Perspective

By L. Jim Tuck

February 22, 2024

MAGA or Build Back Better

   The slogan for the Democrats is “Build Back Better,” and it often quoted by U.S. President Joe Biden. On the other hand, President Donald Trump often uses the slogan, “Make America Great Again.” Who wouldn’t want to build their country back better or make it great again? What is really best for the people of the United States of America? No one doubts the stakes are high for the leading nation of the free world. What if we could address the nation about what is truly needed for the people?

Perspective

   What is wrong with the direction of the United States and what needs to be fixed?
Most are not aware of what truly made America great. The U.S. became great because of the blessings
bestowed on it by God’s promises made to the faithful patriarch Abraham (Genesis 26:5). In Genesis 12:2-3, God told Abram, “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
   And just as God promised, through the descendants of Abraham, the families of all the earth have been
blessed. The U.S., the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand are a few of the modern children of Abraham and Sarah. Their economies have thrived for the last two hundred years. The USA and Britain combined give nearly twice as much in foreign aid to other needy nations than their nearest contender. The true secret to America’s greatness is not our military might, but that God has fulfilled His promises made anciently to Abraham. Despite all the rich blessings God has given, we have lost our way spiritually. We are quickly losing the values which also contributed to making America great.

   Alexis de Tocqueville, a French sociologist and political theorist, made significant observations in the
1830s that are often quoted regarding the secret to the strength of America. Tocqueville’s writings about the United States, made in the more innocent days of the union, are almost prophetic. He wrote, “Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness, did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because America is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”
 

The Real Secret to America’s Greatness

   Oh, that all the leaders and people of our country would heed what Tocqueville wrote! The dry rot of evil is
overtaking the nation, and that is what will rob us of greatness faster than anything. America is set to lose any goodness we had. And yet so many are so blinded they cannot see; they just can’t understand what is happening.

   Fundamentally, the nuclear family is in danger of suffering extinction. Almost a quarter of U.S. children under the age of 18 live with one parent and no other adults (23%); that is more than three times the percentage of children around the world who do so (7%). A Policy Brief was prepared for the fall 1996 issue of the Brookings Review adapted from “An Analysis of Out-of-Wedlock Childbearing in the United States,” which appeared in the May 1996 issue of the Quarterly Journal of Economics. It stated, “Since 1970, out-of-wedlock birth rates have soared. In 1965, 24 percent of black infants and 3.1 percent of white infants were born to single mothers. By 1990 the rates had risen to 64 percent for black infants, 18 percent for whites. Every year about one million more children are born into fatherless families. If we have learned any policy lesson well over the past 25 years, it is that for children living in single-parent homes, the odds of living in poverty are great.”

   The nation’s morality has been in free fall for generations, and in recent years it has been going through an even greater corruption that attacks the family. Evil political and social forces have inflicted this on the country. The Woke and the gay rights movement have been given license to peddle their lifestyle right into the class rooms of American schools. They believe children are whatever they choose to be sexually, because they are “born this way.” The “born this way” narrative of sexual orientation and gender identity has an impact; it has been used by some activists and others to justify claiming children as part of the LGBTQ community. As a result, they are pressuring schools and political leaders, and even churches, to support the idea that children are a part of the rainbow movement. One must wonder about the great damage being done to our children who are so impressionable.
Immorality should be of grave concern to the nation. This is what hits at the core of the future of the nation. As we often hear, “Children are our future.”
  

   In recent years more than ever, public and private educational institutions have been utilized to advance
social causes by using the “right” pronouns. The idea being taught---you can’t always know what someone’s gender is by looking at them, by their name, or by how they dress or behave. They say everyone has the right to use the gender pronouns that match their personal identity.

   Critical race theory (CRT) is another hot topic of discussion at colleges and universities which teaches that the entire judicial, legal and economic system of the United States is racist. This kind of mindset is troubling. It injects attitudes of lawlessness by those involved, concluding “the law doesn’t apply to my race.” Though we have had racism in our past history, many believe the United States has grown to be one of the least racist nations in the world.

   What is “true” about our legal system is that increasingly justice is difficult to see. It is hard to tell whether real justice is being done by the laws we have on the books. In the confirmation of one of the Supreme Court judges, she stated she didn’t know the difference between a man and a woman. In the 13th hour of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearing, Senator Marsha Blackburn asked the Supreme Court nominee to define the word ‘woman’. Jackson, appearing confused, responded, “I’m not a biologist.”

   Isaiah 59:4 speaks of a time like ours: “No one calls for justice, nor does any plead for truth. They trust
in empty words and speak lies; they conceive evil and bring forth iniquity.”

   We have a $31.42 trillion national debt and billions of dollars are wasted every day. In regard to ancient
Israel, Isaiah said, “Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; Their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths.” (Isaiah 59:7)

   The Bible warns of the signs of a failing system and the destruction which may be coming soon to the United States and other countries of modern Israel: “Why should you be stricken again? You will revolt more and more. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faints. From the sole of the foot even to the head, there is no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores; They have not been closed or bound up, or soothed with ointment. Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire; strangers devour your land in your presence; and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.” (Isaiah 1:5-7)

The Head Is Sick and the Heart Faint

   The “head” in this prophecy pictures the leaders of government who are sick, being more desirous of
fulfilling selfish political ambitions than helping to heal the nation. The “heart” is a symbol of the morale of a nation. America’s upbeat confidence is fading. There needs to be the voice of a great communicator which can give people hope, and search as you will, we don’t have that at this critical time. It will take more than a single leader to fix the nation; it will take the whole nation working together to turn it around. The United Church of God is a reasonable voice crying out to the nation and striving to reveal the core problems of our society and also giving the country a hopeful vision, but it will take much more than that. The people of this country must come to a repentance and turn back to God. We pray that occurs. Unless that happens, neither of the slogans, “Building Back Better” or “Make America Great Again” will make much difference for the future of the United States. A great punishment will come if no repentance occurs, and our cities will be laid waste, and a prophesied captivity will take place.

   The Almighty God says to modern Israel through the prophet Ezekiel, “Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?” (Ezekiel 33:11)

   God implores His people to react and return to Him while there is time: “Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return tothe LORD, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.” (Isaiah 55:6-7)

   Without that happening for Americans and others around the globe, we have the tremendous hope most don’t have---the hope that is beyond the great tribulation ahead. We have the glorious return of Jesus Christ and the coming kingdom of God. He will bring hope and order, and rule in righteousness forever!

This is my Perspective for this week.

Have a great Sabbath and nice weekend!