See what those of whom this chapter speaks actually did. See how they acted. Notice what they thought. Do not omit observing what happened to them. They refused to have God, hated God, and were damned in judgment. We are not making sinful judgments when we condemn homosexuality. It is not self-righteousness that proclaims homosexuality to be abominable. One who sets his judgments above what God has declared to be sinful is so far out of line that we wonder if there is any hope left for him anywhere. Certainly not as he is. Only those who accept what God has taught can be right.

        Some contend homosexuals cannot help being homosexual and that this circumstance is natural with them. They claim it results from their genes and they are not responsible. Keep in mind, God condemned it. Are we to say that God is wrong in condemning this act? Does not God know what sin is? Is God or nature to blame? Indeed not! Nor is there valid evidence to suggest it is a natural thing. People learn to be homosexuals just like they learn to be alcoholics. Homosexuality is not a disease like cancer or pneumonia. Everything is called a disease today and nobody is really accountable for their misbehavior. But this sinful behavior is not just another physical disease.
        Let us grant for a moment that being a homosexual is beyond one’s ability to help. This is a circumstance we forcefully deny. God still prohibits the practice. One may feel inclined to be a whoremonger, but God still condemns the whoremonger. There is no excuse the “modern experts” can raise to justify what God has said is sinful. If only men did not think they were smarter than God we would not have so many so confused.
        Those guilty of this sexual perversion were not “born that way.” This problem is acquired and there are many contributing factors. It can be corrected also.

        Whenever sin is condemned, those who are permissive like to accuse others of lacking in compassion. Jesus condemned sin. Did He lack compassion? The condemnation of that which is destructive to a person is an act of love and concern. Look at the havoc this abomination has already wrought against society in our time. How often are those who are suffering from Aids and other sexually transmitted diseases asked, “Was it worth it? Do you recommend it to others in view of its consequences?”
        The term “gay” is such a misnomer. If there are any people on earth who are not gay, as in happy, it is the homosexual and lesbian. They compose a sinful group of people and it is so sad for them and others.

        Can the homosexual or lesbian be saved? They cannot while remaining in their sin. But they, like every other sinner, can be saved and their sin forgiven if they conform to the will of the Savior. There is no sin too hideous that God cannot forgive provided His terms are met. But one cannot continue in sin (Rom. 6:1,2) and expect to be saved. A thief cannot continue stealing, and an adulterer must forsake his adultery, just like the liar must stop lying. The sexual pervert must leave that sin.
        Many have done this very thing, which is additional evidence that being a homosexual is not something one cannot overcome. There were some in Corinth that stopped this sort of thing (1 Cor. 6:11). Notice what they WERE, but did not remain that way.
        The way of forgiveness for the homosexual is the same as for other sinners. He must believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God, repent of his sins, confess his faith in Christ, and be baptized into Christ for the remission of his sins. It is then that the blood of Christ cleanses his soul. He is made as white as snow; a new creature. Then he is to live life as a faithful Christian.

        It really does not matter what anybody else says once God has spoken. While many try to excuse this sin and lessen the ugliness of it, it does not matter what they say. They may say it is just a different lifestyle. It is that, all right. But IT IS WRONG. Churches may even accept homosexuals as they are without change in behavior, but IT IS WRONG. Psychologists may try to excuse it and place the blame somewhere else, but IT IS WRONG. Politicians may clamor for their votes and lower the moral levels of the nation for their own gain, but IT IS WRONG. Entertainers may do it and athletes may “come out of the closet,” but IT IS WRONG. Scientists may explain it away, but IT IS WRONG. Feminists may condone it and masses and mobs may display their corruption and defiance of things moral and decent in rallies and parades, but IT IS WRONG. There may be advocates of this evil in the halls of government, but IT IS WRONG. Laws may be passed or repealed that would allow it, but IT IS WRONG.
        There is no way to make evil into righteousness. Evil must be ceased and forgiven. The will of the Lord is without question. Even though many do not accept His will regarding homosexuality, IT IS WRONG. IT WILL ALWAYS BE WRONG!
        That being true, there is no doubt where we must stand regarding it regardless of who may be condemned because of it. The Lord’s people love what God loves and hates what God hates. He hates every false way. Read your Bible and you will see that God’s will about this is clear, concise and will never change. We must be sure we stand with God even if our nation becomes a continent of cities like Sodom.
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        “Righteousness exalteth a nation but sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov. 14:34).
        Hold on to your hats, we are in for a ride! Admittedly I am amazed at the present rate of ungodliness that exists in the government. It should be alarming to any honest moral individual as to what is happening in the United States government at the present time. There is no doubt that it has been working up to this. For the past few decades the influence of a few have destroyed the morality of many. The few — the liberal media — is ravaging the nation. The fact is, more are being influenced by the sex scenes of the movie picture industry than by a “thus saith the Lord.” Sadly, those who claim to be Christians spend more time in front of the television set than in the book of books. Oftentimes, those who spend so much time being entertained by the liberal media are the very ones that are crying out and asking, “What is happening to our nation’s morals?” The following are a few suggestions as to what is happening to the moral fiber of our nation.

