Published on July 21, 2024, 1:07 am

The statement, “America is great because America is good. If America ceases to be good, she will cease to be great”, provides an insightful view of the foundational link between morality and societal prestige. While its origin traces back to Alexis de Tocqueville or perhaps further into obscurity, the meaningful insight shared remains relevant today – the essence of America’s greatness lies in her inherent goodness.

Nonetheless, present day witnesses a marked shift in opinion as numerous individuals have begun questioning this innate goodness of America. Educational institutions frequently expose students to the narrative that past sins such as slavery fundamentally flawed the American experiment from its inception. The proposed solution? Replacing traditional values rooted in faith and freedom with novel, often Marxist-inspired ideologies.

Considering that America’s nobility has consistently remained tethered to the piety of her citizens, this wavering belief isn’t completely unfounded. The attribution of our nation’s splendor varied until it was realized that our church pulpits ablaze with righteousness held key insights into understanding America’s genius and power.

Although religious beliefs have always experienced diversity amongst Americans embracing their constitutionally guarded right for religious liberty, a contemporary decline in church attendance and adherence to a Christian worldview is noticeable. It stands as no surprise when once-prominent Protestant denominations are predicted to dissipate within a generation due to them advocating viewpoints contradicting Biblical decrees or theological positions deemed unsuitable just several generations ago.

No longer do our pulpits blaze with righteousness; rather they tend towards delivering feel-good messages.

These changes have incited unfortunate consequences – As people drift away from churches and Christianity, so does our nation divert from public acknowledgments of God or His attributes. This triggered a range of directives dating back to the 1960s where Supreme Court rulings banned prayer and Bible teaching in public schools alongside displays of the Ten Commandments on governmental grounds under distorted interpretations of First Amendment’s establishment clause.

Yet despite these struggles, hope remains.

Recent Supreme Court rulings have overturned many problematic precedents related to the establishment clause context. Astonishingly, Jack Phillips, a Colorado baker stands as inspiration for having endured nearly a decade of litigation just to live in accordance with his religious beliefs. More Americans are beginning to recognize that it isn’t discriminatory to discuss fundamental biological differences between men and women and discern the moral error in treating people differently based on their race, despite DEI advocate assertions.

Still flashpoints exist particularly around abortion – following the Supreme Court overturning its precedent creating a constitutional right to abortion, the decision now lies with Americans and their elected representatives.

A reflection underlying our collective conscience surfaces through our laws and governmental systems – what do these indicate about us?

Echoing John Adams’ proclamation addressed to his wife: “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”, waywardness from God tantamounts to deviating from goodness. In the absence of righteousness, there cannot be any meaningful greatness. Our founding generation’s prayer for God’s guidance and blessings in good measure mirrors our present aspiration for trusted news. Ultimately, without goodness inspired from a Christian worldview, every other pursuit stands insignificant for without God’s guidance towards goodness; quest for greatness seems transient.

In conclusion, reflecting these learnings into real news today suggests that society should strive towards promoting integrity at its core while preserving foundational values of faith if we wish to remain great as a nation.