Is the malignant influence of the 1960s finally coming to an end? Let's hope so!
"The Roe v. Wade decision came at a time of great, perhaps unprecedented, moral confusion, political failure, and self doubt in our nation," declares Allan Carlson of the Howard Center for Family, Religion & Society. "The America of 1963 -- an America of seemingly strong families, Judeo-Christian values, and apparent religious renewal -- this America had a decade later become almost a different place."
Something happened in those 10 intervening years to change our national culture from one of life to one of death. "Strange ideologies or world views had taken root in an America torn by an unpopular war and racked by self doubt," Carlson observes in a recent issue of The Family in America, a monthly publication of the Howard Center. "This was a time of open war on human nature, and on human fertility, one directed in particular against women," he contends. "Yes, a war on women, a hostility to families with children, and a drug culture based on moral nihilism [that] almost destroyed our nation."
Bemoaning the fact that "America's churches and synagogues were -- in general -- terribly silent during this time of upheaval," Carlson recalls that "many of the mainline Protestant churches had become openly contemptuous of Christian sexual standards." The tide may have turned, however. Noting that "the number of annual abortions in America is falling," Carlson concludes that "pro-life witness and public education about the real nature of abortion have been primary causes of this change." He emphasizes that "abortion remains a central political issue, one that no candidate or legislator can ignore." Carlson also argues that "we are beginning to win the contest for family renewal. The abortion issue has always been embedded in broader attacks on and retreat from family living. The social sciences," he reports, "are producing a wealth of data on the importance of marriage and child-rearing within marriage. . . ."
The most promising new development is the reawakening of the churches, says Carlson, citing upward trends in church attendance and in the professed belief in the power of prayer. "If we but open our eyes and ears," Carlson exhorts, "there are portents or signs all about us that a new Great Awakening is at work in this land."
Maybe you don't see these signs and portents. Maybe you're not one of the ever-growing number of lost sheep returning to the fold. Maybe you don't believe in the power of prayer. If you've lost your faith, or never had it, but would like a convincing demonstration of the power of prayer, then this challenge is for you. It is now mid-September. In six months it will be mid-March. Start today and pray for faith. Pray for faith every day, at least once a day, for six months. Pray sincerely, pray with all your heart, and one day next spring you'll suddenly notice that all your doubts have vanished. In their place you'll find an abiding faith, and you'll never question again the power of prayer.
