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‘As we have forced God more and more out of the marketplace, schools, and government, we have simultaneously caused a significant erosion of the very thing that held our populace together’
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A recent poll found that a majority of Americans see the major political parties in Washington as the biggest threats to the American people, even when compared to foreign powers such as North Korea and Iran. In particular, those who identified as either a Democrat or a Republican saw the opposing party as the biggest adversary.
Judge Phil Ginn, president of Southern Evangelical Seminary (SES, www.staging.ses.edu), responded to this troubling statistic, urging Americans to focus on what unifies rather than what divides and agree to a common moral baseline.
Ginn stated, “When you visit with your friends and neighbors for any length of time, sooner or later the conversation will come down to this question: ‘Have you ever seen a time when folks act so poorly toward one another?’ Now, granted there may be valid reasons for not getting along with another person. However, an angry, vitriolic, and even violent tone seems to be more and more the norm these days.
“The Christian Post recently released a survey indicating that almost 40% of Americans believe those in the opposing political party are more of an enemy than even Russia or China. That figure goes even higher if the individual who is asked happens to be a member of one of those respective parties. You do not have to look any further than the halls of Congress to observe the potential veracity of this point of view.
“So, all of this begs the questions of who, or what, actually is our enemy? More importantly, can there be sufficient common ground upon which to begin to build a workable truce not only among and between the different political parties and viewpoints, but between ordinary Americans as well?”
Ginn continued, “At some time in our not-too-distant history there existed a commonly understood straight line of thought that I call the ‘God Line.’ By its very nature, it was a plumb line to which we could compare our beliefs and deeds to determine their validity. This standard came from a familiar moral compass that runs through every religion and particularly those who believe in a theistic God. But here is the reality of our condition in present-day America. Over the last 50-60 years we have slowly erased this ‘God Line’ in our nation. As we have forced God more and more out of the marketplace, schools, and government, we have simultaneously caused a significant erosion of the very thing that held our populace together under the umbrella of our constitutional form of government.
“While our nation may not have been formed as a Christian nation, Christianity has certainly served as the conscience of our people for almost 250 years. The only thing that stands now between America and oblivion is our return to the ‘God Line’ that we have continually tried to erase. It was Edmund Burke who said, ‘Liberty does not exist in the absence of morality.’ America is wrong to discard the moral compass found only in God.
“Southern Evangelical Seminary recognizes not only the truth of this moral compass but also the ultimate truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We fervently believe in the plumb line clearly set forth in Scripture and shown clearly in the general revelation of God’s creation. That is why you will find us standing steadfastly in this truth and calling Christians — and all of America — to a higher standard of conduct found only in the adherence to the authentic ‘God Line’ of faith.”
