Eric Metaxas and Socrates in the City host an evening with author and social critic Os Guinness on the topic, "A Free People's Suicide: Sustainable Freedom and the American Future," September 13, 2012.
This is the best Socrates in the City I've seen so far. It's high time we recognize that freedom cannot exist without morality. If society will not self-regulate their own behavior, a massive government will be required to regulate society's behavior for them. This is the very reason proponents of big government tend to embrace (or even promote) immoral behavior; the more corrupt the society, the more powerful the government.
While there is much I agree with in this talk, I was disappointed that it didn’t get to the root of the problem in our country. The church has mostly been asleep-not just by accepting a place in the upper story only, but also by treating our faith as a Sunday-only social club. Where are the watchmen? Where are the prayer warriors? Even the evangelicals are now accepting a watered down version of the truth. The fault for our nation’s demise rests with the slumbering church. The kind of change will not occur top down. If the people are wicked and immoral, what good will it do to have a man of integrity at the helm? Any change he might help to legislate would be short lived at best. No, true change has to come from the bottom up-in widespread spiritual renewal. And this only happens when the people of God humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways.
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2Chronicles 7:14 It starts with the individual. that is the only thing that is going to turn this around. A return to the Holy Bible and God's sacred principles. and we better do it fast. Nuclear War is clearly looming on the horizon!
George Your optimism is wonderful. I sure do hope you're right. Though, I can't help but let my mind reach that place where I only wonder when the next Hitler will inevitably come around. When the next war will start. When the next time human depravity will be laid bare for a new generation to discover the depths of what man is capable of. I'm not so sure this world has what it takes to overcome it's own shortcomings.
George Dr. Guiness' point however is love without other virtues is self Destructive. While freedom has expanded that freedom is now requiring more government restrictions because we are not governing ourselves. Such a society is unsustainable but self-corrupting.
Don Callaway You are quite right. I believe Ravi Zacharias sometimes talks about this. It's why we need labels on everything, ten sentences long, to simple say: "Don't mess with this ." And why we need thousands of old men in a room to put into an endless stream of words the simple message: "Don't do wrong." Freedom is good, but really only when it used to ensure one is able to do what they ought and what one is allowed by the moral standard in the heart of man, and that is: To do good. Or something like that. Have a good day.
