One of the most comprehensive and revered books written about a particular period of history is, "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" by Henry Gibbons. In this book Gibbons charts the history of Rome and gives five reasons for her ultimate decline.
In view of what is happening today in America, a quick look at the general conclusions of this great historian would, I think, be beneficial. Here are the five reasons he sites.
1) The dramatic increase in divorce undermined the institution of the family.
2) The imposition of higher taxes undermined the economic stability. Taxes were raised to pay for government spending, to pay for food for all in society and to pay for government sponsored activities.
3) The drive for personal pleasure had become intense. At the very end sports had become brutal.
4) The people lost their faith both religiously and in the government. The efficient Roman government gave way to chaos and disintegration (On the positive side religiously paganism eventually gave way to Christianity)
5) Hidden conspirators were working within the government to secretly destroy it. They worked quietly and deceitfully. During the entire time they were dismantling the government of the Roman Empire, they proclaimed their unswerving support of it.
Does all of that sound familiar? You could write exactly the same things about America in 2009.
More than 150 years ago, French statesman, Alexis de Tocqueville, came to America looking for the secret of its greatness.
He wrote: "I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers and it was not there, in her fertile fields and boundless forests and it was not there, in her rich mines and her vast world commerce and it was not there, in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great."
Any greatness that America has as a nation is because of the blessings God has bestowed on her and her faithfulness to Him.
All of America’s great prosperity has come as a result of generations of people with a work ethic and integrity, directly related to their Christian faith. Pray that in these times of great apostasy and Godlessness in America, the church will rise up, inspired by and filled with the Holy Spirit and take back that which the Devil has stolen. We need revival, we need the Lord.
"Righteousness exalts a nation but sin is a disgrace to any people"
(Proverbs14:34)
Google
Facebook
Twitter
Myspace
Linkedin
Yahoo
Digg
Del.icoi.us
Windows Live
Furl
Reddit
Blogger
Technorati
Rain Concert
military significance for this country, but also a time when spiritually there was a strong faith in God and an adherence to his Word.