The decline of biblical Christianity, and the rise of political Christianity. Any correlation?
Back to the original question. Here is my rant. Christians are typically conservative politically- meaning they want government to leave them alone, not steal their earnings, not regulate and control them, not train their children to be unreasoning dolts in the government schools and universities, not allow crime to flourish, not unendingly lie to them, not be hypocrites, not slander, defame, demonize them and others, and to stop using the courts to pass immoral and/or foolish laws that destroy families and decimate cities.
The decline of Christianity began in earnest with the rise and acceptance of Arminian theology, but by whatever name it is called the Biblical Precepts that began the Protestant Reformation were doomed to eventual failure by the forces of evil. The means to that end is laid at the foot of Pride, as usual. Though the Reformers made large reversals against the tides of Catholicism and other heretics, it left a backdoor entry that eventually led to the defeat of Biblical Christianity.
The hermeneutical approach espoused by the Reformers was wrong-headed, borne out of pride. Rather than interpret the Bible comparing Scripture with Scripture they added the wrong approach of Literalism. It was meant to avoid wild ideas from the imagination of heretics, but the results were wild ideas from the imagination of so-called Christians. The Arminian heresy simply borrowed the Literal-Grammatical method of interpretation and turned the Bible on its head. It wasn't long before every so-called Christian sect had a unique reinterpretation that they fancied, they just invented whatever symbolic interpretation they needed to make it so.
And with that, came divorce, remarriage, works plus grace gospels, works gospels, demon worship with tongues, dreams, and visions, lying pastors, acceptance of homosexuality, homosexual marriage, drinking, worldliness, and on and on. Of course it was apparent no lay person would ever be able to make sense of it all. So the factories spat out red-letter Bibles with commentaries and notes - to make sure you arrive at the right conclusion. Except it is mostly the wrong conclusion based on a bad hermeneutic principles. To help further, the factories made more Bible versions, one after the other, being very careful to translate their original corrupt manuscripts most inaccurately and then further have linguists smooth over the speed bumps God put there, so once again, everyone arrives at the right (read wrong) conclusion.
Now, with that out of the way. There are only two world views: man-centered and God-centered. That's it. The God-centered world view is abhorred by the world. There are only two political parties: man-centered and God-centered. That's it. Those who uphold divorce for any cause, homosexuality, homosexual marriage, gender fluidity, sexual immorality, fornication, adultery, and promote killing babies and selling dead baby parts -- whose racist policies target Blacks and Hispanics as somehow fundamentally inferior and needing constant government intervention because they are too special and too weak to survive on their own, who do and say anything to gain power and when in power corrupt and destroy every institution that the God-centered party holds dear ... so that the entire country slides into a pit of sewage, that is the man-centered group. Out of the man-centered world view comes the tolerance of crime and corruption, leaving cities crumbling and the poor left to live a hellish existence in the cesspool the Progressives created.
As spiritual darkness descends upon this nation, so blossoms the Black Flower that is the Progressive Left - unafraid of being thrown out of office, they no longer need to hide their hatred for America or its people. They see the way forward is cleared. They can easily usher in their much sought after Utopian world that they think will bring peace and prosperity. Through Progressive Socialism and Neo-Marxist policies, naturally. The party of the KKK, eugenics, 150 years of violent opposition to civil rights and the promotion of unbridled racism that is borne out of their own man-centered world view, knows how to control the masses. When in charge they rip down all reminders of the God-centered past of this nation. The Bible is near becoming labelled a "hate book" under their world view it is intolerant. Christians are often labelled as belonging to a "hate group" and are not beyond biased government officials punishing Conservative/Christian groups. It won't be long before, like the Socialists of 1935 Germany, the Progressive Left descends into its true and final form as a Totalitarian Socialist/Marxist militant regime: intolerant, hateful, raging at anyone that thinks different than themselves. But especially those who remind them that God is and will be their Judge.
You have watched, if you are old enough, the rapid coarsening of language, the increase hatred espoused by the Progressive Left, the shouting down, insulting, vilifying and demonizing those they disagree with, always attempting to silence their opposition rather than try and win on the stage of ideas (they can't). Propaganda is their tool, with the media a willing partner. The media is just another arm of the DNC, propaganda 24/7. Slander, lies, insults, and failed policies that get people killed here at home, and causes the deaths of tens of thousands, if not millions worldwide is their legacy. A result of their moral code of fairness and equality of outcome.
