American Experiment

There is a human experiment going on. It's been under way for little more than 225 years now. Most of us know it as the United States of America. It's been called the greatest nation on earth. In fact, it's been, in the last century or so, a nation that is usually described in superlatives. The most powerful nation on earth. The richest nation on earth. The most generous nation on earth. The most blessed nation on earth. The stories - and the facts - go on and on about it.

Those of us who live in this experiment are also aware of some other superlatives that could be used to describe the U.S.A. Most of them aren't very popular, so we don't hear them much. But nevertheless, they're true. The most violent nation on earth. That most obese nation on earth. The greatest debtor nation on earth. The most materialistic nation on earth. The most entertained nation on earth. The stories - and the facts to support them - are clearly there. Isn't it odd that they are largely ignored?

I have come to think of it as a human experiment because, frankly, I'm not sure yet if it works. There's mounting evidence that what we have here in the form of a government (democracy) is not a sustainable model. In other words, we cannot indefinitely keep living the way we live as a country. We talk in business of a "sustainable business model." That means a model that can be sustained because it works and doesn't rely on something that it shouldn't. The same could be said of forms of government. (A dictatorship, for example, is only as sustainable as the dictator.)

There is great irony between the stories of the Americans and the stories of the Israelites of Biblical times. As I read the Old Testament especially, I see stories of the nation of Israel. They're stories of both victory and failure. Quite often as I read them, I find myself seeing very strong parallels with the U.S. To say it differently, that nature and character of the Israelite people - as described in the Old Testament - looks very much like the nature and character of the American people as I know it today.

Consider that we were "one nation, under God, indivisible ..." when our founding fathers laid it on the line. This is pretty much where Israel started when it was freed from Egypt and wandered in the desert for 40 years. Going into the promised land, it was certainly God's intent for Israel. But look what happened. Over the years (and centuries), Israel continually lost that position. It usually started with their departure from God. They stopped serving the one true God. They stopped worshipping Him. They ceased to be "under God." And that's where things went awry.

When Israel consciously or subconsciously decided to set God aside, they effectively forgot about Him. At least in their day to day thinking and decision-making. When this happened, they lost their purpose. Soon, everyone did as they saw fit. Everyone had a right to pursue things his or her own way. And they did. Political correctness was more valued than godliness. So everyone did what they individually thought was best. There was no (Biblical) standard by which anyone really lived.

When the Israelites stopped letting God lead them, they began to look suspiciously like the evil people around them (whom God had told them to get rid of and not associate with). And when they started passing laws for their own benefit, they started reacting instead of pro acting. Sadly, they passed laws that set standards for living which were far below God's standards for living.

Of course, if you follow the stories of the Israelites over the centuries, you ultimately see that Israel failed. Despite the fact that it has sovereignty today, it is not "one nation, under God, indivisible ..." In fact, it is a nation that is sharply divided and ineffective for the Lord. At war with itself most of the time, most people realize that there is a very real possibility that Israel will again cease to exist ... perhaps even in our lifetime. Said differently, Israel could fall.

A recent survey indicated that more than half of Americans think it's possible that our entire economy could collapse. I have to confess that I'm not even sure what that means. But I can also confess that I may share their sentiment. Despite the fact that America has the largest economy in the world, I see that it is not a sustainable economy. It isn't based on natural cycles of life. It isn't based on the creation of real value in many cases. Now if our economy collapsed, I would argue that our government is so wrapped up in the economy that it would almost certainly collapse too. How could it not?

I'm not predicting doom and gloom here. Honestly, I love my country. I hope it survives. But I'm watching this human experiment - of which I'm very much a part of myself - and I'm wondering. Can we really pay our debts, create jobs, take care of our people, and help the rest of the world live peaceful, productive lives? I keep looking for evidence that we can. But I'm not finding it.

Instead, my memory of the Israelites haunts me. I remember, for instance, that God gave them victory in great wars. I think He's done that for the U.S. as well. But then I see that, in modern times, America has not won wars - and those wars have been longer and more costly than every. And I remember that the exact same thing happened to Israel in the Old Testament.

So here's the question. Are Americans the modern-day equivalent of the Israelites? And if so, can we really expect to finish any better than the Israelites finished? Only time will tell.

American Greatness

It's the "greatest country on earth." At least that's what we've been told all of our lives. It appears that most Americans have drunk the Kool-Aid on this one too. Most of us have believed all of our lives that America is the greatest country on earth.

There has, for decades now, been an American sense of exceptionalism. Perhaps at one time it was an idealistic and generous form (of exceptionalism). But today it may have become harder and more hubristic. In fact, on closer examination - reading of blogs, editorials and letters to editors of publications, etc. - something else emerges.

It is more a solipsistic brand of exceptionalism that Americans seem to tote around on the bumpers of our cars. Our belief in the superiority of America is more grounded in extreme preoccupation with and indulgence of our feelings, desires, etc. In other words, America is such a great country simply because we feel that way, want it to be that way, etc. We take deep-rooted (albeit self-centered) perspective and simply decree it to be true. And we do so without examining the facts.

