I think that one thing we can all agree on is that America—no, the world—is not the same place that it was fifty years ago. Fifty years ago I was a toddler, just learning how to walk, play "gas man" with the garden hose and the family car, and guzzle down the last dregs of Budweiser that my dad would give me when I begged. Fifty years ago, computers were huge monstrosities, filled with vacuum tubes, that occupied entire buildings. Gas still cost twenty-five cents a gallon, and nobody worried about snail darters or hoot owls (except maybe how to catch 'em or shoot 'em!). Students didn't go crazy at school and gun down dozens of their classmates just for grins, then turn around and blow their own brains out. It may not have been perfect, but America was still a great place to live.

Today we now have desktop computers that are more powerful than the biggest and best UNIVAC of bygone years. We've sent spacecraft to the limits of the solar system—even dropped a lander onto a world that can never be seen by the naked eye—and probed to the uttermost limits of the subatomic world in our efforts to understand How Things Work. We have the Internet and intercontinental jet travel. One of our naval carrier groups could probably wipe out the entire WWII Japanese navy and barely know that it had been in a fight. But are things really better?

Today, a gallon of gas costs nearly as much as it took to fill your entire tank back in my childhood. Schools have been transformed into security zones, complete with metal detectors and drug sniffing guard dogs. Small, insignificant plants and animals are valued above human life. Unborn children are ripped from the womb and destroyed without mercy. Lifestyles once universally considered repugnant—that would have earned their practitioners a quick trip to the county jail—are now hailed as "enlightened". Even the very foundational freedoms of our nation—freedom of speech, freedom of worship, property rights, and so forth—are being rapidly eroded as a new generation of activist judges ignores the Constitution and invents their own so-called "rights", and at the same time working to silence those who disagree.

We stand on the verge of an election unlike any other in my lifetime. On one hand, we have a candidate who epitomizes everything that is repugnant to traditional American values, who characterizes ordinary working blue-collar citizens as "bitter, clinging to guns and religion", and whose experience and past associations are questionable at best, and downright treasonous at worst. On the other hand we have a candidate whom I would characterize as "lukewarm", who tries to steer a course that doesn't offend anyone, and thus fails to really attract those who would elect him to office. To his credit, he has chosen a vice presidential running mate who has energized the traditional conservative citizens of the country. Even so, many still have their doubts.

Joseph Farah of WorldNet Daily is encouraging people to vote for "None of the Above", claiming that to elect McCain won't solve a thing, and in the long run will make things worse. He is hoping for another "Reagan Revolution" in '12, similar to the reaction that followed four disastrous years under Jimmy Carter and ended up putting Ronald Reagan in the White House. Sounds great in theory. The only problem is that I don't think it will work.

I could mention the possibility that four years under Obama and a Democrat-controlled Congress, plus the kind of judges that he would appoint to the Supreme Court, could conceivably erode our freedoms to the point where conservative Americans couldn't elect a candidate with their views, even if the majority of voters wanted to. I could mention the possibility that there simply isn't another Ronald Reagan waiting in the wings to step forth in '12. But the truth is that the problem is much worse than either of those. Even if an Obama presidency doesn't turn America into Amerika, even if someone like Governor Palin steps forward like a modern Deborah to fill the gap, I still don't think it will happen. The real problem is that the grass roots "ain't what they used to be".

What has happened is that the core values of an increasing number of Americans have radically changed. And if you note the demographics, this change is overwhelmingly among the younger generation. When you think about it, this is not surprising. Among the segments of our society that have shifted the most radically to the left, one of the most influential is our public educational system: public schools and universities.

Now I am not a believer in conspiracy theories. A much simpler explanation is found in human nature and the presence of Satan in the world. But either way, if you want to subvert a society, one of the key places to begin is in the schools, where young minds are molded and influenced. And that is exactly what has happened to American society.

