“It is now worse to judge evil than to do evil, so profound is the ethical confusion.” – Os Guinness
This is something like a “State of the Western Nations” address by Os Guinness (from The Veritas Forum at Stanford, 2002). Ten years on, the situation has only escalated, and the solution remains the same, the Gospel of Jesus Christ taking hold in the hearts of people.
In this short video below, Os Guinness outlines why there is such a pressing need for Reformation Revival.
Who would have thought that of the only two likely candidates to be President of the USA, one would be associated with a religion steeped in polygamy (indeed whose “god” is a polygamist with many celestial wives), and the other would be an advocate of same sex marriage? Once again, this will not merely BRING God’s judgment, the fact that these are the candidates before us IS God’s judgment. (See Romans 1)
Jesus’ view of marriage – “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them MALE AND FEMALE, 5 and said, ‘Therefore A MAN shall leave HIS FATHER AND MOTHER and hold fast to HIS WIFE, and THE TWO shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” – Matthew 19:4-6
Romans 1: 18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Western culture as a whole, and the United States in particular, has had a tremendous amount of light from God, and experienced many blessings from His hand. Yet, this culture seems intent upon continuing on its path to self-destruction. According to Romans Chapter 1, this itself is God’s judgment and wrath as He gives a society up to live in defiance of Him.
God bless America with repentance.
Dr. James White provides a very sobering commentary on the current situation in America.