TURNING
POINT: JUNE 17, 1963
by Edward Wood
On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee of Virginia moved "that these
united colonies are and of right ought to be free and independent
states." The resolution was adopted on July 2, and the Declaration of
Independence was approved on July 4.
Most of the signers had seminary degrees and this influence is
strongly reflected in the first two paragraphs of the document in which
the reality of God as Creator is clearly acknowledged. Defying the odds
and beginning with a rag-tag militia, the colonies, with the help of
France, goes on to win its freedom over what was then perhaps the
greatest military power on Earth.
It was this enduring belief in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
Father of Jesus of Nazareth that I believe made America the greatest
nation in the history of civilization. this is not to say we were
perfect. The injustices perpetrated on North America's original
inhabitants, the perpetuation of the enslavement of other human beings,
the denial of the right to vote for women still taints our history. But
we learned from these mistakes and made moves to correct them - albeit
some are still a work in progress.
Our willingness to step up and sacrifice ourselves to stop aggression
and totalitarianism abroad have been legendary. The advances in living
standards and technology this country has made has been no less than
spectacular.
Then something went terribly wrong.
On June 17, 1963 by an 8-1 vote, the Supreme court effectively kicked
God out of our schools. Worse than this outrage was the placidity of
most of the Christians in this country to allow this to stand for almost
50 years with
no significant challenge.
Within five months President Kennedy was gunned down in Dallas. The
succeeding years of this decade were marked by the assassinations of
Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., the deepening and divisive
involvement in Viet Nam, the expansion of the drug culture, "free love,"
and the general loss of the innocence and optimism of our society.
I think it's safe to say that we never really recovered from the
1960's.
On January 22, 1973, by a vote of 7-2 Roe v. Wade prevented states
from restricting abortions within the first three months of life, or
banning it for the second trimester.
So, let's see where we've ended up since then.
Instead of the Lord's Prayer, our schools now hand out condoms, have
full time police patrolling the halls, and are increasingly bringing in
a homosexual-friendly agenda into even the earliest grades.
Instead of families consisting of a mother, father, and children, over
half of them are now single-parent and a growing number of families are
composed of homosexual or lesbian partners.
Even in "traditional" families, Mom and Dad are schlepping off the
upbringing of their infant children to strangers (day care). Later on
some of these absentee parents express complete surprise that their kid
is using drugs . . . or planning, and sometimes succeeding, to carry out
terrorist acts.
Four thousand of the unborn who had no voice or choice in their
conception are terminated in what is euphemisticallty called a
"procedure" every day.
As I write, America has willingly abandoned our leadership
technologically, economically, and, as we have seen, morally as well.
We look in confusion at the converging of economic, political,
religious, and even natural events enveloped in a turmoil that seems to
be swallowing up not only the world, but now coming home in earnest to
the United States and wonder why.
Though the passage below was specifically directed toward the
Israelites as they headed for the Promised Land and the specifics
regarding the Jordan and "graven images" (idolatry) differ, perhaps it
still gives insight into why America has ended up where it is today and
what its future will be if its present course continues to be followed:
When thou shalt beget children, and children's children, and ye shall
have remained long in the land, and shall corrupt yourselves, and make a
graven image, or the likeness of anything, and shall do evil in the
sight of the Lord thy God to provoke him to anger. I call upon heaven
and Earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall utterly perish
from off the land whereunto ye go over the Jordan to possess it: ye
shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall be utterly destroyed.
Deuteronomy 4:25-26
In the end we know God will make things right for those who believe
and trust in Jesus. But when we stand before him as we all one day will,
what account will we give of our stewardship and witness of his Word
when it really counted?