The Bible is clear about basic morality. How is the United States doing?
by John Ross Schroeder
Our apologies to other countries for focusing this article on the United States, but in recent years America has been the unceasing target of an avalanche of media criticism from much of the rest of the world. America is held responsible for the current financial crisis, the Iraqi conflict and several other mega problems now afflicting humanity.
But rather than judging ourselves by worldly criteria, the Bible says that ultimately we will stand or fall by how well our people are living up to the standards and values of God's Word. How are we doing in our Creator's eyes? Are we meeting His expectations?
Let's first consider the current economic crisis--and even more importantly, a few of its basic causes.
Economically, the country is obviously threatened
It's obvious that America is in deep economic trouble. The "big three" automakers (a weather vane for a country so dependent on the automobile) are all in dire economic straits. General Motors (GM) and Chrysler stand on the verge of bankruptcy, and the two are reputedly seeking financial aid from the American government.
According to The Wall Street Journal, "Without a merger and possibly an assist from the U.S. government, two of Detroit 's big three could run out of cash within a year...U.S. car and truck sales are down 13% through September this year. GM sales have fallen about 18% while Chrysler's are down 25%, Ford's sales are down 17% so far this year. Ford's condition isn't considered as grave as that of GM and Chrysler because it has more cash on hand" (Jeffrey McCracken and John Stoll, "Bankruptcy Fears as GM and Chrysler Seek U.S. Aid," Oct. 28, 2008).
Clearly the big three are struggling to survive.
To narrow our financial focus, take a brief look at Vallejo, California.
According to a Guardian (London) article, "The city has financially
gone bust. Pushed over a financial precipice by wider economic woes, Vallejo's
city authority has declared itself bankrupt...
