A Vacuum for Evil or Good

By: American Decency Staff

Darkness may best be defined as an absence of light; cold may best be defined as an absence of heat; and perhaps the decline of a nation may best be defined as the absence, or withdrawal, of God.  Nature cannot tolerate a vacuum and neither will societies; as a void is created, something will fill it.  As a nation drifts further from its spiritual moorings and away from the One True God, it leaves a vacuum that humanism, secularism, and any other host of man-made “-isms” rush in to fill.  The hand of Providence pulls back, leaving only the evils which fill the heart of man; which then, man fashions into a god of his own image and making. 

Sir Alex Fraser Tyler, a Scottish jurist and historian, describes this vacuum in stages which are so subtle that one hardly recognizes the pull on their society until they are so “sucked in” that it would almost seem hopeless, in his writing of The Cycle of Nations.

"From bondage to spiritual faith.

From spiritual faith to great courage.

From courage to liberty.

From liberty to abundance.

From abundance to selfishness.

From selfishness to complacency.

From complacency to apathy.

From apathy to dependency.

From dependency back again into bondage."

As the American people during the American Revolution embraced God and His divine Hand of Providence, so the French devoted themselves to secularism.  The results of those revolutions and the societies which followed were vastly different.  As America has left her spiritual moorings and has been embracing humanism and secularism, the destinations we seem to be heading for, if we are not careful, will be one in the same.  America has refused to heed the warning of William Penn and is finding the truth of his words to be shackles around our liberties of today, including our religious liberties:  “A people who will not be ruled by God are destined to be ruled by tyrants.”

We have been warning you that this is a battle of theologies; that it’s a battle between the violent, irrational, murderous commands of Allah against the unbelieving infidel and the “theology” of rational thought in Western civilization which says live and let live.  The problem is that secularism is no match for an assertive theology like Islam.  The greater force will fill the vacuum’s void and Islam seems currently to be that greater force found around the world.

There was a time when “Christian” nations were a force which held these evils at bay.  “Christian” nations would join in the fight for human rights, to strive for freedom, and to spread the gospel to every land.  American Christianity, since before the birth of our nation, was an assertive theology.  It did not force its beliefs upon others but neither would it allow other forces to infringe upon the religious rights of those individuals found to be under her protection.  American Christianity was assertive for the good of the whole, but not violently abusive to those who were in opposition to it.

These were not times of mere religious observance; but rather they were times of religious experience with a vital relationship with Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith.  There was observance and obedience but it stemmed from a people whose hearts desired holiness. They were not the mere outward trappings of holiness; it was a holiness which stemmed from the heart experience of meeting with God.

As a people move from experience to mere observance there is a vacuum that is created and an even greater danger of what will fill that space.  Mere observance results from a people who are close to God with their lips but their heart is far from Him.  It only takes a generation to quickly move from observance to non-observance.

All across Europe and England there’s an ever increasing number of churches which are becoming unoccupied or being used for something other than the ecclesiastical purposes for which they were built.  The fact that these churches are there shows us that Christianity was vital and that it had done its part to hold various evils at bay for some time, while encouraging a growing and personal relationship with Jesus.  The fact that they are empty speaks to the massive effect that secularism and humanism has had on that community and country.  It’s also says to their shame that these churches did not promote an aggressive theology which encouraged its people to “look unto Jesus” and He alone.

An alarming shift is happening in America and around the world; not only are churches closing but there’s a rise in the number of mosques that are opening.  It’s important to recognize that a mosque is not just another church; it’s a training center for jihad (holy war against all that is not in compliance with Islam).  WND reports,

“Frank Gaffney, a former Pentagon official who runs the Center for Security Policy, says the results of the survey have not yet been published. But he confirmed that “the vast majority” are inciting insurrection and jihad through sermons by Saudi-trained imams and anti-Western literature, videos and textbooks.”

Also citing, “The project, headed by David Yerushalmi, a lawyer and expert on sharia law, has finished collecting data from the first cohort of 102 mosques and schools. Preliminary findings indicate that almost 80 percent of the group exhibit a high level of sharia-compliance and jihadi threat…”

Currently in America we see churches closing and churches opening; we see people moving from one church to another.  The question to ask is:  Which is the bigger impact, the church on society or society on the church?  Which is more aggressive in our nation:  secularism, Christianity, or Islam?

More and more we see secularism being aggressive, intimidating, and irrational.  Islam, by their own admission, is aggressive, theological, and violent.  The church is called to be aggressive but not violent; it is called to stand firm and courageous in order to walk in obedience to God, regardless the circumstance (Joshua 1:7-9).  It is called to live out its highest love for others by showing the deadliness of sin, the need and provision of a Savior, and the fact that Jesus is coming again to judge this world.

We are at a crucial crossroads in our history.  Will the church slip away into the night leaving nothing more than religious observance until even that is gone and the buildings alone are the remembrance of a holy day gone by; or will she be revived and renewed with a vital, aggressive faith that even the gates of hell shall not prevail against?

There IS a vacuum; will it be filled by the aggressive theology of violent Islam or with the love of Christ?

What will successfully fill the vacuum that the departure of aggressiveness in the church has left?  The prophet Zechariah gives us good direction; we must call upon God for only the LORD and His favor will bring His church to the effectiveness which He intends us to have.  “… ‘Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the LORD and to seek the LORD of hosts; I myself am going.’”  God Himself calls His people to humble prayer, seeking His face in repentance so that He might hear their prayers, forgive their sin, and heal their land (2 Chron. 7:14).

Only God and the power of His Holy Spirit moving the Church to obedience will make Christianity aggressive in love once more to meet the needs of this hurting world.  Join us as we host author and speaker Terry Slachter this Friday, January 16, 2015 at 7:00 pm.  For more information on this event click here.

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