A New Era?

Robert L. Wichterman

Robert L. Wichterman is a freelance writer living in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

On September 11 we entered a new period in our history. War was declared, not only on America but also on the West. Now, God willing, we will come through this ordeal healthier than before.

We in the U.S. have become coarse, carnal and self-centered. Cal Thomas has labeled this malady,

Contented worldliness, in which nothing matters except . . . personal peace and affluence. In Dow-Jones we trust.

Most of our citizens have one: to “live the good life.” Though the interpretation varies, naturally, from person to person, rarely does the “good life” involve sacrifice, or service to and worship of God above self-gratification.

Yet, if the increase in attendance at churches and the enthusiastic singing of “God Bless America” are any indication, then there has been a softening of our anti-God attitude. Moreover, Americans have always turned to God for help and wisdom during periods of trouble. George Washington warned that

Reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in the exclusion of religious principles.

Our fourth President, James Madison, also recognized the necessity of a spiritual base:

We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not on the power of government, but upon the capacity of each and every one of us to govern ourselves, according to the Ten Commandments of God.

As God spoke to Israel through the prophets, He may now be speaking to us. In 1 Corinthians 10:11, Paul wrote,

These things [the turning away from God to immorality], happened to them [the Israelites] as examples, and were written down as warnings for us on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.

In Genesis 50:20, Joseph spoke to his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many.” Paraphrasing Romans 8:28, “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purposes.” Let us pray for the acceptance of God into our daily lives again, and that He will use the events of September 11 “. . . to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many.”

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in Washington shortly before the terrorist's attack to meet with some U.S. Senators. Speaking about the worldwide threat of terrorism, his message was prophetic. “What is at stake today,” he warned the committee,

. . . is nothing less than the survival of our civilization. . . . Our values are hated with an unmatched fanaticism that seeks to destroy our societies, and our way of life.

This is our challenge.

In 2 Corinthians 7:14, God told Solomon,

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Can America repent?