America: blessed by God?

Righteousness exalts a nation (Proverbs 14:34).

During the days of Britain’s greatest influence around the world, a chieftain from Africa came for an audience with the queen. He asked her what the secret of Britain’s greatness was. In response, the queen handed him an English translation of the Bible; she said, "Here is the secret of Britain’s greatness."

Today, Britain has no vast overseas empire. Is it a coincidence that in England, less than 8% of the population goes to church any more? A study of the decline in church attendance suggests that by the year 2030 there will no longer be Christian churches in England—the same England whose king, in the year 1611, authorized the publication of the much-beloved King James Version of the Bible.

In the Book of Judges, God shows us what happens to countries that abandon God; each time that the Israelites started ignoring the Lord, tragedy befell the nation—foreigners brought violence and death to the Israelites in their own country, in their own cities, in their own homes. Because the people had abandoned God, God stopped defending their nation from its enemies.
I fear that same future for America. We have allowed judges into positions of power who have legalized abortion and gay marriage, who have removed God from courthouses and schools. We have elected politicians who put money and personal power ahead of God-pleasing morality. Nation-wide, attendance at Christian worship services continues to shrink, while non-Christian groups like the Mormons, the Islamics, and followers of New Age mysticism gain members.

Look at our country today. Under constant fear of terrorist attack. A struggling economy. An educational system that has deteriorated to tenth place in the world. Washington D.C., our capitol, has the highest murder rate of any city in the nation. We are constantly facing the problem of prisons being overcrowded. America didn’t used to be like this. What has changed since the end of WWII, when our country was riding high? Could it be that God has stopped protecting us because as a nation we are increasingly abandoning Him?

I fear that it may be so.