This Memorial Day weekend is a good time to think about what our military members served, fought, & died for. Have you seen the viral video from 4 years ago of Marine & World War II veteran Carl Detke weeping? A TV station interviewed this Silver Star recipient on his 100th birthday, suited up in his uniform & medals. He talked about how he’s known as a positive guy, especially at his church. But then he began breaking down in tears, reflecting on his worry about the country’s future: “I am so upset that the things we did and the things we fought for and the boys that died for it, it’s all going down the drain. Our country’s going to hell in a handbasket. That’s not what they died for.”
When you see the tears flowing from a man like that, it hits hard, & you know that your country has lost its way. I’m not idolizing the past because America was never completely wholesome, but it had a grounding in a Christian worldview with more shared biblical values, more church attendance, stronger family & community structures, better cultural assimilation, cohesion, & patriotism based on adherence to founding Constitutional principles.
Hopefully, we can conserve & renew what’s best rather than surrender to inevitable decline & disintegration. I hate politics, but I love principles. The principles of Scripture must be the foundation of our national values because without them, something else will inevitably take their place (& already has to a large degree). Some efforts are being made on a societal level, including the recent Bible reading marathon that took place in Washington D.C. over 6 days, when over 500 Christian leaders, celebrities, & government officials took turns reading the Bible straight through.
President Trump himself read the passage from 2 Chronicles 7 that includes the well-known verse 14: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” That was God’s response to King Solomon’s prayer–the promise of blessing tied to repentance, & warnings about consequences if Israel turns away. America is not Israel, & Mr. Trump is not Solomon, but it’s always good for a leader to acknowledge God & His Word.
We cannot claim the same specific promises God made to His Old Testament covenant people living under Mosaic Law, but still this is generally true: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD…” (Ps. 33:12)! That’s the kind of nation worth dying for. The President also announced at various events, including the National Prayer Breakfast, “On May 17, 2026, we are inviting Americans from all across the country to come together on our National Mall to pray, to give thanks, and we are going to rededicate America as one nation under God.” That event called “Rededicate 250: A National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise, and Thanksgiving” did take place last Sunday, marking 250 years since a Continental Congress day of fasting & repentance. Again, with the President reading from the 2 Chronicles passage.
The event drew thousands, yet few knew about it due to lack of media attention. Much of the mainstream media dismissively treated it with skepticism or hostility. An MSNOW anchor even scorned House Speaker Johnson’s statement at the event that our rights come from “our Creator & Heavenly Father.” She questioned if this could be “putting God over the Declaration of Independence.” Yet, his words echoed exactly what the Declaration says.
I was happy to see this event take place, despite the political overtones & the inclusion of some Christian leaders who are not doctrinally sound. At least it’s a start. Politicians of all parties have certainly found ways to use Christianity in a way that they think will advance their policies. So what’s needed as we go forward isn’t just pronouncements & events that give lip service to Christian principles. Will we truly humble ourselves & turn from our wicked ways?
We’ve come to learn that our government has been involved in many corrupt & nefarious undertakings for many decades now. Numerous societal evils have been perpetrated, permitted & promoted, changing America from the one Carl Detke fought for in World War II. With godless ideologies like Marxist wokeism, materialism, feminism, hedonism, & humanism permeating academia, the media, & the government, we’ve been going the wrong way for a long time. How serious can we be if we don’t repent & go the right way?
I’m not saying America should become a theocracy (hardly anyone is), but how can a nation be great when it’s filled with abortion, homosexualism & same-sex marriage, “adult” entertainment, crime, drugs, & broken families? Our grandparents & great-grandparents would surely be disgusted & ashamed of what this nation has turned into. How about applying Christian morals back into our culture & institutions?
Our nation has grown far more pagan than we care to admit. It’s partially due to importing more & more people who follow antichrist religions incompatible with our principles. Will God bless our nation when its landscape is littered with shrines & temples to false gods? Christian philosopher Francis Schaeffer began calling America a “post-Christian nation” 56 years ago. Some good things are happening, but I’m not happy with much about our nation. No Christian should be. Greatness isn’t just about becoming more powerful & prosperous than other pitiful nations. No nation is truly great if it leads its citizens away from God & truth. The answer always begins with principles. Politics is downstream from principles. May America experience true spiritual revival, not just patriotic resurgence.