Never Give Up. Never Surrender.

[GaryDeMar]

Alexis de Tocqueville was a keen observer of American society. Writing from the perspective of the 1830s, the French author concluded that the exceptional virtue, moral fiber, and self restraint shown by Americans were due to the extraordinary influence of the Christian faith in this land. “It was religion that gave birth to the English colonies in America,” Tocqueville wrote.[1]

The religion that Tocqueville wrote about was Christianity. “While the United States embraced ‘an infinite variety’ of religious sects, Christianity stood in this new land as an ‘established and irresistible fact which no one seeks to attack or defend.’”[2] Tocqueville considered America’s religious climate superior to that of Europe.

All foreign visitors to America, Tocqueville noted, agreed that sexual morality was “infinitely stricter” in the new United States than anywhere else in the world. In America, he reported, all books even novels supposed women to be chaste, and no one boasted of amorous adventures. He was astonished to discover that in cases of sexual immorality, both the seduced and the seducer were scorned; he was equally surprised to learn that rape was punishable by death, while in France it was difficult to get any jury to convict rapists, even given much lighter sentences.[3]

The Puritan ethic was solidly entrenched in America prior to Tocqueville’s visit. His observations were later incorporated in his celebrated Democracy in America. But by 1830, European Enlightenment philosophy had gained a foothold in America and was making a significant impact.

Because of the strong influence of Christianity, Enlightenment philosophies were diluted enough so their impact was minimal. Even so, the incremental strides the movement had made were real. Add to this Darwinian evolution (1859), combined with Higher Criticism as propounded by Graf and Wellhausen (1869–1878), and a volatile mix had been concocted to destroy biblical ethics.

Having turned away from the knowledge given by God, the Christian influence on the whole of culture has been lost. In Europe, including England, it took many years in the United States only a few decades. In the United States, in the short span from the twenties to the sixties, we have seen a complete shift. Ours is a post Christian world in which Christianity, not only in the number of Christians but in cultural emphasis and cultural result, is no longer the consensus or ethos of our society.[4]

In all of this man became the interpreter of reality. The Bible was just another book about religion. What Tocqueville saw as differences between European and American worldviews have now become nearly indistinguishable, especially at the academic and political levels. The rallying cry of the nineteenth century was “freedom” without restraint. “To be free was to be modern; to be modern was to take chances. The American century was to be the century of unleashing, of breaking away, at first from the 19th century (as Freud, Proust, Einstein and others had done), and eventually from any constraints at all.”[5]

What we are seeing today is the fruit of a nation’s steady but determined rejection of the Bible. “Everywhere this thinking, rooted in godlessness, bears fruit today we can see that the fruit is bitter. In all areas of life man is trying to take control of his own ship. Meanwhile the ship is out of control, and many live in a state of helpless perplexity.”[6]

The libertines began to turn the ship slowly. They knew it would take time. In terms of television, there is a starting date: November 1, 1972 with the airing of That Certain Summer. This ABC TV-movie featured Hal Holbrook as Doug Salter, a divorced father whose son comes to stay with him for the summer. The boy is shocked to learn that his father has chosen homosexuality and to live with his “lover” (played by Martin Sheen).

The taboo had been broken, and all the king’s horses and all the king’s men could not put the taboo back together again. That Certain Summer was the vehicle the homosexual community needed to make their lifestyle seem normative. They were not after drama, “they wanted propaganda.”[7] Even though homosexuals are a minority, they persisted in normalizing their worldview. They never give up; they never surrender. We’ve won a few small battles in the past week. The Maine anti-homosexual marriage reversal was big. Do you think this 31st setback is going to stop the homosexuals? Don’t count on it. The New York legislature is about to vote on homosexual marriage. It will probably pass. Then it will be up to the voters . . . again!

Endnotes:

[1] Quoted in Allan C. Carlson, “Our National Self Confidence: Understanding its Decline and Supporting its Revival” (Rockford, IL: The Rockford Institute, 1984), 6.
[2] Carlson, “Our National Self Confidence,” 6.
[3] Carlson, “Our National Self Confidence,” 7.
[4] Francis A. Schaeffer, The Great Evangelical Disaster (Westchester, IL: Crossway Books, 1984), 28–29.
[5] Roger Rosenblatt, “What Really Mattered?,” Time (October 1983), 25. Emphasis added.
[6] Eta Linnemann, Historical Criticism of the Bible: Methodology or Ideology?, trans. Robert W. Yarbrough (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1990), 34.
[7] Richard Levinson and William Link, Stay Tuned: An Inside Look at the Making of Prime Time Television (New York, St. Martin’s, 1981), 133. Quoted in Montgomery, Target: Prime Time (New York: Oxford University Press, 1989), 77.

