Christianity And The Future Of Civilization

Christianity and the Future of Civilization

Thank you for listening to GodNAmerica’s weekday podcast. My name is Perry Greene, I am your host. You may find us at GodNAmerica.com for more information and resources.

William J. Federer is one of my favorite Christian historians. He is not only an extremely intelligent man (some refer to him as the “Walking Encyclopedia”) but he is a good man. When I was organizing my GodNAmerica ministry he gave me a lot of helpful advice and encouragement. His writings are relevant to the times we live in, so I try to read as much of his material as I can and make current applications.

You can find his many books at americanminute.com. I highly recommend that you buy his books and subscribe to his emails. Now, this is not a commercial for Bill Federer but a starting point for today. I read an article he recently sent out that struck a chord with me and I wanted to give you the source that stimulated today’s podcast.

President William Taft spoke at a missionary conference in 1908 and said:

"No man can study the movement of modern civilization from an impartial standpoint, and not realize that Christianity and the spread of Christianity are the basis of hope of modern civilization in the growth of popular self-government. The spirit of Christianity is pure democracy. It is equality of man before God - the equality of man before the law, which is, as I understand it, the most God-like manifestation that man has been able to make.”

I think it quite interesting that a President was invited to speak at such a conference. It is also interesting in light of so many of our modern Presidents that he would go. When Barack Obama spoke at Notre Dame University, for instance, Christian symbols were covered up so as not to offend. Most of our Presidents were at least friendly to Christianity, if not fully committed to Christ. Not today. This shows yet again how much the foundations of our country have eroded while we Christians slept.

Taft made a great point. Christianity is the reason that civilization had developed as it had. It was not paganism that cultivated a heart for the needy, paganism in all of its forms displays the power of the strong over the weak. Just like Pharaoh in Egypt enslaving and abusing the Hebrews, pagans have always intended a tyrannical form of government. It is the “Might Makes Right!” philosophy.

I’ve told you before that I am not a Woodrow Wilson fan, but in an address in 1923 he nailed the truth about America. He said, in part:

“. . . We call ours a Christian civilization, a Christian conception of justice ... Our civilization cannot survive materially unless it be redeemed spiritually. It can be saved only by becoming permeated with the spirit of Christ and being made free and happy by the

practices which spring out of that spirit."

As you see our God-given liberties slipping away you might ask, “What can I do about it? I feel so helpless.” The greatest thing you can do is reestablish the foundation of your life with Jesus Christ. Remember, He said that if we build our lives on His words, we are like the wise man who built his house on the rock. When the storms came, his house stood (Matthew 7:24-27).

If each one of us would establish ourselves on the word of God a number of things would happen. First, we would be relying on the presence and power of God instead of our own wisdom and strength – just like our Founders. In that kind of trust we find a “peace that passes understanding” (Philippians 4:7).

When you were a child that you did you worry from day to day whether or not your parents would provide for you? I know there are exceptions to this, but most likely you had the things you needed to live and in some cases even some luxury items. You trusted your parents. Is that not the way we can trust God when we build our lives on Him and His words?

A second thing that happens when we build our lives on God and His Son is that we become aware of the falsehoods that may be presented to us. I read some time ago that people who have to deal with counterfeit money do not look at all of the forms of phony bills. Rather, they study true currency in detail. When they come across a fake bill, they know it because it does not fit the template of a true one.

When you base your life on the word of God you have all you need to discern truth. That truth may be in regard to the teachings of God or it may be in regard to what we see on the evening news. When we have a biblical worldview, we can discern when things do not line up. But again, it begins with our trust in God and the realization that He tells us the truth.