Post-Christian Society

The Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 6:7b: You reap whatever you sow. Another way of putting it is: “You will always harvest what you plant.” (from the NLT) We are seeing that happen today. What am I referring to? I’m saying that as we become more and more post-Christian, the restraining influence of Christianity diminishes and society becomes more violent, dishonest, and immoral.

If you aren’t brought up within a moral framework but rather on the loose standards of today’s society, you won’t have much of a guideline for your behavior. If you aren’t guided by something bigger than you (God), then you “do your own thing” which we see happening at the very end of the Book of Judges in the Bible in Judges 21:25: In those days there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes. (NRSV) They didn’t have the restraining influence of a strong leader, so Israelite society was not as God wanted it to be.

Christianity isn’t just a code of conduct, but Bible-based Christianity does provide guidelines for living that come from God, who created us and knows what’s best for us. Our society used to be guided by what’s called the Judeo-Christian ethic, but that is giving way to relativism, situational ethics, and political correctness. As a result, society is becoming ruder, cruder, ethically-challenged. We’ve had Ponzi schemes that have even ripped off charities, a roughly 50% divorce rate, a large percentage of babies born of unmarried mothers, much prime time TV not suitable for children, a serious drug problem that leads to a serious crime problem, and we still have anti-Semitism and other forms of prejudice.

Because of sinful humankind, American society was never close to biblical ideals, but I suspect it may have been a little more morally upright and maybe even more honest than we see now. To be fair, there have also been some improvements in the quality of life due to laws being enacted, societal pressure, or other factors. We have less drunk driving, no smoking in public places, workplaces pretty much free of profanity and sexual harassment (some are better than others), better opportunities for women and minorities, more fuel efficient and less polluting cars, leash laws, to name a few improvements.

My suggestion is that you and your children attend church and Sunday school regularly to get a better grounding when it comes to proper behavior. You’ll be amazed at how your life will change for the better the closer you get to God. Isn’t it time for a fresh start?