To no one’s surprise, in a friend group of ten people, at least three will say that morality in America is fair and six will say it is poor. Almost everyone will claim that moral values are getting worse, but one out of the group believes morality is getting better (you always need at least one optimist in your friend group). If you ask them why they think moral values are getting worse, they will be divided. One will say it has to do with moral standards. Another believes it is because of people showing disrespect to one another. One may blame parents for failing to raise their children correctly, while another points fingers at the government. Clearly, people are struggling to explain why things are bad, why they are getting worse, and what can be done about it (for more information on these statistics, visit https://news.gallup.com/poll/1681/moral-issues.aspx).
There is no getting around the fact that our world is in a mess when it comes to determining what is morally right and wrong. People appear to be groping around in the dark trying to make sense of what they are experiencing, which means someone needs to turn on the light and show them. The book of Judges usually comes to mind when I think about how people act today. The iconic phrase that stands out at the end of the book speaks volumes. “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).
This statement certainly resonates with us today, because that is what we are witnessing in our country. When we look at the Israelites throughout the book of Judges, we are amazed at the vileness of their actions. We may feel the same way about how things are going for us today. Even when God raised judges to deliver them, things continued to deteriorate. Today it seems like the needle never moves toward things getting better.
Are we really in just as bad shape as the Israelites during the time of the judges?
One significant difference between then and now should stand out to us. During the time of the judges, no one could proclaim what Christians can proclaim today: Christ has died and risen, sins can be forgiven, and sinners can be raised to walk in newness of life. We have this good news to share with our neighbors. We may look at our world today with disappointment and disgust, but we should also see hope. Our perspective needs to change.
I have often heard the phrase, “I am sorry your kids have to grow up in this world.” I am thankful my children are here. I am raising them to be shining lights in the midst of a crooked generation. If Christians cannot see the impact we can make in this world, then we may have missed a critical part of Jesus’ teachings (Matthew 5:16). We need to take seriously the fact that we get to tell a confused world there is good news. Let us not leave people groping in the darkness.
Billy Camp
Dalraida church of Christ is a congregation of Christians that meet in the mid-town area of Montgomery, Alabama. Our goal and purpose is to seek and follow God and His Word in everything that we do in life.