[Thomas]

The Maine anti-homosexual marriage reversal was big. Do you think this 31st setback is going to stop the homosexuals?


With the passage of the recent Hate Crime Bill, then won't this become a privilege and immunity at the Federal level whereby by way of the 14th Amendment, every State prohibiting sodomite marriages become unconstitutional?

[hronaldr74]

You can look at the act of Homosexual behaviour from the top, from the bottom, from the left and from the right, from a distance, or from close up, it is still disobedience to God's Law, and Mankind cannot change the Laws of God Almighty.

The sinful nature of man is clearly stated in Galatians 5:19-21, and includes sexual immorality and carries a warning: 'THAT THOSE WHO LIVE LIKE THIS WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

It is also written in God's Word, in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 that : Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders..........will inherit the kingdom of God.

Therefore, Homosexuals have a choice to make:
1. Repent and turn away from the sin of homosexual activity, and turn to God through Jesus Christ and receive God's Gift of Eternal Life.

2. Continue in your sinful nature as a homosexual offender and be thrown in to the Lake of Fire. The Lake of Fire is the ultimate destination of everything wicked and includes all persons whose names are not recorded in the book of life because they did not place their faith in Jesus Christ.

[Sproutingjewel]

I believe that marriage as a whole as become wholly and completely ubiblical so it matters very very little that homosexuals will get their day to join officially as they already commit the abominable the fact that its a legally binding abomination is of no consequence.

I am completely convinced that to ever see marriage as holy ever again as intended by God it will have to be abolished first by this state who overseas it and has ruined it. All people who wish to be together should draw up contracts as to what each partner is fulfilling and write out in detail how this will be accomplished financially especially if they are heterosexual and are able to procreate. This needs to happen fast as I already see the future of a hyper Child Protective Services taking away poor family children to give to better homes of the rich and homosexual or hetrosexual who don't want to bother with the 9 months trouble.

Once we became a country that actually honored contracts and required there to actually be a contract before (mandatory prenuptial - that clearly states what will happen upon any breakup...custody of children support etc... etc... etc... and each year it would have to be renewed by law) any two entered into an official relationship recognized by the State and the benefits thereof.

Then and only then....would the marriage of the church be together for the purposes of an honorable commitment to God. Those who worked out a lawful agreement before the State could then pursue giving vows before God.....believe me the homosexuals wouldn't bother any at this point.

Marriages under God would be separate and holy and show themselves as light to the world. But at this point we have this quasi religious commitment thing that the State takes over after there has been war, chaos confusion etc... only to make matters worse and all assets by individuals get drained and the people who get hurt hte MOST are the dependents such as children who's parents give all their assets either to the state or to an attorney. Shaming God, shaming the church.... so the homosexuals can point at us and say...."we can do better than that....:

Give God honor again and let holy religious marriages only be for those who take that extra special vow and commitment before God in a church after they've secured a no chaos result if they were to breakup with the State.

This scenario...I've described would definitely produce a better more serious offshoot of true believers and their true marriages...hence God honored irregardless if the whole world was marrying including homosexuals. There are just as many unthinkable hetros as there are homos.

[Thomas]

Mankind cannot change the Laws of God Almighty.

They sure do a good job of making them of none effect.

Continue in your sinful nature as a homosexual offender and be thrown in to the Lake of Fire.

Foregone conclusion and of no import to them, I think the common vows they take are evidence of this. Biblical marriage is a lifelong contract and most vows recognize that in some way, maybe stating "until death do us part," or "as long as we both shall live." The common sodomite vows are "two of the same, together forever" hence they are making contracts that bind them beyond death.

The problem I have is they want to make their warfare with God immanent and drag us into it, when we have peace with God. Gary's title, "Never give up, never surrender" is frightening because they can't give up, they can't surrender - they are as Paul stated, "burned out" in their ethical antithesis against God. Their conscience has been seared.

We desperately need God's law exacting His wrath against their sin in the present and driving them back into the closet.

the fact that its a legally binding abomination is of no consequence.

It's a huge consequence because God judges the social order itself, the rulers and the ruled, when wickedness is established. Oh, and I know several couples that have entered into covenant marriages as against statist contracts, so you have the right to contract and aren't prohibited from doing so.

[jewelsprout]

I believe this entire country's church is truly wasting their time because their premise is wrong.

