[GeronL]

Hey we can't even hang on to the RINO Party. By 2008, won't be allowed to vote probably. Won't be anyone to vote for in the GOP by then anyways.

[Don W]

Amazing article. Perhaps too late for some, but there is always hope.

Thanks for posting this.

[John Lenin]

bump

[HiTech RedNeck]

Expecting to see the kingdom envelop the earth through hepped-up religiosity, before the kingdom actually does come through the return of Jesus Christ as a literal person, is unbiblical.

[rogueleader]

Wake up.

That article was all wrong.

Some conservatives say the culture war began in the early 60s after the Supreme Court's decision on prayer in schools.

It wasn't just that, though.

It was also the doors opening up to immigration in 1965. Prior immigration had almost exclusively come from Christian countries, but after 1965, the door was opened for people of all cultures and beliefs to enter the country.

In light of our pluralistic society, and the civil rights movement, it was natural that things went too far. Instead of just rectifying the racial justice situation, we let an exceedingly high level of wickedness and sin develop. Now we have to rectify that.

Be a Christian. Don't be stupid. Think strategically.

How do we stop the slow descent away from Christianity in the USA?

We stop immigration from non-Christian countries. As that is pretty much every country now, we should stop immigration from all countries. Perhaps an exception should be made for Latin America, or not.

Immigration is the real problem. Stop immigration and we will create a situation where we can solve many other problems, including the excess of immorality. Continue the current policy of open borders, and we will never solve the problem.

[AnimalLover]

A must read later!!

[TheFightingCock]

We all "live lives of shallowness and selfishness, of petty emotions and jealousies, of distraction and escape, of ego and pride, and sometimes of gross corruption and treachery". In your comparison between the two you act as if one group is better when in truth the only difference is the percievable degree of repentance. Yet we are all equally flawed and we're all equal contributors to the state of the world today, if not in our deeds than in our ommissions.

IF NOT IN OUR DEEDS THAN IN OUR OMMISSIONS. Think about it, friend. Do not misguide yourself. It is fundimentally part of the gospel that humanity has no hope in themselves but only in God. No redeeming aspect except that which is beyond them. Blame has no place in your evaluation nor in your religion.

It is not for you to condemn. Instead, look toward these problems as they occur in your personal life and seek to improve them. No man's life is removed from the mark of human failure and this failure can only be improved by giving of yourself.

The problem occurs when good people are afraid to do what their hearts tell them they should and that is where the misery is compounded. He who has not sinned may cast the first stone, it is said. Yet Jesus never cast that stoned and the equation falls in on itself in that the act of throwing the stone is itself a sin.

Christians are afraid to invest themselves personally in a world so clearly marred with impurity, and yet this is the SAME world as Jesus inhabited and in which his deciples also learned to act as he acted. These are the same sins, the same problems and for the same stakes. We all yearn for those days but they are CLOSE at hand.

It is we who are far removed from them. We ARE society. There's nobody here but us. There's nobody else to blame and politics aren't going to solve our problem and they're not going to fill up the hole left by the tide of our ebbing faith. You can read all the books you want but in the end these failures are no one's but our own.

Our own damned fault. I listen to at least as much political talk and news broadcast as most of you and I'll say that this only strengthens my resolve. Makes me more determined. I am not perfect. I will fail in my efforts more often than I succeed, but when I do well it's worth a thousand disappointments.

I see that the greatest evil is that which comes from within. I'm not going to quote any recent publications and I won't need to to tell you that the worst sins are not always those which we enact but the ones which we allow to be imposed upon us and our loved ones.

Cease to contribute to this. Be real, be brave, be true, be honest. Honest with your loved ones, your creator and yourself. How else can one see clearly?

In my opinion honesty is one of the easiest things for a Christian to lose grasp of. Much is left unaddressed in the name of brotherhood. Much is left unsaid for the sake of our own uncertainty in this world where we encourage eachother into weakness far more often than into strength. How much harder is it then to be strong? For this reason I see the biggest problem in modern Christianity to be the propensity to place blame rather than to take responsibility. The Amish are a good example of a people who long ago resolved to cherish integrity rather than approval. When you look at their sacrifices it becomes much easier to understand the scope of resolve required to do the right thing.