        So often, parents are embarrassed to speak to their children about moral values especially when it comes to the sexual area. They are leaving it up to others, usually the school system. Parents, let’s honestly evaluate what is happening in our schools today! It is alarming!
        There is no doubt that some teachers are moral people and care about morality. However, consider who instructs many of our teachers to be teachers. Often their moral basis is not what the Bible says but what they were instructed at a state university which, to say the least, is a perversion of God’s moral code. We heard a man on the radio from a state university speaking about sex education. He said he had a sixteen year old and a twenty-two year old. He continued by saying that the only real alternative to what is being done in sex education is to teach abstinence. He went on to say that parents have been trying to do that for the past six thousand years and it hasn’t worked yet. Therefore, we must continue as we are.
        What is wrong with what he said? This is a very popular liberal approach. First of all, the logic isn’t logical. Let’s apply the same logic to other areas of living, especially in the realm of morality. There are some people who are going to steal no matter what they are taught. With the same logic, we ought not enact laws against stealing because it hasn’t worked yet. There are some people who are going to murder no matter what they are taught. With the same logic, we ought not enact laws against murder because it hasn’t worked yet. Second, who says it hasn’t worked? Just because everyone has not subjected themselves to moral teaching doesn’t mean it hasn’t worked. Instruction does influence some as does the law. I am confident that without instruction and without the law, more would be guilty of immorality.
        We cannot overlook those teachers who are moral or have at least some morality. However, often they feel their hands are tied behind their backs. To teach moral principles is often equated with teaching religion. I personally commend teachers who have the moral fiber and integrity to teach moral principles.
        By God’s design, it is the parent’s responsibility to teach moral and religious principles, not the school system. Concerning the laws of God, Moses instructed, “And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up” (Deut. 6:7). Solomon taught by inspiration, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Prov. 22:6). God taught through Paul in Ephesians 6:4, “And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

        It is amazing how much our world has become entertainment oriented. So much of the time, education is no longer built upon hard work, but upon having fun. The entertainment industry is a billion dollar industry. It seems that all some folks want to do is to be entertained.
        This has obviously crept into the church. Sermons have turned from a “thus saith the Lord” to musing stories with moral lessons. But God’s instructions to those who teach and preach are still the same. Man says, “tell me stories to entertain me.” But God says, “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Tim. 4:2). Man says, “I want a church where I can feel good.” But the Bible teaches that the comforter, the Holy Spirit, “will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). The Holy Spirit does this through the proclamation of His Word. When entertainment becomes the priority, doctrine must take a back seat.
        Entertainment has become so important in some people’s lives that they are willing to sacrifice certain moral principles for it. The moral person who will go to the movie house knowing the movie is full of smut is a case in point. This person gives up his moral principles, for a time, to be entertained by the immoral minority — the liberal media industry.

        Most of us remember the words of the apostle Paul when by inspiration he taught, “For the love of money is the root of all evil.” Probably fewer remember the remainder of this verse which states, “which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Tim. 6:10). Not because of money, but because of covetousness, some have erred from the faith and are grief stricken. Earlier in the passage the apostle exhorted Christians to be content with the necessities of life — “food and raiment” (1 Tim. 6:8). Further, our Lord warned about covetousness. Luke 12:15 records, “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”
        The corruption of the moral values of our nation are clearly evidence by covetousness. It is apparent that more people base their vote on financial issues than moral issues. Issues such as “gay rights” and abortion are swept under the carpet for the hope of prosperity. The lottery and gambling are flourishing while the Christian work ethic is being ignored. Everyone wants the easy bucks and some are willing to do almost anything to gain them.
        Life is approached by many with the philosophy “the man with the most toys in the end wins.” This philosophy results in moral corruption in our homes, in our neighborhoods, in our cities, in our states and in our nation. Further, it results in moral corruption within the church. Necessities and luxuries are confused. I would dare say that more hours of worship and Bible study are forsaken because of luxuries than because of necessities. God’s admonition in Hebrews 10:24-25 is still applicable! “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
        A person willing to give up moral values for entertainment or money (or any other reason) lacks integrity. Integrity is the firm adherence to a code of moral values. The Bible is the code of ethics or moral values for the Christian. The moral values could be anything ranging from sexual oriented values to lying and cheating. A person who has integrity is one who is honest all the time whether or not he is caught or can be caught. A person who has integrity is one who has the proper respect for the other sex and treats the other sex properly all the time and in every place. A person who has integrity is one who upholds moral values no matter what monetary value may be gained by dismissing moral values.
        A change is in order for our nation! The change begins with individuals. It begins with you and it begins with me.
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                Conway, AR 72034

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