{"id":262,"date":"2015-06-16T14:00:20","date_gmt":"2015-06-16T14:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/?p=262"},"modified":"2015-05-28T18:49:39","modified_gmt":"2015-05-28T18:49:39","slug":"responding-to-americas-moral-decline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/responding-to-americas-moral-decline\/","title":{"rendered":"Responding to America’s Moral Decline"},"content":{"rendered":"

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by\u00a0Tim Salley<\/a><\/p>\n

I have lived and worked as a cross-cultural minister outside of my home country, America, for almost 80% of the last 15 years.\u00a0 I have been immersed in many cultures and traditions that are not my own.\u00a0 I have met and befriended Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists.\u00a0 I have eaten a variety of new foods.\u00a0 I have learned a few new languages. I have lived in emerging democracies and in free market socialist countries.\u00a0 Although I remain an American citizen and still hold a USA passport, these life and work experiences outside of my home country have truly given me a different perspective of the world and America\u2019s place in it.<\/p>\n

I am currently in the middle of a one year stay in America.\u00a0 Staying in the USA during this time has been very interesting & enlightening.\u00a0 Many conversations I have had with most folks here have centered on the topic of the moral decline in America.\u00a0 I hear many complaints about all the bad things that are happening (i.e., gay marriage, drug legalization, illegal immigration, Obamacare, etc.).\u00a0 Most of the people I have spoken with would be considered conservative Christians.\u00a0 Most usually people speak of how things were in the “good ole days”, when America was truly a Christian nation.<\/p>\n

Before my life as a cross-cultural minister, I would have been considered a right-wing conservative; a member of the Republican Party, the Christian coalition and the Pro-life movement.\u00a0 I held leadership posts at the grass-roots levels of all these organizations.\u00a0 I was a constant watcher of Fox News and daily listener of Rush Limbaugh.\u00a0 However, over the years, I have become less comfortable with certain aspects of these movements.\u00a0 I also find myself more capable of having conversations with people that don\u2019t view the world the same way as I do.\u00a0 I have also realized that praying for leaders, instead of defaming and cursing them, is what the Lord has required of me as a follower of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

During this current stay in America, I find myself very disturbed as I listen to good Christian people talk about the moral decline in America.\u00a0 I usually hear fear and hatred in their conversation.\u00a0 I usually don\u2019t hear much about hope and a good future.\u00a0 I have begun to grieve and have begun to ask God why my fellow believers in Christ are reacting in this fashion.\u00a0 I think I have just heard God\u2019s answer.<\/p>\n

God\u2019s answer to America\u2019s moral decline is simple; \u201cIf my people, who are called by my name,\u00a0will humble\u00a0themselves and pray and seek my face\u00a0and turn\u00a0from their wicked ways, then I will hear\u00a0from heaven, and I will forgive\u00a0their sin and will heal\u00a0their land.\u201d\u00a0 (2 Chronicles 7:14)<\/p>\n

Being involved in the political process is necessary. Preaching great sermons on Biblical and moral principles is necessary.\u00a0 Standing up for the Truth is necessary.\u00a0 All these things and many other godly actions are all necessary.\u00a0 But there will be no halting, or reversing, of the moral decline in America without true humility & prayer, the true seeking of God, and true repentance of sin by God\u2019s people!\u00a0 Plain and simple!<\/p>\n

What would happen if the next time I wanted to moan, grumble and complain about America\u2019s moral decline, I would instead, with true humility & prayer, seek God and repent of my sins?\u00a0 I honestly can\u2019t wait for those that I have identified as the perpetrators of America\u2019s moral decline to repent.\u00a0 They are spiritually and morally bankrupt at this point.\u00a0 I must take the lead, I must seek God and I must repent of my sins!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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What would happen if the next time God\u2019s people wanted to moan, grumble and complain about America\u2019s moral decline, God\u2019s people would instead, with true humility & prayer, seek God and repent of their sins?\u00a0 God\u2019s people honestly can\u2019t wait for those that they have identified as the perpetrators of America\u2019s moral decline to repent.\u00a0 They are spiritually and morally bankrupt at this point.\u00a0 God\u2019s people must take the lead, God\u2019s people must seek God and God\u2019s people must repent of their sins!<\/p>\n

What are we all really waiting for?\u00a0 The solution to America\u2019s moral decline is in our hearts.\u00a0 We really do not have anything to lose when we humble ourselves before God, seek His face and turn from our wicked ways.\u00a0 All we have to gain is a revived Church and a mighty, great awakening that will spread like wild-fire from sea to shining sea!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  by\u00a0Tim Salley I have lived and worked as a cross-cultural minister outside of my home country, America, for almost 80% of the last 15 years.\u00a0 I have been immersed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-262","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world-missions","7":"entry"},"title_es":"","content_es":"","author_name":"","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pb62Ar-4e","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=262"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iphc.org\/missions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=262"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}