In this world of technology and leisure we are all rich in our own way. The adage goes that "it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter heaven." Today, I think there are few of us who are left out of that equation.

Sincerely,



TFC.

[A CA Guy]

I think if Christians are losing their influence on society, it would because they are so much like a light switch with their method of communications.

God goes get people where they are at. Christians seem to refuse to reach out, make a little steps where people are at in their life and to then bring the person along in a period of time.
They tend to want it ALL now and that's what has ruined some of the stuff we could have had become law by now.

Light switch methods have lost conservatives and Christians the abortion argument as one example.

Christians can still do great things, just needs to be approached slowly, not like a race.

[coincheck]

excellent(sp) article, and so true, i have met people who call themselves chrisians BUT read their horrorscope daily and some who use tarot cards or juije(SP) boards to get "inside information". this is a shame,
we have tv preachers teaching name it and claim it theology, others have the gall to say that jesus was filthy rich while here on earth.
learned theologans sit and decide what jesus really said in the new testament, which now can be pretty much tossed out by their standards.
the only way to be saved is to know what you are being saved from and what you really are.
we are evil and sinful from birth, our hearts are desparetly(sp) wicked, and we are a selfish bunch.we want our cake and yours too and to eat them both. we have no hope for any kind of future EXCEPT through the shed blood and resurection of our lord and god, jesus, the messiah, period.
this is the message that america and the world needs to have any hope for the future.

[qam1]

Why are Christians losing America?

A big part of the reason is they never got over the Scopes monkey trial. It's not a coincidence that the branches of Christianity (like Catholics) that accepted evolution are the only ones growing while those who haven't  (and come up with ignorant lies about it like Intelligent design) have vanished or are in rapid decline around the world.  

Christianity – the deepest, most meaningful and awe-inspiring religion ever,

Not if you were one of those burned on the stake

the magnificent driving force behind Western Civilization, and the transcendent hope of mankind's future

The Dark ages were magnificent??

They observed the horrible, deteriorating conditions in America,

And in the real America despite the rapid decline in Christianity things are improving

From 1991 to 2001, The Number of the non-religious doubled in number while at the same time the number calling themselves Christians declined by 10% this decline in Christianity is especially seen in young people.

Yet the even though the younger generations are the most unchristian violent crime rate has declined through this period, as well as The pregnancy rate for unmarried women has continuously declined through the 1990s and the abortion rate dropped by about 25 percent for both married and unmarried women through the 1990s , The teen Pregnancy Rate Reached a Record Low, More Teenagers are saying no to sex and Drug use by teenagers continues to decline.

Christianity and Morality do not correlate, If Christianity vanishes it will have no effect on whether our country is moral or not.

determined that she was headed into rubble just like pagan Rome

Talk about historical revision, When Rome was Pagan it was at it's high point being the world leader for 1000 years but after Constantine converted the Empire and the more Christian it got the worse off it became.

[sr4402]

The salt is loosing its saltiness. The Southern Baptists couldn't or wouldn't discipline Bill Clinton even after the adultery was proved and the Catholic Bishops won't deny communion to Kerry even though he promotes abortion.

Americans hate hypocrisy. There must be no disconnect between what you say and what you do.

The light must so shine before men, that they see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. We need more Mother Tereasa's and Billy Graham's, folks who uncompromisingly stand up for Christ and shine like the noonday sun.

[stainlessbanner]

your thoughts?

[BibChr]

Aside from the gratuitous (and inaccurate) slap at people who take prophecy seriously, a good think-piece.

