Biblical Ignorance Is Killing Western Civilization

There is a deep and growing divide in America. Nearly half the country seems to be supporting ideas that are so absurd they would have been laughed at even by Democrats not too long ago: transgender surgeries for children, men in women’s sports, homosexual marriage, abortion until the moment of birth, open borders, noncitizens and prisoners voting, no identification required to vote, taxpayer-funded transgender surgeries, unlimited federal spending and debt, sanctuary cities and states for criminal illegal aliens, anti-American rhetoric by political leaders, and a complete lack of respect for law enforcement.

This great American divide is — on the surface — between Republicans and left-wing Democrats, but the root cause has little to do with political parties or ideology. Americans and the world are divided by one simple question: Is the Bible true? Is the Bible really the Word of God?

Western Civilization was built on the foundation of biblical Judeo-Christian values. There was once a prevailing consensus that the Bible is all true. The values and moral beliefs of Europe and especially America were shaped by the Bible. Capitalism, which lifted millions out of poverty around the world, was built on biblical concepts of individualism, personal responsibility, property ownership and protection, honesty, and integrity. Marriage and the family structure, sexual morality, love of others, charity, and compassion were all values established by the Bible. And it was biblical truth that compelled Americans to eliminate slavery and stop discrimination against women and nonwhite people.

Western civilization is now crumbling because most people no longer believe the Bible is true. Many feel that science has discredited the Bible. Science says the universe was created billions of years ago by a huge accidental explosion. The Bible shows that God created the universe about 6,000 years ago. Science says humans evolved randomly from a single cell over millions of years. The Bible says God created the first human from dirt a few days after He created the universe. 

Too many American Christians pretend the Bible is true on Sunday but ignore it the rest of the week because it does not fit into modern life or what they really believe. Modernist Christians believe biblical morality to be prudish and essentially hate speech. We send our children to schools that teach so-called science and prohibit the Bible. And, while the face of Moses may be carved in stone on the wall in the U.S. House of Representatives, the Ten Commandments are not allowed in public places in America, and public prayer is taboo.

If we have any hope of healing our divisions and saving America, we must return to our foundation. But instead of deliberately ignoring antiquated interpretations of the Bible, let’s look more deeply and discover what the Bible really says.

My new book, titled What the Bible Really Says about Creation, the End Times, Politics and You, probably won’t be on your pastor’s summer reading list. In it, I’m critical of religious leaders, Republicans, and leftist Democrats. Many Christians will prefer ignorance over doing the hard work of correcting past misinterpretations of Scripture — and you’ll have to really dig into this book because it is deep in the weeds. But I hope a few will read it and challenge my conclusions. I look forward to public debates and online insults.

The Bible is 100 percent true, and its truths are the key to healing many of our nation’s greatest divides. Politics and political leaders will not save America. Truth will save America. Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life — but you will not know Him if you don’t know what the Bible really says.

Jim DeMint is a former U.S. senator representing South Carolina and the chairman of the Conservative Partnership Institute. He is the author of “Satan’s Dare.”