Ask Dr. E: The election is over, now what?

OPINION:

Dear Dr. E: I am still concerned for our country. As I see it, once the dust settles, America is still saddled with some overwhelming problems. No matter how you slice it, we are a divided nation. Even though the election is behind us, little has changed. Elites still look down their noses at the average citizen. The wealthy still seem to despise the working class. Racial tension is a powder keg ready to blow. Acceptance of abortion is gaining ground. Sexual confusion still tears at our cultural fabric. Our schools, our churches, and our families are all in disarray. Our country is morally adrift in a sea of confusion. I know at least half the country is partying like it’s 1999 because the GOP just won in a landslide, but am I the only one who thinks that we are just whistling past the graveyard? – FELLOW PATRIOT FROM KENTUCKY

Dear Fellow Patriot:  No, you are not alone. I am with you on this one, as are millions of other Americans. One of them is Os Guinness, someone I consider to be among our country’s best Christian thinkers. The following is an excerpt from his newest book, Our Civilizational Moment. It’s a bit lengthy but well worth your attention. (Note: For ease of reading, I’ve taken the liberty of replacing “the West” with “America” throughout this quote).

“What, in fact, is America? Is it simply a matter of representative government, the rule of law, respect for private property, and a free market economy..? Or is America more? Is America not defined by ideas and ideals such as human dignity, human rights, freedom, justice, truth, and open debate..? What of freedom of religion and conscience, freedom of speech, and freedom of assembly? And what of the faith behind all of this?

“How is America doing in grounding these ideals in daily life or transmitting them to the next generation? Do these ideals still need roots and nutrients, or can they be just asserted and left floating in the air? Has America become a ’cut-flower civilization?’ Are American ideals solidly grounded? [Are] Americans even aware of the faith that once made America?

“America is at a critical juncture. It is on the wane for several internal reasons. [We] must re-examine [our] history, [our] identity, [our] ideals, and [our] conscience. [We must ask and answer the questions as to] what made America America, what defines America today, and what does that mean for America and the world?

“Too many Americans show no inclination to think about these things at all. But no one should be so foolish as to hurry past [this] grand inquiry… Only the fool or the blind fail to take note of the precipice on which they are standing. The questions run deep… What is the ultimate reality behind reality? What ought to be our allegiances? And what, therefore, is the vision of life that should inspire us..? Where does ultimate sovereignty lie – in God, in individuals, in the nation, or in some version of a New World Order?

Mr. Guinness concludes:

“Without [answers to these questions], without a comprehensive and constructive vision of life, there can be no unity… Without an overarching master story, there can be no prophetic interpretation… Without solid grounds of trust, there can be neither partnership nor collaboration… And without a profound, rational, and responsible faith, there can only be faltering and decline.”

Os Guinness is absolutely right. Everything he said above not only diagnoses the disease but also implies the cure. If America is to be great again, we must understand what made us great in the first place. Only by reviving the defining principles that initially served as the soil of our nation’s flowering will the “plant of liberty” continue to grow.

Alexis de Tocqueville once said, “America is great because she is good. If America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” Isn’t this, after all, why you and I and over 70 million other Americans just voted the way we did? Now it’s time for us to get to work cultivating and reviving the faith that made us both good and great from the start.

If you are seeking guidance in today’s changing world, Higher Ground is there for you. Everett Piper, a Ph.D. and a former university president and radio host, takes your questions in his weekly ’Ask Dr. E’ column. If you have moral or ethical questions for which you’d like an answer, please email askeverett@washingtontimes.com and he may include it in a future column.