Can a great nation like America really collapse?
From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham
Q: We are facing yet another ugly election. Many articles are written about the fact that our nation is on the brink of collapse. Can a great nation like America really collapse? — E.D.
A: President Theodore Roosevelt said, “When you educate a man in mind and not in morals, you educate a menace to society.”
Science and education may claim they can solve every human dilemma, but it isn’t true. The problems of hate, lust, greed, and prejudice, which produce social injustice, racial strife, and ultimately war rages on. Our future is threatened by many dangers that hang over our heads. However, the greatest danger is from within.
Every major civilization before us has disintegrated and collapsed from internal forces rather than military conquest. Ancient Rome is the outstanding example of the fall of a civilization. While its disintegration was hastened by foreign invasions, in the opinion of a world-famous archaeologist, it collapsed “only after bribery and corruption had been rife for generations.”
No matter how advanced its progress, any generation that neglects its spiritual and moral life is going to disintegrate. This is the story of man. The present structure of society can disappear and all its progress can be wiped out by self-destruction as a result of man’s failure and folly.
But for those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, there is a fabulous future ahead — the kingdom of God — which already is present in the lives of all believers in Him. The day is coming when there will be no war, no poverty, no boiling political strife. Peace — God’s peace — will reign in the hearts of those who worship Him. There will be a state of complete reconciliation between man and God and between nation and nation.
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(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)
(c)2020 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
