As we approach the midpoint of 2022, there are many disconcerting trends that are troubling our nation. Skyrocketing inflation and energy costs are hurting all but the very wealthy. The wave of violence and crime continues to afflict particularly large urban areas but is being felt everywhere. Moral decay persistently tears at the fabric of human society as we drift further from the patterns ordained by the Creator. Weakened families are failing to provide stable environments in which children may be established to provide sound, courageous leadership for future generations.
At the root of these degenerative patterns is a waning
national conviction of the existence of God.
Gallop’s poll conducted in May 2022 reveals the lowest percentage of
Americans expressing belief in God ever recorded. This year 81% of people surveyed answered
that they believe in God – down six percentage points from the 87% who
expressed their belief in God in the 2017 poll.
When this question was first asked in 1944, and twice
annually through the 1950s and 1960s, consistently 98% of respondents indicated
their belief in God. By 2011 the
percentage had dropped to 92%. So, over
the past decade, the pattern of disbelief has fallen over 10 percentage
points.
When nearly 20% of the population refuses to acknowledge
that there is a God to whom they are ultimately accountable, such disbelief
will inevitably affect human behavior and social trends in a negative way. Some of those degenerative patterns were
noted earlier.
Indeed, most Americans understand that all is not well. A Gallop poll released on June 15th
indicated that half of Americans rate the overall state of moral values in the
US as “poor.” Another 37% rated morals
as “only fair.” Not surprisingly, these
are the worst ratings received in the 20 years that Gallop has been asking the
question.
Our task as God-fearing followers of Christ is to ensure
that our lives daily reflect the conviction that there is a God in heaven who
rules in the affairs of men. Scripture
declares that only a fool tells himself that there is no God. In our time we see many highly educated
people living as fools.
If there is hope for America, it will be found in a renewed
commitment to our national Pledge of Allegiance which affirms that we are “one
nation, under God.” Whether as
individuals, or as a nation, living as if there is no God will lead inevitably
to devastating consequences such as we are witnessing in these perilous
times.
As we celebrate Independence Day, let us pray that the God
of mercy will send revival and renewal across our troubled land.
