It's very charming, really; I mean, we are such a friendly nation. We want to be buddy-buddy with God.
It's the result of generations of Americans who got closer to the Lord by reading the Bible and going to Church. They found a profound intimacy with God through their relationship with Jesus. This was all good in its day; but there were to be pitfalls. When one has intimacy with Jesus, one has to be responsible in the way he or she conducts themselves. It's like being a favorite child; there is room for being loved, and be coddled even. However, this could run into problems. Others don't understand, especially those who are a bit more reserved and religiously correct.
That's why it's called a personal relationship. In a personal relationship there have to be some secrets. One has to be a bit more cautious in speaking out. It's harder to preach to others, because one's knowledge cannot be easily shared; people just won't understand. Still, it's not a bad thing; I'm not saying it's bad to have a personal relationship with the Lord.
However, personal relationships with God cannot be maintained for more than a century, or the lifetime of an individual who has such a relationship. And they are not transferable to some other member of a family, let's say. Every individual develops their own personal relationship with God through Jesus. Other religions don't understand; in fact, they are offended. How could a Christian claim to have a personal relationship with God? Who is he anyway; does he have an exclusive relationship with God? What gives him the right? Who does he think he is anyway? What's so special about him? Well, you get the drift.
With the proliferation of churches and denominations, no one could make any such claims anymore. The Baptists, Presbyterians, Methodists, and the rest of the mainline churches, began to be less vocal about the subject, and finally today nobody sticks their neck out to openly claim any special relationship to God. We're pretty much secular now -- secular Christians, that is. We don't have the credibility we used to have as Christians. There are no authorities left that can command universal respect. The fire and brimstone preachers are mostly gone. The charismatic pastors are more subdued. The US religious fervor has been neutralized. There are too many other religions besides Christianity with their own take on who is favored and who is not. We can't have an open forum of ideas on Christianity anymore. There is too much contentiousness. Nobody knows what's going on anyway. There are millions of religious books and interpretations, each with their own axe to grind.
As a result of all this, the fear of God is gone from the hearts of most Americans. The ones who used to have personal relationships with God, don't speak openly anymore, for fear of being ridiculed. The ones who feared God and tried to do His will, by reading the Bible or by listening to their pastor or priest, don't know who to look up to these days. There are so many versions of the Bible and so many churches. People are genuinely confused.
But getting back to the fear of God makes more sense these days, nevertheless. Because at least it's a starting point. Fear of God can be a healthy thing where so many religions are clamoring for ascendancy. Fear of God is at least a recognition of God. From there it's easier to get back to who is God and why He created the universe.
And from there it's also possible to consider if God has a Son and if the Son came to the world two thousand years ago? Was His name Jesus, was it Emmanuel, and was He the Messiah prophesied by the Scriptures? Christians will have to build from scratch. They have lost the ability to convince anyone in believing that God is all love and that God doesn't hurt anyone. People want an all loving God or nothing. They don't want to sacrifice. These are hard times; nobody has any patience anymore. It's not just Attention Deficit Disorder; it's plain old lack of patience. People want immediate gratification. If cocaine can give it to them, why not God? If God is all-powerful, then He should be able to do that. Well, He can; but it's not going to be like a cocaine high; it never was that way. God cannot be manipulated. Since He's God, He has His ways. Since He's Holy, He doesn't have to submit to anyone's opinions or judgments.
The Lord has given us the Scriptures so we can find our way back to Him. His will is written. It is attested to. People have sacrificed themselves to maintain His words. We can get back to Him. We must begin again with fear and trepidation and beg for his blessings and forgiveness.
As for personal relationships and the desire to become born again, those are still available for His children. His love is sufficient for all and available to anyone who recognizes Him. All one has to do is open their heart and consider what was recorded in the original Scriptures.
Oct. 20, 2011