While the People Are Virtuous

The following text came to me yesterday from a fellow missions leader:

“Hi, Ron. Besides voting, which doesn’t seem to do much good, is there anything else that can be done to slow down the runaway circus of government? It’s getting quite serious!”

I gave him my answer, which I’ll share later.

In today’s article, I had already planned to discuss this problem from an unusual angle.

What angle?

We the People–and our desperate need for a renewal of virtue.

While the People are Virtuous

You rarely hear the word virtue these days because few know its meaning and less practice it in their lives.

Yet, we live in an era that has my friend and others throwing up their arms in concern over what many government leaders are pushing. Especially progressives–some of whom would like to be president.

Forgive me for being blunt, but it appears that most planks in the current Democrat policy book either minimize or destroy Judeo-Christian principles and the fruit they produced in our nation and world.

We are on the “Eve of Destruction”– to use Barry McGuire’s lyric–if these leaders get their hands of the levers of power.

A few of the problematic areas:

• Socialism – Being championed by Bernie Sanders who honeymooned in the USSR, and embraced by numerous Democrat presidential contenders. Socialism is government control–usually at gunpoint. It destroyed the Soviet Union, North Korea, Cuba, and is currently crushing Venezuela before our eyes. Are these politicians nuts? Socialism remains a utopian fiction that has never worked anywhere. It makes elites rich and everybody else poor.
• Medicare for All – Pushed by Sanders, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and others. Would you really enjoy your doctor’s office at the post office with the same level of service and 32 trillion dollars in cost? Socialized medicine would take away your doctor, cause long lines and waits, ration services, and lead to an implosion of research and life-saving cures.
• Green New Deal – Probably the dumbest idea ever presented to Congress by freshman congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. AOC is a hypocrite who flies on jets and uses SUVs like Kleenex, yet wants to do away with planes, cars, farting cows, and middle class prosperity. She almost single-handedly caused New York City to lose 25,000 jobs and billions in revenues by scaring Amazon out of town. WA governor Jay Inslee says this is about “moral character,” not climate change. Nonsense. It’s a power grab–regardless of motivation.
• Reparations for Slavery – Senators Harris and Warren  recommend compensation to the descendants of enslaved people in the U. S. Where do you draw the line? Half-black, quarter black, “look black” etc. What about Indians? How about persecuted white minorities like Catholics and the Irish? (Hey–if we’re doing this, my German ancestors were slaves to the Visigoths. Can I petition Angela Merkel?) You can’t correct the past by penalizing the present. You can create a fair playing field for everyone’s future.
• Birthday Abortion/Infanticide – Made infamous recently by New York’s new infanticide bill, comments by Dem. Gov. Ralph Northam, and most Dem senators who callously voted against the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. Democrats believe babies are human when they say so–making them the new-Nazis of the 21st century.
• Open Borders – It’s hard to believe an entire political party is fighting against the safety and security of U.S. citizens–which would be greatly helped through building a southern wall (border). Dems don’t want security, just votes. How selfish.
• Gender/Sexual Chaos – Progressives led the sexual revolution of the past seventy years which hurt the nuclear family, altered the institution of marriage, and more recently, creates “child abuse” through gender confusion for precious boys and girls.
• Drug Legalization – It appears to means nothing to progressives that 10-15% of Americans are addicted to alcohol. Let’s add another 10-15% addicted to pot, heroine, etc.! Since we’re running from God, let’s just get stoned.

These are a only a few of the crazy ideas being considered.

So, who’s really to blame?

I first fasted and prayed for spiritual awakening in America on April 30, 1974 while on outreach in Turkey (as recorded in my journal, which I’m currently transcribing for future books).

Not long after, I came across a quote about America’s survival as a nation. It doesn’t point to bad politicians or a biased media. Yes, they play a role–but only a reflective one.

Nations that choose their leaders (by voting rights), elect politicians who reflect their values–either good or bad. The chosen leaders mirror the attitudes and actions of the majority of the voters.

With that in mind, here’s the prophetic quote from founding father Samuel Adams:

“A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader… If virtue and knowledge are diffused among the people, they will never be enslaved. This will be their security.”

“While the people are virtuous…”

Sam Adams knew, that freedom in a culture can only be sustained through self-government or virtue. Chaste hearts and lives open our eyes to truth. Sexual deviancy perverts our thinking and makes us susceptible to falsehoods–on many fronts.

Virtue and knowledge = liberty. Immorality and ignorance bring bondage (via government controls and tyrants).

My friend, Bill Burtness, wrote a powerful book on this subject entitled The Third Alternative: Christian Self-Government – (Freedom Without Anarchy, Order Without Tyranny, Peace and Prosperity).

Read it.

He explains there must always be control in human governments because people are fallen–and need restraints. Democracy concentrates power in mob rule (Ex: French Revolution). Monarchies or dictatorships govern through powerful people (Ex. King George III of England).

The “third alternative” was the 4000 year leap–the genius of America’s founding fathers. They centered power in a virtuous and knowledgeable people who governed themselves by the “Ten Commandments of God” (James Madison).

To stay free, as Sam Adams prophesied, the American people must renew their virtue in each generation.

Noah Webster defined “virtue” in 1828:

“Moral goodness; the practice of moral duties and abstaining from vice, or  a conformity of life and conversation to the moral law. The practice of moral duties from sincere love to God and his laws is virtue and religion.  A particular moral excellence; as the virtue of temperance, of chastity, of charity. ‘Virtue is nothing but voluntary obedience to truth.’ – Dwight.”

Virtue looks to God and his principles of right living, and shows itself in sexual purity,marriage fidelity and a host of other fruits of the Spirit (Ephesians 5:22,23).

America built her heritage on this third way and prospered as no other nation in history. Today, our sexual debauchery, biblical ignorance, secular propaganda, and many other sins make us susceptible to both internal invaders (progressives?) and external ones (China or Russia?).

Bill O’Reilly opines that 25% of Americans don’t even want to work  (and desire a socialist tyrant to “take care” of them). That shows lack of virtue.

Robert Knight published an article this week discussing socialism/Marxism/communism. He says:

“Engels, who, like Marx, was a first-rate cad, wrote glowingly of extra-marital sex as a liberating experience. The sexual revolution was part and parcel of socialist thought in the 19th century, just as it’s a driving force in the Democratic Party today, which pushes LGBTQ sexual anarchy and abortion up to the moment of birth – and beyond.”

Depraved morals causing spiritual blindness lead to many problems in life. Conversely, virtuous hearts and enlightened minds produce just and flourishing societies.

The current poster child for American tyranny is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Marxist/socialist, who lives with her boyfriend. Reject her lifestyle and thinking, but pray for her salvation.

What did I tell my missions friend about our current culture war?

“Pray much, evangelize the open, and disciple the willing. We need a new generational spiritual awakening.”

Politicians aren’t the main problem.

WE ARE.

We need a Heaven-sent revival of virtue,

Because, while the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued.