In late February, I wrote my tribute to Christian music singer Carman Licciardello. One of his best-known songs, was the one he collaborated with another Christian artist by the name of Steve Camp. Their theology and apologetics were miles apart but they agreed on a few things. One, that America was in trouble, even with the Jesus Movement in the 1970’s and Ronald Reagan in the oval office in the 1980’s. Second, the whole world was in trouble. Third while the Jesus Movement helped, a greater revival was and still is needed. Camp and Carmen worked together on a song that what would become a Contemporary Christian Music radio hit for Carmen titled Revive us Oh Lord. Here are the first two verses.
1. We've turned from Your ways
Lord Your fruit we've ceased to bear
We lack the power we once knew in our prayers
2. That gentle voice from heaven
We cease to hear and know
The fact that He has risen
No longer stirs our souls
I admit that I am not the Christian that I should be, but I do know a few things. The apostacy in the 21st Century is still growing, and more people are not attending church like they used to. Now 1 Timothy 4: 1-2 warns that in the later times that some shall depart from the faith and give heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. 2 Timothy 4:3 also warns believers that people will not heed sound doctrine but have itching ears and seek teachers that will complement their personal greed and lust…and tell them what they want to hear.
We have seen the alternative faiths’ grow rapidly in the 20th Century. Ranging from the Later Day Saints, to Jehovah’s Witness, Scientology, Christian Science, just to name a few. I do have issues with Marianism in the Roman Catholic Church, especially the repetitive rosary prayers to Mary who gave birth to Jesus but was a sinner as you and me are. It was her role to give birth to Jesus, but that does not make her the Mother of God. She is the Mother of Jesus, and only Jesus. God the Father created Mary. I don’t hate the Catholics or other people of faiths, especially when they are needed as allies…I will explain that in a moment. Still, we always had other faiths competing with genuine Christianity even from within Christianity itself.
Our founders while not all were genuine Christians, understood the need for Church/State Separation. The intent was not a specific church to take control of the government make their theology and understanding of Christianity the official stance of the state. It allowed the church and its pastors the freedom of speech to preach and teach the messages they feel its congregations needed to hear and if necessary, take certain actions in the greater macro culture. As conservatives we understand the need for allies in the fight. Those allies might be LDS, Catholic, various mainstream protestants, evangelical, Anglican/Episcopal just to name a few. There may be those who don’t hold to any Christian faith or no faith at all, but all the above understand more/less what the likes of James Madison and George Washington said regarding common sense principles that indeed come out of the Holy Bible. Madison understood long before Ronald Reagan that the Ten Commandments were just that. Commandments and not suggestions…that in spite of Reagan’s own short comings…and his son’s falling away from the faith altogether. "We've staked our future on our ability to fallow The Ten Commandments with all our heart"
Washington warned; "You can't have National morality apart from religious principle.” Sadly, the late William Edelen claimed that the Commandments of God were part of a Hebrew Cult to justify the means. Edelen goes to claim that all we need other than the Constitution and the Bill of Rights (which people like Edelen twist to justify their own means) is your own innate, humane, moral and ethical sensibilities and sensitivities today as to what is just, good and right. What Edelen has promoted is something called Situational Ethics which in the long run has proven unreliable unlike the Ten Commandments…regardless if any sin Moses and his Hebrew Cult so-called have done. Still, it basically allows people to trust their feelings to decide what is right and wrong rather than the Law of God. Edelen took those who followed his teachings and took them down a confusion patch of switch backs that eventually leads to a real Hell. One more time, you can’t have National Morality separate from a religious principle and its common sense and disciplines.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation and their allies are overjoyed in the rise of non-belief. It only helps them forward their cause of a world in which they think that people were outgrown the old believes and embrace a new age of enlightenment. In reality it will be another failed empire or worse a successful authoritarian country of the moment in which its leaders take the place of God as it was done in the Soviet Union and currently in Red China and North Korea. That is how America will become a full-blown Marxist nation of some sort. Look at the people these freethinkers admire, many of them were authoritarians, anarchists, God-Haters who would kill the Creator if they could, perverts, and of course…Progressives, Liberals…really Leftists and if they have no shame..Marxists.
Never less; quoting the third verse of Carmen’s hit song;
Though we've been unfaithful
We've never been disowned
The Spirit that raised Christ from the dead
Compels us to His throne
Our country sadly has become a war zone of ideals. People that are lost and feel that there is nothing but hopeless for them take up arms and riot on the streets. They may also turn to drugs, easy sex, and other pleasures of the flesh which are only temporary and only help the Self and nobody else. This discipline of Judeo-Christianity is to die to Self, and Serve Other People…that includes getting married, having and raising children and starting, building and watching out for your family. The only people that benefit from this chaos are those who have helped create it, or promote it, are well off themselves, partake in the wickedness and enjoy, and feel they don’t need to repent and change their ways. They don’t feel the pain or the negative effects of the consequences they promoted. Dare I say that many of these so-called freethinkers are mentally disturbed and dysfunctional in one degree or another and not limited to being a psychopath and/or a sociopath.
They know that a PaganHumanistSecular worldview that dominates the culture will allow for them to justify their wicked ways and encourage more people to either accept or worse, partake in their evil. They love abortion (preborn baby murder), and they love the LGBTQ wanting minority status and other sexual perversions on top of that. A cross offends them, and people dancing naked in the street…that is fine in dandy not to mention it makes them feel good all over their physical bodies…and if it feels good, then it is good. It only justifies their own total depravity and their enjoyment of it. But that depravity coupled with the allowance of our enemies on the outside (and inside as well) only spells doom for any nation, and God’s own judgement upon it eventually. Banning God from the public square and embracing situational ethics to usher in something better will not make it so. It is only calling for more misery, fear, hate, and chaos, and (one more time) God’s judgement, for these same people will mock God in order to justify their short-sided visions.
It does not have to be this way. People who call themselves Christians can come to God’s alter and realize that they were not disowned and that they as a people have to power to turn course. God then can forgive his people and heal their land (II Chronicles 7:14). This is the needed revival America needs. Now here is the chorus/prayer written by Carman and Steve Camp.
Revive us O Lord (X2)
And cleanse us from our impurities
And make us holy
Hear our cry and revive us O Lord
Yes Lord, Revive Us Indeed, cause only a Revival now will save America…nothing else will.
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