Conservative political commentator Michael Medved calls America “the greatest nation on God’s green earth,” and we agree. It is backsliding spiritually, degrading morally, its liberties are under attack, and there are many woes, as we point out regularly in this publication, but in the broad context of the world today America remains unique. We would mention just a few examples. There is more personal freedom than any other nation. America’s famed Bill of Rights has been weakened by activist courts, but there is still great liberty in comparison with other nations. There is more true justice than in the vast majority of nations. There are more NT churches and born again Christians. There are more economic opportunities. There is more equality, more opportunities for “minorities.” There is more freedom for gun ownership and thus self-defense. There are more private schools and home schools than any other country. There is a much larger conservative constituency than other countries. By conservative we mean such views as pro-life, pro traditional marriage, less government regulation, anti-globalism, anti-socialism, pro freedom of religion and freedom of speech, educational freedom, and effective immigration control. America has a very large and aggressive conservative media. About half of the nation voted for Donald Trump and his conservative agenda. Conservatives are represented politically by the Republican party, which controls the U.S. Senate and picked up at least nine seats in the House of Representatives, “putting them in close range to regain the House in 2022.” Republicans fully control the governments of 24 states (called a trifecta), compared with 15 states for Democrats, and control both chambers of the state legislatures in another 7 states, for a total of 31. (In 1975, Democrats held 37 trifectas, so Republicans have gained considerable power at the state level over the past 45 years.) In 2020, Republicans increased their control of the 99 state legislative bodies from 58 to 62. This is more than at any point in the nation’s history. The Republican Party is steadily increasing its support among blacks and Hispanics.
(Friday Church News Notes, November 20, 2020, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)