To say that hetrosexual marriage is the only kind of marriage that honors God is wrong. Unbelieving people cannot dishonor a God they don't belong to. Therefore hetrosexuals who are atheists are not honoring God anymore than a homosexual and his partner. An atheist or false god worshipper is just that. Period.

Romans 2:24

The only people who have the power to honor God, glorify His name, His plan and His Creation are HIS PEOPLE. And judgment for problems begins with US.

What we need to do is remove the benefits that are associated with unions. The tax laws are so that homosexuals look at us and say...why do they get all the breaks when we are just as good as them....we work hard, we share with our "families." We're law abiding citizens.

If we became more Libertarian small government, easy fair tax system....we wouldn't even be having these conversations. Those who wanted to be together would be irregardless and because they wanted to. Those who wanted to honor God and His plan by man and wife would so too because they wanted to and NOT because there was some kind of financial gain to it.

SIMPLIFY GOVERNMENT MONSTROSITY pseudo god in our lives and we WILL NO LONGER HAVE THESE PROBLEMS.

I'd take the fair tax at this point. Taxing wages and property is MEDIEVAL while being counterproductive! Ron Paul's Libertarian types don't like the fair tax as they think its just another vehicle for the Federal Reserve to continue their heist but at least its a move in the right direction....then maybe in 2012 we CAN elect Ron that time around and REALLY GET RID OF UNPRODUCTIVE TAXATION and all the ensuing monstrosity and complicated lives from it.

[JLVaughn]

This whole problem started when we gave the state the power to say who can and can't marry. Licenses are unbiblical.

Before licenses, you could refuse to acknowledge immoral "marriages." Today, what The Man has joined together, let no peon question.

It kind of reminds me when the IRS took over a brothel years ago. The IRS kept it running. As disgusting as it was, it was also ironically fitting.

[Michael R]

As recent as the early 20th century America's covenant heritage was still evident. Englishman G.K. Chesterton described America as the "only nation founded on a creed" and "a nation with the soul of a church". While that nation has since sold its soul for bank credit, we cannot deny that we are not nominally (as Europe) but covenantal Christian. We fight over moral issues that Europe laughs at. We fight over Jesus. We are as religious as ever. Confused to be sure but we cannot get away from the Lord our God. He has not forgotten the covenant commitment of our true founders, the Pilgrims and the Puritans. The only nation founded under the new covenant, the everlasting covenant, America can and will come back to the Lord our God. When we do we will bring the world with us.

" And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it."( Isaiah 2:2)

[Lumberjack]

Dr. DeMar,
I see this article as one in a long series of articles that address the "ills" of society and encourage the Christian people to go and vote for someone to change them.

Rousas Rushdooney wrote " Symptoms are important and sometimes very serious, but it is very wrong and dangerous to treat symptoms rather than the underlying disease." Quote - Noble Savages.

Don't you think it's about time we started dealing with the foundational issues ?

Lumberjack

[RustyCarr]

Don't you think it's about time we started dealing with the foundational issues ?

Lumberjack

Wouldn't a "foundational issue" start with fathers? Didn't our Christian fore-fathers establish schools for their children, before the state took them over? Couldn't fathers get together to do that again in our churches? 2Co 6:17,18

That is the best way to begin. We have failed to equip and unite Christian men on the Truth and love of God. Consider the benefits of taking back (building our own schools) the education of our children. It would be a light drawing people to the Truth, to church to educate their children apart from government nonsense, filth, and unchurched peer pressure.

God has given father's the role to love, lead, teach, provide for, and protect their families. Why aren't we united in doing so? Have Christian leaders failed to impart the importance of God's Truth and His definition of love and HOW TO DO IT? AND THE NECESSITY OF TEACHING IT TO OUR OFFSPRING?

Too much fluffy fog feel-good theology in the pulpit....too many comfort seekers going along with the crowd. No leaders with vision... HELP! The Truth for fathers is a very good foundation.

[charlie.mcnaughton]

The uniquely American morals and opinions, Tocqueville argued, lay within the origins of American society and derived from the peculiar social conditions that had welcomed colonists in prior centuries. Indeed, the basis of much of the colonization was the search for religious freedom, the right to worship the Almighty in one's own way.
Tocqueville has been mis-quoted so many times.. religious freedom means just that ...it does not mean that everyone has to worship Jesus or be Christian.
that is why Jefferson and the founders believed in absolute separation of church and state..

[Thomas]

that is why Jefferson and the founders believed in absolute separation of church and state..

Hilarious!