MORAL DECAY IN SOCIETY

A Statement from The Office of the President
The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod
1333 South Kirkwood Road
St. Louis, Missouri 63122
United States of America

Because you work on a daily basis with people, I certainly do not have to tell you that it seems as though our society is in a state of moral decay. As we hear people describe the problems we face in terms of the values, ethics and morality in our country, we can't help but deplore what we observe.

We have heard a great deal of discussion about "family values" in recent political campaigns. Special hearings in Congress have brought attention to these issues. You know something is wrong when the U. S. Attorney General threatens to take legal action against major television networks in order to curb the violence on television shows.

There never has been a "golden era" in public morality. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve managed to completely ruin that perfect situation. Ever since then we have been inflicted with the results of the fall into sin. It does seem that our society is slipping ever further into a moral and ethical vacuum. This perhaps is the most dangerous aspect of our popular culture. It seems that from just about every source in the media the dangerous opinion is inflicted on us that there are no "absolutes" and no concrete "right or wrong."

William Bennett, former head of the U.S. Department of Education, developed what he calls the "Index of Leading Cultural Indicators" that charts various cultural problems over the years. It is not an encouraging index-far from it. Recent issues of the leading news weeklies, Time and Newsweek, devoted cover stories to the increase in violence among teenagers, and not just the stereotyped "inner city" teenager. Even non-Christian observers of the entertainment industry have begun to sound the alarm. Michael Medved, a movie critic, wrote a book titled Hollywood vs. America that documents, in stark language, the impact of the media industry and the messages conveyed in popular media sources on public values and morals.

In the face of this assault on virtually everything we Christians hold to be true, what should be our response? Two extremes need to be avoided. First, we dare not deny the reality of the situation we face. We should not say, "That concerns others, but not 'us.' " That kind of attitude is not at all helpful. On the other hand, we must not throw our hands up and say, "That is just the way it is. What can we do?" and then proceed along with little appreciation of how serious a situation we face. Neither of these attitudes is helpful.

What can we do? As a Synod, as church workers and lay leaders, as individual congregations, as districts, as mothers and fathers, husbands and wives we need to speak out on these issues. We need to be informed and aware of the dangerous influence television and other media sources exert on our families and particularly on our children. As we live our lives we need to be aware of the opportunities around us to comment on these problems-in friendly conversations with friends and neighbors, over a cup of coffee at the workplace, in the classroom, in the youth meeting, in the church council meeting, at the voter's assembly and, yes, from the pulpit.

The church is fast approaching a situation similar to the one faced by the church in the very early centuries of its history. Our view is more and more becoming a minority point of view. While the general notion of "religion" and perhaps even a sort of generic "Christianity" is still popular in our culture, the fact is that belief in the specific doctrines of historic, Scriptural Christianity is on the decline. Where do we start? How do we counteract this dangerous trend?

The family is God's divine institution for rearing children and instilling a set of principles and values which are faithful to His Holy Word. Parents have a fantastic responsibility to speak with their children about these issues. The need to instill truly God-pleasing attitudes and actions in our children has never been more great. Faithfulness to God's Word in regard to human sexuality is far from popular these days. Constantly bombarded by signals that indicate just the opposite, our children need very much to receive the careful, patient instruction in the Faith which only parents are able to accomplish.

Our congregations must be "resource centers" for our families. The Church must be concerned that our Christian families are equipped to cope with the constant assault on Christian principles. This is why I am pleased that our Synod seems more and more to be growing aware of these critical needs. The Family Initiative Council is still in its formative stages, but it promises to be of tremendous help to our districts and congregations, church workers and lay leaders, as these important issues are addressed.

Repeatedly in the mail I receive letters from laypeople and church workers alike who recognize this problem and are looking for very clear direction and assistance from their congregations, their district and their Synod. We as a Synod are committed to retaining the sound doctrine of God's Word which in turn will mold and inform our reflection on the state of our culture and the moral decay in our society. This sound doctrine then will need to be applied to the specific situations faced by our families and members. The congregation and you, as church workers and lay leaders, need to be informed and then willing to serve in an "equipping" role, leading our members to recognize the challenges and working with them to identify the best course of action to counteract the influence of our popular culture.

We are not afraid to meet the challenges of our culture directly, for we know that our God is able to both will and to do greater things than we can ever imagine. Therefore, we will continue to be in the world, but by God's grace, we resolve not to be of the world. What a marvelous opportunity we have in the face of this great challenge. What a fantastic opportunity to witness to our Faith and to share that tremendous message of forgiveness in Christ. As our Lord promises in Zechariah 4:6, "Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord of hosts." The Spirit of God will sustain and strengthen us, always drawing us to the cross where our true power and comfort is to be found-not in us, but in Him who was crucified for us-always in Him. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

From: The President's Newsletter, November 1993, p. 2