Pastor's Corner by Pastor Larry Tong
October 2008
With election coming up next month, let us talk about politics. This is a topic I seldom speak on in a public arena. What is going on with this country has brought me to reminisce on the Rise and Fall of Nations. The Rise and Fall of the different dynasties in China is too complicated to analyze, and since my knowledge of the Chinese history is limited, so I spare myself not to write about it. Since the United States is profoundly influenced by the Western culture, I thought of the similarity between the once seemingly unshaken Roman Empire and this once great country we now reside. The Fall of the Roman Empire should serve as warning to this country.
What can we learn from the Roman Empire? I would like to just list a few areas. This is by no means an exhaustive comparison. First, they were in denial. Before Rome fell to the Germanic’s attack in 476 A.D., there were already many barbarian tribes that grew into power in various parts of Europe, yet the Roman emperors were too pre-occupied with their own agenda and ignored the dangers that were lurking to devour them. Do we see a similar attitude in the United States? This country continues to be the “World Police”, and tries to overpower anyone who opposes her idiosyncrasy, and failed to recognize the rise of the Islamic terrorist power, who refuse to accept America’s agenda which is dispersed all over the globe.
Second, Rome ignored the moral decline. Debauchery, indecency, and lust became part of the societal way of living. Homosexuality, prostitution and abortion permeated every level of society. Little did they know that the moral fiber was rotten to the core! When the moral fiber is damaged, the morale of the people will decline. We are living in an era that has no more moral compass. Broken families, same-sex parents and marriages, abortion, extra-marital affairs and co-inhabitation are far too common. This moral decline affects our children more than we could ever imagine. When the moral fiber is broken, so will the family. When families are broken, so will the society. When society is broken, so will the country. If Americans don’t wake up in time, maybe we are going down the same path as the Roman Empire did.
Third, Romans had an enormous appetite for sport and increasing brutality in achieving the height of excitement. It seemed that the people were thirsty for blood. They got excited to see people die. Those who watched the movie Gladiator know exactly what I mean. This type of behavior signifies a view of devalued life. Have you watched some of the extreme fighting lately on TV? Personally, I don’t know how it can be called “Sport”? We value more of our rights than a human life. No matter how you look at abortion, it is removing a Life like removing cancerous cells. When a country begins to devalue Life, there is no hope for the future because the greatest asset in a country is Life, not technologies. Unfortunately, the country doesn’t see it that way.
What can we do? Well, we need to have a change of heart. With a new heart, we can re-discover the value of Life, Moral obligation and God-centered agenda. The only way to have a new heart is to surrender our lives to Jesus Christ. When Christians begin to implement the Scripture in their lives, the decline will stop. We need to do our best to help the government by putting moral individuals in high offices and vote to pass moral laws that protect families and our children.
Before I sign off, there is an encouraging statement I would like to share with you. It is taken from II Chronicles 7:14. It says, “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 will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Pastor Larry