In our schools, students are taught that we are nothing but glorified animals. Even though there are holes in Darwinian theory big enough to drive an aircraft carrier through, this is taught as if it were solid, established fact. They are taught that there are no absolute standards of right or wrong. Discipline has been tossed out the window. (I can still remember being hauled to the principal's office and being given a few good whacks with a ruler. I may not have enjoyed it at the time, but looking back, I needed it! And instead of suing the school for umpteen gazillion dollars, my dad gave me more of the same when he heard about it. Result: I didn't get "out of control". I learned.) Right is taught to be wrong, and wrong is taught to be right.

In a way, this is not that surprising in a free society. Someone once said that a democracy can only last until people learn that they can vote themselves money out of the public treasury. Peter wrote in the New Testament that we should live as free men, but not use our freedom as a cover-up for evil. Good warnings, unfortunately ignored in today's culture.

Darwinism is popular because it offers and explanation for man's existence that doesn't require a Creator. No Creator, no Judge. That's the part that really offends people, the idea that they might someday be accountable for their actions to Someone they can't bribe or escape from. Likewise, Humanism is popular because it elevates man to the place rightfully belonging to God, which feeds already swollen egos. Given human nature, it is not surprising at all that these philosophies have literally become the state religion of America. A religion that is not acknowledged as a religion, even though it exhibits the same characteristics. A religion that brooks no competition.

History repeats itself. The Old Testament accounts in Kings and Chronicles tell the story of good and bad rulers over the kingdom of Judah. Yet when you look in the prophets, you find that even during the times of a righteous king such as Hezekiah, the hearts of the people really hadn't changed. The only real difference between then and now is that a monarch had more power to at least change the surface appearance of Israel than a constitutionally limited president has over America. But underneath, the parallels between modern America and Israel prior to the deportation and captivity in Babylon are frightening.

Maybe you think I'm a doomsayer. All I can say is that I still have hope, if not for America, then at least for the future. Christ will return. But until then we are still called to be salt and light. Which brings me to another problem. For the most part, the American church—the Western church in general—has lost its saltiness and its light. Most churchgoers cannot be distinguished from unbelievers. The divorce rate is just as high among church members. The abortion rate is getting there. Pornography is rampant, even among leaders. But the worst thing is that we just wring our hands, decry the evil—then go on, "business as usual". We do not really take seriously God's holiness—and His call on us to live holy lives.

Yes, I have hope, even for this age, supposing Jesus delays another hundred—or even another thousand—years. But only if we get on our knees and truly and honestly repent. Repentance means turning from sin, not just acknowledging that it is wrong and continuing to practice it, even if we "feel bad" about it. No, I am not talking about justification by works. But Paul in Romans makes it clear that we were saved from sin not to continue in it, but to go on to a new life of righteousness. We cannot continue in sin and expect God to bless us. If we want a revival—and at this point I fear that a revival is America's only hope; electing a conservative president would only be like having a good king like Hezekiah, while the rest of society continues to rot—we must begin at home. Only then will the power of God begin to flow.

One last thing: I hope you don't think that I am "preaching down" to you from a position of "holier-than-thou". In the past few years, God has finally managed to smash through some of the baggage and trash in my life—courtesy of a "Christian" society that never taught me about holy living—and help me start to get my act together. I still have things to deal with, but by the grace of God I am finally taking Him seriously enough to do it. In this process, I've learned that God is not to be taken lightly; we may think we're not taking HIm lightly, but any time we just shrug off sin, that is exactly what we are doing. So as the saying goes, "Been there, done that, got the T-shirt."

So go out and vote. Vote your conscience, not just for president, but for all of your other elected representatives. And then, consider the society we live in. Consider your church—assuming you attend one. Consider your life.

Consider God.

Yes, it's been more than two years since I've posted, so I figure it's about time I got back in the habit. During the last couple of years, God has taught me a lot. I've gone through health issues again—and am still struggling, though I believe I finally have some answers that will ultimately bring victory. Meanwhile, I've passed the half-century mark, and although I'm not a person who pays a whole lot of attention to these kinds of milestones, it has really made me stop and think seriously about life.