Christians, It’s Time To Get With It

Walk with me for a second through history. I know, I know, some of you hate history but quit your eye-rolling and walk with me. 😉

The Roman Empire. At its peak, it was unstoppable. While no civilization is perfect, the Roman Empire had a lot going its way: It was wealthy, it was strong militarily, it was advanced, they had a somewhat balanced form of government, and they valued a lot of virtues that we, as Christians, value, such as courage and honor.

We all know the story, though. The Roman Empire is gone; we visit its ruins. As the all too familiar story of human beings will go, Rome fell into corruption and misery. There were some decent leaders, but for the most part, Rome was more often than not ruled by power-hungry, wildly flawed men. Even the so-called “Good Emperors” enacted widespread persecutions of Christians and entertained the masses with the bloody gladiator games. But, make no mistake, it was the people that went to be entertained by the “games.”

Once Rome started its downward fall, each new emperor thought that he could be the one to right the ship. None were able to do so and eventually, the Roman Empire became just something that we read about in history books.

There is so much to be learned from this time.

The Romans believed their Caesars to be gods and they worshipped them. I’ve seen the temples and altars to Trajan and Domitian here in Turkey. The Caesars were expected to bring about a healthy and robust Empire, but the problem was, was that moral decay had entered the Roman Empire and it needed more than a mere man to eradicate the disease.

Now that we’ve walked back in history, walk forward with me, will you?

We just went through a brutal election. One side is cheering, one side is still trying to find a way to win.

No matter the results, I’m uneasy either way.

America is not God’s Chosen Nation. It’s founding principles and documents are good, right, and noble, but Christ came for all people and all nations. He does not appoint kings to rule His Chosen People anymore. That is not to say that God doesn’t allow those that are in authority to be there, but there is too much talk about the president being “anointed” or the “messiah.” I’ve heard plenty of people talk about how Trump is “anointed” by God. I heard plenty of people talk about Barack Obama as the “messiah.”

Now, God can work with any president we elect and make him worthy of the office, but that is only if that person cooperates with God’s grace. He has to want to be a better person for his country and for God. God does not force Himself on anyone.

However…

There is no president that is going to save us. Biden is not going to right our ship. A man that supports and believes in the murdering of unborn babies is NOT going to raise our country to new moral heights. I think it is important to note that every great empire or country that has ever been, has declined with the blood of innocents on their hands. You cannot be great when you devalue a certain group of humans. Rome looked down upon Christians and slaughtered them by the thousands. They, also, forced slaves and captives to fight to the death for entertainment. The disease of human sacrifice–whether that be for convenience, fear, entertainment, or punishment–will wrap its tentacles around the heart of any country and eventually destroy it.

But, Trump was not going to right our ship either. Trump is not capable of stopping the cancer of our country all on his own. He’s had four years and we are still very, very sick. The best he can do is staunch the bleeding, but it’s a dirty rag full of bacteria and dirt. It won’t hold for long, nor will it make us healthy. While Trump has done some good things for the pro-life movement, his character lacks integrity and a level of humility that is needed to be a truly great man or a great president. I know that some people like his non-political schtick but there is a way to do it without coming off like a pompous jerk 95% of the time. I wish that all the Trump supporters would have offered Trump constructive criticism instead of defending all his bad behavior. If you truly care about someone you want them to get better, not just settle for the status quo. I wish we could have set a higher bar for the man and helped him to reach it rather than setting a low bar because people liked how he “gave it to the other side” or because there was a fear that criticism looked like the the Right was siding with the liberal media.

No matter who is in the White House, though, the disease affecting our country is not going away. The disease is our fault. It is all our fault. You can blame the government for this law and for Roe Vs. Wade and whatnot, but the truth is, is that we, the people, went out and took Roe up on what it had to offer. Collectively, we could have rejected it and it could just be some forgotten law that collects dust. The fact that so many have embraced it shows the state of our hearts and moral health.

As a conservative Independent, I have been listening to Christians on the Right complain about how God has been taken out of everything. There is much whining and moaning about this and, yet, these same Christians do not make time for church or Mass on Sundays. Sports are more important than The Lord’s Day. All forms of sin are tolerated because there is a fear of being called big meaner names by the Left. If God is not a priority in your own life, why would the government ever make it one?

I have been listening to people on the Left moan and groan about all the Richey-Riches in America. “Oh the evil rich this, oh the evil rich that.” Give me a break. Many of your high-level Democrat politicians are millionaires with two or three homes. Hollywood, if I’m not mistaken, is full of wealthy entertainers who don’t mind their big bucks, but scorn those of businesspeople. I heard someone the other day say that it is pathetic that someone can enter into politics and come out wildly more wealthy than when they went in. And these are the folks that are gonna make everything fair and equal. Suuurrrre.

Christians, it’s time. It’s been time for a long time. We’ve sat around like toads on a log just staring at the stream as it swiftly passes us by. Our country is in moral decay, it has been for a while. No politician or political party is going to save us. Those are just the facts. Secularism has nothing to offer us. No man-made government is going to save the day.

The only way America’s ship gets righted is by us through Christ. We have to stop being scared to speak truth. We may get censored, we may be ridiculed, who cares? We have to stop playing this patty-cake sugary sweet Christian position. We don’t need to be loud, arrogant jerks, but Jesus wasn’t tolerate of everything. I’m sorry, but He just wasn’t. We can be confident, well-informed, and charitable people while still holding up our hand to all the nonsense being shoveled our way.

Most of all, we have to stop being the silent majority. Why? Why are we doing this? What are we saving up for? Being a “heard” majority doesn’t mean we have to do things the way that liberal media does things. We don’t have to scream, threaten, lie, or be belligerent. The problem with us being silent is that it’s led to millions of people believing that others believe just like them in their irrational, illogical, false beliefs. It’s led to college students not hearing an opposing view in class.

Most of all, we have got to live out our faith 7/24/365. When our Christianity looks not much different than the culture, well, what are we offering? People are lost, lonely, confused, and hurting. They look around and nothing offers wisdom, truth, and joy, mostly because all the Christians are living lives that look like all the rest. We are meant to be a light, folks. We can’t be a light when our lives are as dark as the rest of them because we are Christian only in name.

As cheesy as it may be, this is my Monday morning, post-election rally call. It’s time. It’s time to have some courage to live as Christ intends us to live. It’s time to give up some things that make us feel good temporarily in order to bring about a greater good. It’s time to settle in for the long haul and be resolute. Changing hearts is going to be hard and take time. I know we are an instant gratification people but it’s time to pray for some fortitude. It’s time for us to stop idolizing candidates and giving them god-like powers.

If we don’t find a way to do this and we get lazy, scared, or indifferent, God will give us what we want. How many times in the Bible do we see people expressing to God that they would rather just do things without Him? Each and every time, God backs off and says, “Okay, have it your way.” It never bodes well–never.

I love my country too much to give up on her. We must call ourselves, Catholic Pilgrims, to a higher standard because that’s what we can control. We’ve lived at a low standard too long and we can and must do better. In fact, it should excite us that we are needed–Christ is needed. We are going to take some heat for it but I promise you, if we live the faith with passion and humility, it will attract those that are searching and that’s when hearts are changed.

You know what Rome’s problem was? The people were always looking to the Emperors to restore the Empire to glory. What the people failed to do is look at themselves and see where they could be better. They failed to see that the moral decay and loss of virtues were their problems. May God keep us from this same fate.