Have We Lost Our Way?

We have gone from sacrificing ourselves for the greater good and for future generations to sacrificing future generations for the sake of ourselves and for our own greater good.

The last sentence of the Declaration of Independence is a staggering one as we see just how important the aforementioned words were to those involved in the founding of our country. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. These men were willing to risk it all for the sake of generations to come. These men were willing to sacrifice their own lives for the lives of their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. This grand idea entrenched in a Biblical worldview of thinking has permeated this country since its founding. This sacrificial love for another and this willingness to give of oneself to secure the freedoms and future progress for your offspring and for your neighbors has always been a staple. But…has this staple finally run its course?

Now, we must realize that this others’ focused way of thinking was not an ideal created by the Founders. We know, as Gospel people, that this mindset of service to another was given to us by Jesus. He spent His life, even to His last breath, serving others and paving the way for future generations to an eternal life with Him. His willingness to sacrifice it all was the model provided and the framework used when the Declaration was written. The Founders understood, and said as much, that this idea would never work apart from a moral people with a Biblical worldview. John Adams believed, as did the majority of the Founders, that our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. 

One doesn’t have to look far to see that our culture is in dire straits. Our society is purposefully and intentionally changing course. We have moved far from the statements above and the framework of morality. We see this in marriage rates, fertility rates, and the state of our mental health as each one of these categories are in decline. This decline has been discussed and studied by a host of folks as they pontificate about what ills society. In these pontifications I have come to understand that a secular culture is pretty good at diagnosing social ills, but often fails when it comes to providing a prescription that might actually bring about healing. 

We have gone from sacrificing ourselves for the greater good and for future generations to sacrificing future generations for the sake of ourselves and for our own greater good. We do this through abortion, through the devaluing of marriage, and the intentional act of erasing personhood, manhood, and womanhood. This erasure of identity is a recipe for chaos, death, and destruction. This is why the Founders intentionally added this brief, yet profound, statement as they closed out the Declaration. They knew that for ultimate freedom and independence to come we must first rely on divine Providence and second we must love others sacrificially in the hopes that generations to come will benefit and ultimately see the fruits that we have worked so hard to achieve. They did the hard work knowing that the fruit of that work wouldn’t necessarily happen in their lifetimes. 

Have we lost our way? Are we too far gone to seek a course correction? Well, I am an optimist and I believe that, although we have drifted way off course, we have not yet reached the point of no return. I think the Founders were onto something when they pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor for the good of generations to come. We have perverted this idea and flipped it on its head as we seek to sacrifice future generations for the sake of our own good, but all is not lost. We have an opportunity as Gospel people to make a shift, speak Truth, and provide clarity to a confused and lost culture. 

This task is not an easy one, but it is a worthy one as society teeters on the brink. I pray we are a people that will elevate the good ideas of God like marriage, childbearing, and sacrificial love for another. Flipping these good and Godly things on their head will only cause more chaos in an already chaotic world. Let’s get back to our Founding roots that ultimately found their roots in a Biblical worldview as we work for the greater good of future generations to come.