Don't get me wrong. I'm an American. I'm proud of my country and I love my country. I am very blessed to be here. And I am more than a little grateful for the life I get to live in this land. That said, I think it takes the effort of some very active imaginations to conjure that America is the "greatest" or "best." Let me explain.

Measuring military strength, yes, we are the mightiest nation on earth. Our spending on defense is more than the next several dozen countries combined. But on many other fronts - which may matter more in determining true greatness - its a different story. Americans turn in a dismal score ... especially when compared to the blessed advantage that we start our performance at.

American children, for example, routinely turn out to be more ignorant of basic subjects like math and geography than their counterparts in other industrialized nations. They are also more likely to die in infancy or grow up in poverty - and those odds are increasing.

Everyone agrees that our health care system is "broken," but we spend more money on health care than anyone. News reports this week state that healthcare consumed more than 17% of all American spending this past year. And yet Americans are not living the longest lives in the world ... or the healthiest. Obesity, diabetes and other diseases are overwhelming our health problems.

There's much talk about America's "crumbling infrastructure"' too. Crumbling roads, creaky bridges and tunnels, railways, sewage and water systems, electricity grids and other parts of our infrastructure are suffering from deferred maintenance.

We have lost so much of our edge in science and technology that even American companies have begun to outsource their research and development efforts --- to third world countries! Of course there's much we could say about sending jobs offshore.

Americans are considerably underemployed and overqualified. Few Americans would tell you that they're performing in jobs which truly challenge them or give them the best ability to contribute. Couple that with the raping and pillaging of corporate finances by executives and shoddy boards --- and you get a dismal picture of corporate America.

It's true that America is first in a lot of areas. That I won't deny. For instance, we are the most generous nation on earth --- giving more money to help the poor around the world than anyone. But not all the ways that we're first are so good. Some are downright awful even.

We have the highest percentage of our overall population incarcerated. In fact, we have more people in prison than repressive regimes like China. We also also have the greatest level of inequality in wealth and income --- where the rich just get richer and the poor multiply rapidly.

We are plagued by the highest incidence of gun violence on earth. And we are slaves to the highest levels of personal debt on earth. Ironically, our government shares that malady by being the greatest debtor government on earth and having the biggest spending deficits on earth.

Americans voluntarily slaughter more babies through abortion than any other nation on earth. And we spend more money on fertility drugs and treatments ... trying to get pregnant with more babies. We also have the highest level of children in the foster care system - removed from abusive and neglectful parents.

Look, I'm not saying that America is not great. But I am a little tired of the flag-waving pollyanna's who don't seem to have a grip on reality. We keep saying that this is the greatest country on earth. But what definition of greatness are we using to draw such a conclusion?

It's time we get a more realistic view of this land that we so love. It will only be when we have an accurate assessment of our true condition that we collectivley roll up our sleeves and get to work at the things that would truly make this the greatest country on earth.

Godly Country

The Old Testament book of 1 Kings tells the history of Israel. It begins with a nation united under the King David, the most devout leader in the nation's history. But the book ends with the nation divided, and the death of Ahab, the most wicked leader of all. What happened?

For starters, the people failed to acknowledge God as their ultimate leader. They didn't submit themselves to Him. They didn't live life God's way. In fact, they got to the parent where they really didn't care what God's will for their lives - or their country - might be.

The Israelites also appointed human leaders who were not so godly and ignored God. Eventually they conformed to the ways of these ungodly leaders. (If the leaders ignored God, how would you think they might lead the people?)

Occasional wrongdoing eventually turned into a way of life for these people. They did what was not acceptable in the eyes of God. Put another way, their blatant wickedness could only be met by judgment from the holy God. He allowed enemy nations to rise up and oppose them. And then Israel, a nation that had historically and miraculously won so many battles and defeated so many enemies, began to experience defeat at the hands of their enemies.

So the moral to this story of course is that failure to acknowledge God as our ultimate leader is the first step toward national ruin.

Now, let's turn our attention to the United States of America. Am I the only one who sees the similarities in our history? The U.S. for so many years was God's chosen nation. We were led by men who respected and revered God. We defeated so many enemies in so many wars. In fact, we were instrumental in restoring Israel to statehood and even protect that status today!

But what have we done? First, more and more we've failed to acknowledge God's lordship in our lives and in our nation. Second, we've elected human leaders who are not so godly. Finally, our lifestyles have continued to migrate to something less than God's will for our lives or our nation.

Why on earth would we expect anything different than what Israel got ... when we take the same road that Israel took? I won't purport to know what God is doing with the U.S.A. I don't know if He's handing us over to our enemies as punishment for our wickedness. But it occurs to me that that is the character and nature of God.

Don't get me wrong. I understand that the U.S. is one of the most generous countries on earth. I also am fully aware that it has many, many godly people living in it. But as a nation, the godliness of some doesn't cancel out the wickedness of many.

So it occurs to me that God's punishment may in fact be what America deserves right now. And the only way to not be deserving of that (punishment) is for us to become a repentant country - turning from our sinful ways and acknowledging God in all our ways.