America faces a moral crisis. Christianity is falling out of favor across the West as more people fall into atheism and agnosticism and upend the moral foundations of civil society. In truth, Christianity is what made the West great in the first place. Christian principles guided the West into moral triumphs not achieved by any other human society. These include the legal abolition of slavery, the UN Declaration of Human Rights, and the development of the early hospital system. As Christianity weakens, we can see many of the values our society holds, such as the dignity of human life and the importance of the nuclear family, fall away.
A clear example of this is the widespread cultural acceptance of abortion. Abortion was somewhat common in pagan Europe before the spread of Christianity. Early Christians were opposed to abortion as well. The idea that every person is equal in dignity was popularized largely because of Christianity, which tells us that we are made in the image and likeness of God, we are loved equally by God, and we all have inherent dignity because of that.
The Christian tradition places marriage as the basis of the family and the fundamental building block of society. Any time society deviates from this standard, it suffers major consequences. High divorce rates or fatherless homes may seem to be individual decisions at first, but in reality, they are self-destructive actions that have caused devastation to both kids and families. Unfortunately, you are seeing attacks on marriage from both the left and the fringe of the right with the rise of influencers like Andrew Tate.
Happiness has also declined in recent decades, but Christianity can help solve this conundrum. 36 percent of actively religious people consider themselves “very happy” versus just 25 percent of unaffiliated and inactive religious people. Christians are also more likely to participate in nonreligious civic organizations. This is because Christianity gives people a purpose in life that can never be taken away. Jobs, money, sports, friends, and even family can all disappear, but God will always be there. Jesus will accept a relationship no matter what sins you have committed.
Christianity is good because it is true. Christianity explains our world in a way that gives meaning to people’s lives and provides a clear moral order to our society. Eleven out of twelve apostles died excruciating deaths because of their faith in Jesus. Peter, Jesus’ most important disciple, was crucified upside down because he thought he didn’t deserve to die the same way as Jesus. They all claimed that they had witnessed the miracles of Jesus and saw him die and be resurrected.
The story of Paul is also a convincing piece of evidence for Christianity. Paul wasn’t just a non-Christian, he was a persecutor of Christians. He was a Jewish Roman citizen with a high position in society, so he would not want to change his life for his self-interest. Paul then claimed to have a vision where he saw Christ. This led to him spreading the gospel and writing most of the New Testament. He was severely persecuted throughout his life, but remained content knowing that he was spreading the word of God. It is widely believed that Paul was beheaded around the time of Peter’s death, according to historical records. It wasn’t just the Apostles or Paul who were persecuted at this time, but all Christians in Rome during the reign of Nero.
One form of punishment for Christians was being thrown into a den with wild beasts. The incredible sacrifices the early Christians went through demonstrate the remarkable power of the Holy Spirit. Peter went from denying Jesus three times to dying a brutal death for Jesus. Paul went from persecuting Christians to being persecuted for their faith. Matthew was a tax collector and changed his life to follow Jesus. The twelve apostles that Jesus chose to follow him were very imperfect people, but Jesus still chose them to spread his message.
Christianity is a religion for everyone. It isn’t reserved for the righteous Pharisees and the powerful Kings. It isn’t a cultural practice for a specific people or government, like most ancient religions. It is a claim of a certain truth that is meant to be evangelized and spread around the world. It doesn’t matter what you did in your past, it doesn’t matter the sins you committed. All your sins were taken up by him on the cross. What matters is that you fully turn your life to him and let him change your life to glorify him.
Our values don’t come from nowhere. The most important ones we have today are based on a Christian value set. It is time for America to come back to Christ. Our country is searching for a moral purpose. We feel lost as a society. But it is the lost that Jesus most quickly accepts back: “I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.”
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the editorial position of The Madison Federalist.
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