God called the children of Israel to Mount Sinai and asked Moses to prepare them. They were to be consecrated for two days, to wash their garments, and be ready the third day. The Lord God warned, “Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live” (Exodus 19:12-13).
When the people arrived on the third day, there were lightnings and thunders on the mountain that was filled with smoke. All the people in the camp trembled, and the “mountain trembled greatly” (19:16, 18). The Lord God spoke the Ten Commandments, and the people were afraid and trembled. They begged Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die” (Exodus 20:19; cf. Hebrews 12:19). They not only believed in God; they feared Him.
Sadly, much of our culture has lost both its fear and its faith. Only 74 percent of Americans now say they believe in God, a number that has declined from 82 percent in the last five years. Nearly one-fourth of Americans (23%) identify themselves as “not at all religious” according to a Harris poll released December 16, 2013 (http://www.harrisinteractive.com). Nearly half of all Americans (47%) now say they believe in Darwinian evolution.
Clearly this decline in faith has led many Christians to begin doubting the long-held teaching of Scripture. According to this same survey, as many people in America believe in UFOs and aliens as believe in creationism. Less than half of Americans believe that all or most of the Old (49%) and New Testaments (48%) are the “Word of God.”
How people appear before God in worship has radically changed in the last generation. Those who once would not think of coming to church except in their finest clothes now come casually. Many Americans wear nicer clothes to work than they do to worship.
The politically correct police have become bullies, demanding the jobs and the censure of anyone who violates their strict standards. They have acted with such cultural support that many Americans now fear they have lost their first amendment rights to freedom of speech and religion. For many the policies of the politically correct have now spoken so loudly that they have attempted to hush the voice of God on morals and truth. Our media, that treasures its free speech, seeks to make immorality acceptable, while it trashes the free speech that supports morality.
Our culture stands ready to judge according to any standards except God’s. Talk shows, pop songs, and movies stand in judgment, mocking any view that differs from their own. But if anyone disagrees with their views, they quickly condemn and label the objector as bigoted, mean-spirited, ignorant, and radical. Unbelievers regard the disapproval of culture as hell on earth. They stand ready to slander and punish anyone who challenges their views. They have never judged with “right judgment” (John 7:24).
Does a morally and theologically confused culture fear God? They do not fear God; they fear the disapproval of their peers. Like the cowards among the Jewish leaders they may believe, but they are not willing to confess Jesus as Lord for fear of the politically correct (John 12:42-43).
By Phil Sanders
This article originally appeared in the January 2014 issue of “Think” magazine.
