American History through the Eyes of Awakening

[Jay]

Marriage, Birth, and Abortion are issues that contain within them information that points toward both our potential salvation and our possible demise as a culture. The current day meanness of our culture, clash of world views, discovery that the Golden Age after the fall of the Iron Curtain was really just cheap polished brass all point at History in interesting ways. Almost exactly one long lifetime ago (the Biblical definition of a Generation), Americans came out of great wartime victory in 1918 only to face pandemic flu, cultural upheaval, meanness, organized crime taking over American cities, economic catastrophe, and more. Yet, the young couples with kids in the 1910s and 1920s returned to faith, rigorous education, discipline, hard work, and home. They raised a group today known as the Greatest Generation that went off to free Europe and Asia from tyranny in WWII. That potential resides within us but my analysis tends to point at a much tougher scenario. Our leaders today – especially the candidates for President – reflect the fact that the Spiritual Awakening (1965-1983) of our Generation was a divided awakening. There are those who went or would have gone to Woodstock and there are those who went or would have gone to Focus on the Family conferences. As one examines the candidates for President, that pivot point of Woodstock or Focus on the Family defines their youth and how they will lead. It also defines which ones invest in death culture vs. the ones who get married, have kids, and populate the Red States. Divided Awakenings are not good. There is a good chance that rather than facing our significant external threats, America could spend 50 years facing inward toward deadly cultural struggles then finally look back out to see that demographics handed Europe and Africa to Islam. Here is the Question - How do we proclaim the Gospel to a culture in the middle of the generational effects of a Divided Awakening?