The English historian Thomas Macauley warned the American people decades ago that our Constitution ran the risk of being “all sail and no anchor.” In other words, the lofty ideals of the Constitution would only have merit as they remained anchored to moral absolutes. George Washington remarked, “It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible.”
As opposed to being firmly anchored to the truth of God, we as a society are being blown back and forth by the winds of secular ideologies which threaten to shipwreck our hearts, homes and nation.
This is why Alan Bloom, professor of Philosophy at University of Chicago, has indicted the American educational system for failing to teach moral truth to its students. In his best-selling book, The Closing of the American Mind, he points out that our educators utilize a new language of “value relativism” which prevents us from “teaching with any conviction about good and evil.” He goes on to say that our universities offer “disconnected disciplines” without a focus on developing the whole person. Hence, students obtain degrees, but are “unfurnished persons” lacking the moral base needed for sound judgment.
The family has forsaken its once-held position as the seat of religious and moral teaching. The eternal conflict of good and evil has now been replaced with the language, “I’m okay, you’re okay.” Instead of paying for our choices, Bloom tells us that “America today has no-fault automobile accidents, no-fault divorces, and is moving with the aid of modern philosophy toward no-fault choices.” As a result, most Americans are dissatisfied with the moral tenor of the times. According to the Princeton Research Center, 64 percent of Americans are dissatisfied with ethics and morals. Seventy-three percent are dissatisfied with the level of honesty and standards. Eighty-three percent are dissatisfied with care for the poor and needy.
In times of moral confusion, we hold to the moral absolutes found in God’s word (read Psalm 19: 7-11). Let us resolve anew to keep our faith and values anchored firmly to the unchanging word of God.
Dr. David C. Cooper serves as Senior Pastor of Mount Paran Church of God in Atlanta, GA. He received his bachelor's degree from Lee College, his Master of Education from the University of Georgia, and his Doctor of Ministry from Erskine Theological Seminary. Currently, Dr. Cooper serves as chairman of the Board of Directors and as an instructor in Counseling at the Psychological Studies Institute in Atlanta, Georgia.
