America’s Growing Infidelity

Anymore, infidelity is only news when it involves someone very famous or very hypocritical. The Bible describes adultery in much more serious terms than most people today do and uses it as an analogy of the unfaithfulness of God’s people toward Him. Has America been faithful to her heritage and her God?

Last week another celebrity admitted to being unfaithful to his wife. He joins the ever increasing list of Americans committing adultery.

But is this just a symptom of an even bigger problem of infidelity on a national scale? Let’s begin by considering, Is America being unfaithful to her founding fathers?

America was founded with deep religious roots

In the early days of the United States, Americans wanted God’s favor. It wasn’t uncommon for people to fast and pray for God’s direction. People prayed privately and publicly. In fact, those who didn’t seek God were in the minority!

French historian Alexis de Tocqueville was so impressed when he visited America in 1831 that he wrote a book, Democracy in America. In that book he wrote, “There is no country in the whole world in which the Christian religion retains a greater influence over the souls of men than in America” (third edition, 1939, translated by Henry Reeve, vol. 1, p. 303).

Manifest destiny and America’s real heritage

Many were convinced that God orchestrated events to help America succeed. James Madison said, “It is impossible for the man of pious reflection not to perceive in it a finger of that Almighty hand which has been so frequently and signally extended to our relief in the critical stages of the revolution” (Federalist Papers, No. 37).

Historian John Fiske wrote that the founding fathers came to America to “lay the everlasting foundations of God’s kingdom on the earth.” He wrote that they thought they were “like the children of Israel” (The Beginnings of New England, pp. 304-305).

It’s no coincidence America’s founding fathers believed in manifest destiny. Their idea of being a special people should be considered with an open mind, because careful study of the Bible and history show that America and many other English-speaking countries are the descendants of ancient Israel—God’s birthright people.

But America has been unfaithful to the God who made her great, and that is why we need to be concerned. The Bible shows the terrible results of unfaithfulness to God. America’s ancestors were also unfaithful, and their unfaithfulness ended in tragedy.

Ancient Israel’s unfaithfulness to God

In Ezekiel 16, God addressed the unfaithfulness of Israel. God begins the chapter describing Israel as a newborn baby girl who was thrown into a field to die. God took pity on the infant and made her part of His family. With God’s help, the baby grew into a beautiful woman with great honor in the world.

But, as the chapter continues, we see that Israel does not cherish what God has done for her. Rather, she perverts her beauty by performing sexually immoral acts.

God pleads for Israel to return to Him, but she refuses. Finally, God allows Israel to reap the bitter consequences of her unfaithfulness to Him. Israel’s lovers turn against her, and she is stripped, plundered and left to die.

The adultery described in this chapter symbolizes the spiritual adultery the nation of Israel committed against God.

Because of Israel’s unfaithfulness, God divorced her (Jeremiah 3:8). God scattered His chosen people and allowed them to go into captivity because they turned their back on God, His laws and His holy days and made other things more important than maintaining a close and faithful relationship with Him (Ezekiel 20:23-24).

America’s rise to power

Yet even though God scattered our ancestors, He remembered His covenant with Abraham, promising that the children of Israel would be a great people at the end time.

Our founding fathers witnessed God’s hand fulfilling prophecy in bringing America to greatness! America became a blessing to the world, just as the Bible said.

America’s unfaithfulness to God

For decades many leaders in America acknowledged God and looked to Him for strength. But now we have removed God from just about everything. Indeed, “Israel has forgotten his Maker” (Hosea 8:14).

Instead of looking to God, America now looks to other nations for help, using treaties and foreign aid to pay her “lovers” (Ezekiel 16:33; Hosea 8:9).

America has adopted many foreign customs, even though God says, “Take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them … saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods? I also will do likewise’” (Deuteronomy 12:30).

Today we see pride, haughtiness, gluttony, idleness and sexual immorality. These were the very things that contributed to God’s destruction of ancient Sodom (Ezekiel 16:49-50).

Unless America returns to God, history will repeat itself

When we go back to the story in Ezekiel 16, it becomes clear. Unless America repents of her unfaithfulness, she will be plundered, scattered and eventually be taken into captivity.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. God says that “if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

So in light of the economic troubles, military entanglements and recent disasters that are affecting our country, what would our founding fathers have done? Wouldn’t they have prayed and repented and sought God? If we don’t, then the history spelled out in the Bible will repeat itself.

To learn more about what God expects and about what He offers—the good news of the Kingdom of God—be sure to read our booklet The Mystery of the Kingdom.

Tim Groves is a member of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association. He and his wife, Teresa, along with their four children, live in South Carolina.