Obama claimed when he was in office that America was no longer a Christian nation. I didn't protest much for two reasons. First, only individuals can be Christians. No nation can come to Christ for its salvation. Second, America had so degraded its acceptance of anything "Christian" that it was no longer in that category any more.
I like to listen to the XM Radio station for Radio Classics. You know, those old radio shows of "the Golden Age of Radio," shows like Suspense and X Minus One. Shows like Jack Benny and The Great Gildersleeve. Radio shows from the '30s to the '50s or so. They're playing largely Christmas stuff right now (go figure), and it has been very interesting to learn that entertainment in that era had no qualms about pushing "the real reason for Christmas." More than a few of them were explicitly about how Christmas isn't about gifts and decorations, about making money and having fun, but about the birth of the Christ child.
Every generation says, "It's not like it used to be." Sometimes they're right. Sometimes they're just forgetful. But hearing these stories of less than 100 years ago broadcast on what was the media of the day compared to what is broadcast today, it is abundantly clear that ... things just aren't like they used to be. America is not a Christian nation, in spirit or even in influence. That has never worked out well for nations in the past. I can't see it going well this time. And we know what God thinks when a people forget Him (Rom 1:18-23).
2 comments:
Good observation, I think I need to find those old classic radio shows, right up my alley.
Even in some of the old christmas songs from the 40' 50' and 60 I noticed they talk about Santa but still give homage to Christ.
One of my favorites is the opening line from the ray coniff singers of the Christmas song..They open it by saying "what is the meaning of Christmas? It is the celebration of the birth of the Christ Child and this we must never forget....
Indeed. We've, as a nation, definitely strayed from our Christian roots and heritage. Make no mistake...we were without doubt a definite Christian nation, at least in the sense that we understood what "Christian" means and how it should be expressed in life. There was a time when mentioning "the reason for the season" was a given. Few would object to proclaiming that reason as the true focus. Now, few do so and most of those merely pretend. It seems so, at least, to me to be the case. Good gosh, even the concept of Santa Claus and the giving of gifts flowed from the basic concept of Christian charity. The commercialism of the season wasn't that far removed from that Christian concept. I would go so far as to say that "Santa Claus" was a means by which children were taught applications of Christian living...that "it is better to give than to receive". As a child, I was very much enamored with the idea of picking out presents for family members...to be gifted with the expression of joy on the face of those who would receive gifts I made, bought or otherwise provided.
As to the Christian character of the nation, it is far less than it used to be in my opinion, and that's conceding that it was never perfectly Christian, but rather that it was always mindful of Christian teachings and understandings of right and wrong, and how that understanding...its source, rather...was important to our culture. It is now lost, I fear...barely clinging to existence because some of us fear what will come from its total disregard.
America is, sadly, far less of a Christian nation than it had been in times past. But while I'm not anything close to the best example of a Christian man, I'm more than enough of one to insist we would be better off returning to Christ as a nation, and will continue to encourage such to the best of my ability. Fortunately, at my age, I'm less concerned with those who might object to such encouragement than I am what awaits my children and grandchildren should we stray even further from Him as a nation.
God save us.
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