Dan

[Vision]

Because we're too lazy

"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion...Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
- John Adams, October 11, 1798

"Have you ever found in history, one single example of a Nation thoroughly corrupted that was afterwards restored to virtue?... And without virtue, there can be no political liberty....Will you tell me how to prevent riches from becoming the effects of temperance and industry? Will you tell me how to prevent luxury from producing effeminacy, intoxication, extravagance, vice and folly?..."
- John Adams, in a letter to Thomas Jefferson

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here."

"The Bible is worth all other books which have ever been printed."

"Bad men cannot make good citizens. A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience are incompatible with freedom."

"It is when people forget God that tyrants forge their chains."
- Patrick Henry

[Lost Highway]

I appreciate what the article says but, as a Christian, a few things jump out at me. The debate as to whether a Christian should be involved in politics is as old as Christianity itself. Two, this world will always have evil. As hard as we try it will never go away. Three, culture wars are not won through political action but by winning the hearts and minds of the people.

So if one can do some good through politics then great. But, as I read the New Testament, I have a higer calling which is to spread the good news that Jesus Christ was crucified and rose from the dead so that through him I could be saved.

"Everybody today seems to be in such a terrible rush, anxious for greater developments and greater riches and so on, so that children have very little time for their parents. Parents have very little time for each other, and in the home begins the disruption of peace of the world." - Mother Teresa

[Just mythoughts]

Matthew 7:21

Not every one that saith unto Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father Which is in heaven.

22. Many will say to ME in that day, 'Lord, Lord,' have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works?'

23 And then will I profess unto them, 'I never knew you: depart from ME, ye that work iniquity.'

[u-89]

>Why are Christians losing America?

It's more like America is losing Christians and this is nothing new. By 1800 Harvard and Yale had become unitarian along with other elite schools. Considering the Calvinist roots of New England that evolution was quite an event. The 19th century saw further drift of Christianity with the advent of socialism and the progressive movements and the idea of creating heaven on earth using government to accomplish the Lord's work came into vogue.

All in all one can not say the church has not been in a healthy state for most of US history. It's been a long downhill slide away from Christ since colonial days and over time the number and effectiveness of the faithful has diminished to where we are today.

[ZULU]

Christians are loosing America for the same reason that Americans are loosing America.

We have allowed extreme, fanatical left-wing elements to monopolize all the major mainstream media, the public school systems and the universities, colleges and entertainment media.

ALL of these elements are capable of propagandizing the minds of the public, especially the young. They produce the attorneys who become the judges and lawyers who, in large part make our laws and constitute our courts.

Unless we become a LESS TOLERANT society, a society which refuses to allow leftists to restructure our nation, this trend will continue.

When was the last time you saw an army of protestors in the street protesting abortions, unconstitutional gun laws, wacko court decisions, or insane school policies? Conservatives are, by their very nature, not proactive and demonstrative. They don't exercise "civil disobedience" to insane laws.

The left has no qualms about disobeying laws they deem inappropriate, defying authority, massing in the streets, monopolizing the media, seizing control of the schools, etc., etc.

[american spirit]

Obviously, there have been numerous contributing factors to the decline of Christianity but without a doubt the number one reason is the fact that the vast majority of churches have acquired the 501-C3 status from the IRS in order to obtain certain tax exemptions and benefits. In making this proverbial "deal with the devil" churches forfeit their sovereignty because they in effect, become corporations (or artificial entities that have no soul) subject to the dictates of the corresponding IRS regulations.

These regulations are so strict that pastors are effectively muzzled from criticizing fedgov "policies" in any of their sermons, which is why we don't see the fire and brimstone from the pulpit any more. There are no major public condemnations of homosexuality, earth worship, abortion, etc. from the thousands of preachers we have in this country, all we seem to see these days are the milquestoast laden "series of messages" from those supposed church leaders who've become odorless, colorless and tasteless in their quest "not to offend anyone". By using this philosphy, these pastors have effectively removed themselves and their congregations from the battle vs. the demonic, humanistic and socialistic forces the pervade the media, academia and political structures of this country. I highly suggest that these pastors and church elders remind themeselves that they canot serve two masters.

[Caleb1411]

BTTT