I finished reading the book I recommended a few days ago—The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes. It was as good as I thought it would be. Even though I thought I knew a lot about the Great Depression, it opened my eyes to the extent of the reach of the government at that time. For a while, it seemed as if all private business was at a standstill due to the desire to have the government control everything. For instance, FDR’s goal was to turn all power companies into government-run agencies. It kind of reminded me of the current situation, where last week Treasury Secretary Geithner said the government should have greater control over insurance companies that might fail. Will it stop there?
What is the difference between the Depression years and now? Why didn’t the government succeed at that time in taking over everything? As I read the book, it became clear that the people continued to maintain certain beliefs that wouldn’t allow it to happen. The government had changed, but the basic beliefs of the people of America had not.
Today, we are undergoing a cultural revolution that did not occur in the 1930s. The Christian basis for our society is under attack. We may no longer have the spiritual reserves to stop the revolution. The current administration may be more successful than FDR’s in transforming the government into a nanny.
We are at the tipping point. There are enough Christians in America to make the difference. The sad reality is that too many of them don’t see the danger. In fact, too many seem to be in favor of the change. We need to heed the Biblical call to renew our minds so we might know the will of God.