At home darkness envelops the ignorant masses, convinced the Progressive Left will save them from the horror of their man-centered sinful lives. Little do they realize it is the policies of the Progressive Left that freed them to unleash that horror. And Christians and other thinking people watch the rise of poverty, drug use, alcoholism, suicide, gang shootings and stabbing each night with dead children in the streets, with the poor hiding in government projects huddled in fear day and night as the Progressive Left voters shoot it out. Open borders are policy and terrorists enter unhindered. Sanctuary Cities hide criminals from the Law and criminals flourish. Open rebellion is everywhere. Lawlessness rules by day and night. No one can be trusted, not the citizens, government officials, or judges of the law - they are all using corrupt scales to weight justice.
Out of the chaos of a fallen Bible, a fallen Church, a fallen Christianity, a fallen moral code and all the destruction that goes with it - a handful of people, mostly Christians, Constitutional Conservatives, a variety of Deists, and those believing in right-and-wrong if only as a distant childhood memory, rise up. These "see" the devastation wrought by the emboldened Progressive Left and oppose the worship of the State as God .... and they decide each one to oppose the evil they see and seek to end the oppression of the weak. Though the Progressive Left tried to lie and cheat their way toward power, to once again buy their base with other people's money and with promises to further legalize immorality, they were stopped, but barely.
So, yes the decline of Christianity is tied to the rise of a political Christian or right-wing that wants the Constitution to be obeyed, the Federal Laws to be obeyed, to have America secure its borders, defeat our enemies both here and abroad, and to get the State's boot-heel off the necks of workers and entrepreneurs, and unleash innovation and creativity again.
They just want the Progressive Left to stop insisting everyone think like them, to stop the insults, the hate, and end the violence in our cities.
The Progressive Left composed of God-haters, criminals, violent-minded people are mostly ignorant and uneducated - easily led and unable to reason or discern they go for the carrot on the stick. They are taught hate in school, via media, and in colleges. Feeling a sense of superiority and self-righteousness they seek to destroy anything that hints of absolutes - absolute truth, morality, right vs. wrong, common law ... are are abandoned and the opposite viewpoint is promoted. The Left has no moral anchor except what ever will buy a vote. If it gets votes ... a man is a woman and a woman is a man. If it gets votes you are whatever you think you are. If it promotes the equality of outcome they demand, then a man marries a man, or marries two men or three, or marries a horse, doesn't matter. The goal is to overthrow the family unit. Marriage is devoid of meaning. Where 3 + 3 used to mean 6, now it means 7, 8, or whatever you want. What do the people who vote for the man-centered get? They get freedom to sin. They get the life-blood of other people's life. They get a free cell phone. But as long as the votes are cast for their Progressive overlords it matters not the destruction they cause, to maintain power no lie is too small, no crime too big.
Yes, some Christians see a duty to defend this country against the godless who seek its destruction. The more 'spiritual' Christians see it as folly, as God did not put us here to save the country they cry. They say we are only to evangelize not change culture. Perhaps, but it is possible to evangelize the lost AND in your own small sphere of influence, when the subject arises, educate them on why their lives suck, why they can't leave their house at night, why government robbery is wrong and counterproductive. I'm not advocating mixing the Gospel with Politics, they are separate, but not mutually exclusive. Note well, the Left is at war against most on this forum. They do want to take your right to speak and evangelize away, very much. They used to fear the people, but no longer. In short time they will do it. This and many other sites will be forced down. Church pastors will be jailed. You will be silenced. The Left is seeking to destroy - and you are in their way.
Destroy they have and will (which to them is progress). But I'm glad to see their errors and folly exposed, even if few are paying attention. Sure they are unreasoning beasts, they never take their failure to heart. It is just on to the next lie. But it is good to know that there are still some people capable of reasoning and truth in these last end-time days of darkness. There are even fewer capable of spiritual reasoning, far fewer. as that requires a different spirit only God provides. Yet, in their own ways both are little heavenly fragrances when and where reason defeats madness. Little islands of truth appear here and there, not to defeat the stench and vileness that infests the world. But as reminders that God is on the Throne and though all the people go mad, it is but a short while ... then the end and the scales are balanced.
Perhaps I'm alone, but it still amazes me, the level of wickedness men are capable of sinking to, the distance they will travel to excuse or defend a lie, the depths to which they will descend to attack and smear their enemies, and the emptiness of the darkness that possess their soul such that they are unable to see the toll of human wreckage they caused and promote. But such is the madness of the age.
john