January 18, AD 2010
Frankly Speaking

Current Events Commentaries from a Biblical Perspective
by Frank Allnutt

America's Number One Problem

Politicians of all stripes passionately promote themselves as having the best answers for healing the ills of America. Many even claim they know better than we do what is best for us and that their brand of government is the change we desperately need to solve our personal problems as well as those of the nation and the world.
    Really?
    Just ask us, the American citizens, because we know what is best for ourselves and our country!
    Really?
    Consider opinion polls. They periodically ask us to rank what we believe are the greatest problems facing America, and most who respond these days list the following (in various orders of priority): jobs, the economy, politics, terrorism, health, and the environment, among others.
    Quite understandably, there is endless, contentious debate from the hallowed halls of Congress to the local lunch counter over how best to solve our personal problems as well as those of our country.
    But, we seem to be going from bad to worse.
    Why? Because the problems perceived by most politicians and most voters are actually symptomatic and not causal. If we attempt to fix only the symptoms and ignore the cause, the problems never really go away. In fact, they get worse.
    Here’s a simple analogy: The normally green leaves on the tree in your yard are turning yellow. You don’t know that the tree is dying from root rot, so your horticultural attention is focused only on the leaves. You will soon have a dead tree.
    In a similar way, if we are serious about wanting to solve personal problems and the problems facing our country, we must start where the rot is taking place—in the heart of man.
    Dave Welch, the founder and executive director of the U.S. Pastor Council and Houston Area Pastor Council, suggests the first step: “We must do a personal and collective ‘heart exam.’ The difficult truth is that most people who call themselves Christians do not think biblically in relation to critical decision making in their families, professions and citizenship. In fact, according to researcher George Barna, in an interview about his book, The Seven Faith Tribes: Who They Are, What They Believe, and Why They Matter, ‘The Casual Christian tribe is especially significant because it represents a huge majority of the nation’s population—two out of every three adults.’
   "What is a Casual Christian?” Pastor Welch asked George Barna. “[Barna's] definition is summarized with, ‘spiritually middle-of-the-road, perhaps even ambivalent about their faith.’ I was taught early in my Christian walk and in political involvement that there are only two things in the middle of the road—yellow lines and road kill. We also call them moderates.”
    The Bible calls them “backsliders,” “fleshly” (or carnal), and as having a “divided heart” as opposed to a “united heart” or “whole heart.” Such a person is half-hearted because he or she functions primarily with the self-focused, soul half of the heart rather than the Christ-centered, united soul, spirit and indwelling Holy Spirit of the whole heart.
    Like Pastor Welch, I also advocate “a personal and collective ‘heart exam.’” And I go to great lengths to promote it by providing you with a Bible-based approach to a self-examination of your heart—right here, right now, on this web site. And it’s entirely FREE! You don’t even have to register or sign in. Just click here and you can start a self-examination of your heart.