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The Lost Generation of Freedom and Values

by John Clark 
07/03/17
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At the time of this writing I am 68 years of age. I have lived through one, maybe two, generations, depending on how one defines this period of time. The point is that I have been around long enough to witness a dramatic shift in morals, spiritual belief, and traditional values. Most of what we are seeing today, along with all of the terrorism, degrading passions, depraved thinking, and a lack of moral compass toward morals and evil, was unheard of in my generation. It was not common even five years ago!

The younger generation really does not know how things used to be! They are growing up in a society of cop killings, mass shootings, civil unrest, and even assasination attempts against those of a different political persuasion. The Muslim mayor of London went so far as to say that citizens should get used to terrorism as being "part and parcel" of life in the big city. They are seeing adults like Kathy Griffin and Ken Jennings who think it is funny to hold up a severed, bloodied head of President Trump or to bully young children. The younger generation knows no differently. They are witnessing the erosion of free speech and religious liberty when even Christian schools are being attacked for teaching basic Christian doctrine. Some have lost the freedom of reaping the benefits of growing up in traditional families. Even in America children are growing up in a post-freedom society and don't know it. Ronald Reagan said that "freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction...


It is not just the end of freedom we once knew, but a progression of thinking in some of the public schools, including those in America. Bob Unruh, of WDN, recently stated, "They're exposed to LGBT teaching, evolution, a revisionist form of American history, Islam, and worse."


What Abby Day of Goldsmith, University of London, said in reference to the decline of the Church of England, can be said of the younger generation in America. We are seeing the "last generation whose values are centered on nation, family, and God."  She further stated that the church "is devoid of new recruits to form an active laity."

The traditional values of my generation are being eroded by five opposing ideologies: the LGBT agenda, satan worship, apostacy, Christian persecution, and Islam. In reference to the last two items, the United States was for the first time, in 2016, on the list of nations that persecutes Christians. Teresa May, Prime Minister of the UK, tied the rise of Islam with the loss of traditional values. She said, "It is an ideology that claims our Western values of freedom, democracy, ad human rights are incompatible with the religion of Islam."

What difference one or two generations make. Ronald Reagan was correct. We are right now experiencing what he predicted could happen. The disregard for God and biblical truth has been subtle and gradual over the past six decades of my life, but has intensified dramatically in just the last five years! It's unfortuante and sad. 

Right now Christians who have put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and who have made the Bible their source of divinely inspired truth can be a beacon of hope, peace, and eternal salvation in the midst of the current world conditions. In the meantime we must be prepared, stay informed, expect opposition and persecution, and above all, keep strong in the faith. 
 
"Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might"(Ephesians 6:10).