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Thread: There Is Still Hope for America

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    There Is Still Hope for America


    There Is Still Hope for America
    As dire as our current situation is, all is not lost. Just look at how far we've already come.

    By Michael Brown Published on August 16, 2017
    https://stream.org/there-is-hope-for-america/


    America is in very bad shape right now. We are deeply divided along many lines and some of our most basic freedoms are under attack. We have massive national debt, we are enslaved to an ever-growing list of carnal passions, and we are increasingly self-centered, distracted, and superficial. Yet there is hope for America — and I say this as a realist, not a starry-eyed optimist.

    This Isn't Like the Civil War

    Really now, are we as divided today as we were just before, during, and after the Civil War? Is it even fair to compare?

    The secession movement had been growing in the South before the election of Abraham Lincoln. Once he was in office, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas left the union. That's what you call deep division....



    ...America's Fall ... And Rise

    There's no denying that, in many ways, our nation is in a spiritual and moral free fall. The America of today is far less family friendly and innocent than it was just 50-60 years ago. (For a graphic illustration of this, see here http://tinyurl.com/y9k3mjoe .)

    But when it comes to race relations and equal opportunity, would you rather be alive today or in the days of segregation? Surely we are closer to seeing Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech today than we were when he delivered it in 1963.

    Or consider the pro-life movement.
    How much hope was there just after Roe v. Wade? How much unity was there, how much courage, how much fresh strategy? Today, pro-abortion activists are genuinely fearful that Roe v. Wade could be overturned, and state after state is standing up for the cause of life.

    This is not for a moment to minimize our horrific guilt in the slaughter of more than 55 million babies. It simply reminds us that we have valid cause for hope for the days ahead.

    In 2016, while spending some time in prayer one morning, I heard a quiet internal voice say, "Write a book on the fall and rise of America."

    Really? The fall and rise of America, not the rise and fall of America?

    For years now, I've been documenting our nation's moral and spiritual decline, focusing in particular on cultural issues for the last decade-plus. Have our families ever been in worse shape? Did we ever have to defend something as simple as male-female distinctions?

    As far back as 1973-74, as a teenager preaching my first sermons, I talked about the critical days in which we lived while still believing in the possibility of national awakening. But to write about our nation's fall and rise? Isn't that a bit much?...



    ...For the moment, though, let me say these four things.

    First, to repeat, as dire as our current situation is, all is not lost and there are grounds for hope for a better tomorrow.

    Second, the deeper the darkness, the greater the need for the light to shine. That's why the last chapter of my new book, which is filled with examples from our history, is titled "The Church's Great Opportunity."

    Third, the answer lies with us, God's people, those who love Him and know that His ways are best. Every American can work for the betterment of our country, from devout atheist to fervent believer. But I'm convinced that the only true healing for our nation lies in the Gospel. It's a message of life, of transformation, and of liberty.

    Fourth, while it may be impossible to find a human solution to the crises we face, all things are possible with God. And He wants to redeem us, not destroy us.

    That's why I say that there is hope for America. He hasn't destroyed us yet.



    This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity (futility) of their mind, having the understanding darkened...
    (Ephesians 4:17-18)

    Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly...
    (Psalm 1)

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    fuego (08-16-2017)

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