We have found the Declaration of Independence, the Gettysburg Address, and the Pledge of Allegiance all confirm that our nation was founded with an acute awareness that we are responsible and accountable to our creator and God.

Did you know that, in 1956, the 84th Congress passed a joint resolution to make “In God We Trust” our national motto?

Our founders believed that as a nation, we trust in God. The phrase “In God We Trust” first appeared on American coins in 1864 and was added to paper currency in 1957.

Think about how far our nation has drifted away from God. The drift away from God, though subtle over the years, is becoming more blatant.

How many major American corporations would tolerate you coming to work and proclaiming that you trust in God?

How would it go for a principal in a public school to begin the day by announcing a reminder to all of the students that we trust in God?

That would be offensive to some. I am sure others would threaten to pull their kids out of the school, and others would probably threaten legal action against the school system. Accountability to God, responsibility to God and gratitude to God has fallen out of favor in contemporary culture.

Our national conscience is at stake. Our national oughts and ought-nots are on the line.

The further we try to distance ourselves from God on every level (accountability, responsibility, gratitude) we must realize that something else must take His place.

You can’t back away from God without backing into someone or something else.

We owe it to ourselves, and we owe it to our children, and to our children’s children, to give this matter the careful consideration it deserves.

Are we going to turn our backs on God and become a law unto ourselves in our pursuit of political correctness?

This is the fundamental debate facing our nation today. Until we bring God back to the center of this conversation, there is no way to properly establish what ought and what ought not to be. Who will take God’s place? What will take God’s place?

Our founders believed the value we place on the individual and individual rights came from the creator.

Now people use those same rights to distance themselves from God. Ultimately, when we try to push God out of the equation, we lose our conscience as a nation.

In the end, everyone will do what is right in their own eyes. That is a dangerous place to be.

You may read Steve Greene’s blog at pastorgreene.wordpress.com or you can email him at [email protected].