Has a culture ever become as depraved as ours...AND THEN TURNED IT AROUND?
I don’t know, but I do know the true cure is individual faith (evangelism and discipleship) that leads to true and real repentance through the Blood of Jesus Christ and His Resurrection!
re: “Has a culture ever become as depraved as ours...AND THEN TURNED IT AROUND?”
Good question. I know that many people thought the 1920’s was a period of great decadence, primarily in the cities. But, rural America, small-town America, I don’t think it was that way.
After the Civil War there was also great upheaval and change.
Usually, America would move back to it’s religious roots - called “revivals”, maybe not always on par with the “Great Awakening”, but enough that it actually move the culture toward more peaceable and moral behavior.
Something happened after WW2. What was the source of the “discontent” that came to fore during the 1960’s with the anti-establishment crowd? Just Communism? Just Madelyn Murray O’Hare?
There was tremendous prosperity following WW2 which began during the latter part of the 1950’s and going into the 1960’s. Did we become too self-reliant apart from God? Did we start presuming upon God’s grace toward us? I don’t know.
I do know it’s difficult to maintain proper focus on true priorities in life when most of our needs are not only met, but most of our wants as well. I think our nation began to think we didn’t really need God to take care of us - we can do it ourselves. We’ve got the greatest military power on earth - who can hurt us? Our economy runs the world (we thought), it’s always going to be growing up and up.
God is still in our national psyche, but He’s WAY down on the list of life priorities for most Americans.
I’m not pointing the finger, I’m just musing. I’m not against prosperity or economic growth, capitalism, free market - I’m all for that. I want our military to be the best - I think they are the best of our young adults and I thank God for their hard work and sacrifice.
But, I think we sometimes forget what Jesus once said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God.” Jesus was not against being wealthy. He was just observing the simple truth that if you think you are totally self-sufficient, many, many wealthy people often feel they have no need for God. I think a nation can make the same mistake.