Bridging the Red-Blue Divide

NOVEMBER 7, 2004
by GREGORY J. RUMMO

What if the armies of the Lord picked up and dusted off their swords? Vowed to set the captive free and not let Satan have one more? What if the church, for heaven sake, finally stepped up to the plate? Took a stand upon God’s promise and stormed hell’s rusty gate?              
                              What if His People Prayed—Casting Crowns

          WHEN MY WIFE was pregnant with our first child, a young mother told me that having children was a wonderful experience. “Your only regret will be that you didn’t have them sooner,” she said.

            At the time, I wasn’t all that certain what she meant but I suspended comments until November 20, 1988 when our first son was born.  

            I quickly realized that young mother was right. Having children is indeed a wonderful experience with the emphasis on the word experience.

One cannot enjoy theoretical children. Reading about them or studying them is not enough. Like many things in life, they must be experienced to be appreciated and understood.

            The same can be said about the “moral issues” that media pundits claim propelled George W. Bush to a second term in the White House and defeated same-sex marriage in all eleven states where it appeared on the ballot.

            Traditional American morality has as its source the Bible and most notably Christianity. But neither can be grasped in theory only. They must be embraced—experienced, if you will—in order to be appreciated and understood. And the only way that is possible is for individuals to embrace Christianity’s author, Jesus Christ in a very personal way.            

The frustration experienced by perplexed Democrats swooning in the wake of that sea of red states making up America’s geopolitical map is the latest evidence for America’s great cultural divide. Liberals are scratching their heads, trying to understand the reasons for the morality chasm that exists between them and mainstream America and why values continue to be so important. But they’ll never find the answers until they search their hearts.

            Not every American who embraces traditional family values does so with an acute awareness of the Bible’s teaching about every theological nuance. For some it may be nothing more than having been raised in a home where a vestige of Christian values, handed down from the previous generation, has proved sufficient to influence behavior. Indeed, ask some people why they believe the way they do and many cannot give an answer deeper than “I just know it’s the right thing to do.”

            Such a priori reasoning is further evidence of the power of Christianity in American society to influence behavior—and not just at the polls. No wonder the history revisionists—that’s a polite phrase for atheists—want the Ten Commandments, Nativity displays and other symbols of Christianity removed from the public eye. They serve as nagging reminders—conscience pricks—for them and the other blue-state elitists who can only ridicule what they do not understand.

            Last December, US News & World Report featured a cover story about evangelical Christians in America. The article pointed out that according to a Gallup survey, “roughly four out of 10 Americans identify themselves as evangelical or born-again Christians.” It is this group’s involvement in politics that was largely responsible for the Election Day stunner that has liberals wringing their hands.

But an even greater responsibility for evangelicals transcends politics: It is their God-given calling to lovingly make the case for traditional morality by sharing the Gospel among those who denigrate its importance .

            Mort Kondracke joked with Jim Angle on FOX NEWS several days after the election that liberals should go to Bible school to help them understand why 59 million Americans voted the way they did.

             Kondracke was exactly right.

If you liked this column, there's more in Rummo's new book, published in August 2004, "The View from the Grass Roots - Another Look." It's 536 pages of sometimes humorous, sometimes poignant and almost always provocative commentary on American Culture. $19.95 shipping and handling included. Click here for more information.

It is the responsibility of those “four out of 10 Americans”—the evangelicals who claim to embrace the Bible as their guidebook for life—to be salt and light in a culture that is steeped in spiritual darkness and rotting from within. And if judgment would first “begin at the house of God,” as the apostle Peter wrote, this would open the door for America’s only hope: A true revival in the 21^st century.

The Rebirth of America, a book produced by the Arthur S. DeMoss Foundation describes in a chapter entitled “The Awakening of America,” the great revivals that spread through this country during different periods in its history. In the revival of 1740, 25,000-50,000 people were added to churches in New England at a time when the population was only 300,000.

During the Second Great Awakening which began around 1800, thousands were swept into churches, “more than 10,000 in Kentucky alone between 1800 and 1803.”

But in 1905, a revival occurred that shook the nation. So profound was its influence that “ministers of Atlantic City reported that of a population of 50,000 in that city, they knew of only 50 adults who were unconverted. In Portland Oregon, 240 department stores closed each day from 11 to 2 for prayer and signed an agreement among them that no one would cheat and stay open.”

A revival, which always produces conversions, would undoubtedly include members of the perplexed liberal crowd. And those conversions—genuine salvation experiences—would finally be the event to lead them to understand what the red–blue divide is all about. n

 Gregory J. Rummo is an author and syndicated columnist. His latest book, “The View from the Grass Roots—Another Look,” was just published. Visit GregRummo.com  for more information.