Basic HTML Version
balance to their families and com–
munities.
" But outside the evangelical and
fundamentali st communities, that
help never arrived. ... Oh sure, the
church doors are open every Sunday.
But unhappily for those who enter,
mucb contemporary American the–
ology has come to be based in this
period on a kind of dainty religious
mush that has more in common with
the sentiments of Rod McKuen and
John Lennon than the precepts of
Isaiah or S
t.
John."
An insightful editorial, indeed.
One can be sure there have been,
of late, precious few sermons based
upon the admonitions contained in
the first few chapters of the book of
Isaiah.
If
God's warnings contained in
this prophecy had been believed and
preached, there would have been, for
example, thundering condemnations
from the pulpits of the "new morali–
ty" of the "gay rights" movement.
Instead, sorne denominations have
chosen to justify homosexuality,
overlooking that God bluntly refers
to today's America and much of
Western Eurape as " you people of
Gomorrah" and our leaders as being
" rulers of Sodom" (Isa. 1: 1
O,
Revised A u thorized Ve r sion
throughout).
Too strong? Then think of this:
The United States Conference of
Mayors recently approved of a res–
olution recommending that "alllev–
els of government adopt legal pro–
tections for the rights of gay and
lesbian Americans."
One very significant result of the
November U.S. elections was the
emergence of the first city govern–
ment dominated by openly gay pol–
iticians. Three of the five council–
men of tbe new city of West Holly–
wood, California, proclaimed that
their election was a victory for
homosexuals across the nation.
Tbe United States, at the
moment , is experiencing an up–
surge in national pride and confi–
dence. But this is largely superfi–
cial, fueled primarily by economic
optimism.
The fact is, contemporary U.S.
society is fundamentally sick "from
the sale of the foot even to the head
[with] wounds and bruises and
putrefying sores" (Isa. 1:6). But
there is no one to bind up these
February 1985
afflictions, which are moral and
spiritual in nature (verse 7).
God takes the "shepherds of
Israel" - the self-appointed modern
ministers of the land- to task
because "the weak you have not
strengthened, nor have you healed
those wbo were sick" (Ezek. 34:2,
4).
"Who can heal you?" God asks
in Lamentations 2:13. Apparently
not most of the spiritual guides of
today.
"Your prophets have seen for
you false and deceptive visions,"
God thunders. "They have not
uncovered your iniquity"-exposed
sinful practices to the light of
God's Word (verse 14).
The false shepherds have not
done as God's true servants have
done in this age: "Cry aloud, spare
not; lift up your voice like a trum–
pet; tell My people their transgres–
sion, and the house of Jacob their
sins" ( Isa. 58: 1).
The result of this spiritual inat-
described as secular) have grown
vocal enough and strong enough
to ... persuade the courts to con–
forro to their view.. . .
" The net effect was to drive
acknowledgment of God's existence
almost totally out of the collective
life of the American society- a
development, as sorne noted, that
carne close to making atheism our
state religion by default."
Lost Links to History
Americans are losing sight of their
roots, as it is commonly expressed
today; roots based upon spiri tual
and moral values, as preserved in
the family unit.
Last January, an important
speech was delivered at tbe Sbava–
no Institute for National Leader–
ship, at Hillsdale College, Hills–
dale, M ichigan. It . was given by
Allan C. Carlson, executive vice
president of the Rockford Institute.
It was entitled "Our National Self–
Confidence: Understanding Its De-
(}ayGks!JiarJ
JlELIGIDUs
CIJALITION
In the United States, homosexuals are demanding full legal
recognition. They are acquiring political power and are receiving tolerance from
organized religion and the media.
tention, writes William Rusher,
publisher of
National Review,
is
that the United States has become,
in the public, collective sector, vir–
tually an atheistic society by
defaul t. He wrote in a March 23,
1984, syndicated column:
"It is only in recent decades that
atheist views (often more gently
cline and Supporting Its Renewal."
Dr. Carlson's address was reprinted
in the March 15, 1984, issue of
Vital Speeches of the Day.
In his address Dr. Carlson traced
the development of the nation's val–
ues anq how they have been under
incessant attack in recent times.
There is little question, he noted,
3