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Several years ago I wrote a column called Poverty of Values. It's a term coined by Dan Quayle. Remember him? Vice President? It was in a great speech, which I can't find now. However, as we watch the private lives of many celebrities being pinpointed with the light of truth exposing some scandalous behavior, that term keeps echoing in my head.

I heard a senator say that society values have changed since Bill Clinton, and what was “boy being a boy” in the oval office wasn't so bad way back then, but horrifying today. Really? Rape is still punishable by death in the Bible. Pornea, sexual perversion, is still an abomination according to God.

In his speech, Mr. Quayle was talking about inner city families without fathers, and those who live in poverty-stricken areas in urban America. But he may as well have been talking about society in general. When someone can assert on TV with all sincerity that if a person wants to call himself a female and acquire a multi-million dollar contract while claiming to be a woman-owned, single-owner business to be perfectly within his rights to gain that contract, that's not just poverty of values, it is depravity of values. The mentality today is that it's perfectly fine for a person to claim to be Napoleon, or transracial, or transgender instead of it being considered mental illness. Where does this thinking come from? Directly from Satan the Father of Lies.

One might ask, "Where are the Christians? What are they doing about all this?"

Is the problem too big? Are there not enough Christians – those true believers who are the church in hearts and minds – to go into the world to stand up for integrity, morality, and Christian values? Are we without tongues that we stay silent while our country goes to Hell in a hand basket?

In fact, Mr. Quayle voiced something that social psychologists are only now realizing. "When family fails, society fails." For a long time, I believed this kind of thinking came from the "Me" society norms, and the feel-good mentality that rose out of the turbulent 60s and 70s. He mentions this, too, and I heartily agree with him. But it's much worse than that.

In public today, we mouth platitudes to seem aligned with moral values, but in secret we are depraved. Why am I using the “we?” Because Christians have a responsibility to restrain the rampant spiraling down into perversion. Are we speaking out against it? Are we holding our siblings in Christ accountable? I believe the true believers, the heart of the church, are doing just that. But unfortunately there are so few of us, our voices are being drowned out.

Let's never forget that women do hold the responsibility to dress modestly, to maintain decent speech, and to keep purity of thoughts in order to protect ourselves from unwanted advances. According to one Secret Service agent, Monica Lewinsky relentlessly pursued Bill Clinton in all kinds of sexual ways. She might not have been wearing a seductive, low-necked, cleavage-hanging-out blue dress, but her actions invited lewd and lascivious behavior. Solomon warned against this in Proverbs.

I do not understand why so many assume the guilt of one man without evidence and excuse the evidence of guilt of another. I do not understand why after 10 years or 20 years or 30 years accusations fly in the face of imminent election, but immediacy of accusation resulted in nothing except a wrist slap to a sitting president. I do not understand why jokes were constantly offered about the open secret of sexual abuse happening in Hollywood for decades, but only today people are talking about it as a problem and scandalous behavior.

I'm pretty sure this generation has not suddenly grown a conscience. I'm pretty sure that once the egg is cracked and everything is out in the open, people are being forced to deal with it.

Dan Quale also said in his speech:

So, I think the time has come to renew our public commitment to our Judeo-Christian values in our churches and synagogues, our civic organizations and our schools. We are, as our children recite each morning, one nation under God.

We were publicly reminded about this more than two decades ago, our pastors preach about this every Sunday, but somehow nothing has changed. Jesus promised that the light of truth would shine into all the corrupt nooks and crannies and dark corners. Like scattering roaches, the perverted will scramble to get back to the darkness.

What should Christians do about it? Perhaps, making sure our godly principles do not waver when truth happens to be inconvenient. Perhaps, bathing our country and leaders in prayer every day morning, noon, and night as Daniel did. Perhaps, taking to heart what God told Solomon:

2 Chronicles 7:14 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.

"The Way" from Kevin Pauley

A Healing of the Soul