{"id":2638817,"date":"2026-08-01T12:06:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T16:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/change-the-nations-character-and-its-politics-will-follow\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T12:17:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T16:17:45","slug":"change-the-nations-character-and-its-politics-will-follow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/change-the-nations-character-and-its-politics-will-follow\/","title":{"rendered":"Change the Nation&#8217;s Character, and Its Politics Will Follow"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fchange-the-nations-character-and-its-politics-will-follow%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2638817&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>This passage features a discussion by Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, about the rising influence of socialist candidates within the Democratic Party and the perceived threat to America&#8217;s constitutional foundations. Perkins warns that &#8220;the barbarians are inside the gate,&#8221; emphasizing that the battle to preserve the republic extends beyond Congress into cultural and spiritual domains. He highlights the importance of moral character, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/theologian-warns-woke-pastors-are-preaching-neo-racism-they-think-the-ultimate-medal-they-can-win-is-to-offend-no-one\/\" title=\"Theologian Warns Woke Pastors Are Preaching Neo-Racism: \u2018They Think The Ultimate Medal They Can Win Is To Offend No One\u2018\">biblical faith<\/a>, and a strong church as crucial elements in maintaining cultural integrity. Ancient references include os guinness&#8217;s warning about secularization eroding societal morals and Robert Bork&#8217;s concerns about moral decline weakening institutions. Perkins advocates for a spiritual renewal in America, asserting that societal change begins with moral and religious reformation. Ultimately, he emphasizes that the future of the nation depends on restoring religious influence and moral virtue, aligning with the belief that &#8220;In God We Trust&#8221; must be reflected in everyday life to safeguard freedoms and the republic itself.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Speaking to the rise of socialist candidates within the Democratic Party, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) warned that \u201cthe barbarians are inside the gate.\u201d He went on to explain, \u201cWe are fighting right now in Congress over whether we\u2019re going to maintain our status as a constitutional republic\u2026 or go down this dark road of death to communism.<\/p>\n<p>\u201dThe Speaker isn\u2019t crying wolf; the threat is real. But the battle to preserve the Republic will not ultimately be won in Congress. There will be legislative fights. There will be elections where your vote could determine the balance of power and whether socialist policies further undermine our freedoms. But if the barbarians are already inside the gate, we need to ask: How did they get in? And how do we get them out?<\/p>\n<p>Congress reflects culture more than it creates it. Laws can restrain evil, but they cannot create virtue. A constitutional republic depends on citizens with the moral character to govern themselves and families that instill virtue in the next generation. Culture is ultimately shaped by what people believe about God, truth, and morality. When those foundations erode, political institutions follow.<\/p>\n<p>To understand how this ideological and spiritual challenge gained traction in America, we have to look beyond politics to the forces that shape a nation\u2019s character.<\/p>\n<p>In his 1983 book \u201cThe Gravedigger File,\u201d author and social critic Os Guinness warned that secularization was hollowing out the institution that had long guided Western civilization: the church. As biblical faith weakened, society\u2019s moral foundations weakened, creating a vacuum secular ideologies would inevitably fill.<\/p>\n<p>A little more than a decade later, Judge Robert Bork approached the same crisis from a different direction. In <em>\u201c<\/em>Slouching Toward Gomorrah,\u201d he argued that America\u2019s moral and cultural foundations were being eroded by radical individualism and radical egalitarianism, weakening the institutions upon which constitutional government depends. Nominated to the Supreme Court by Ronald Reagan in 1987, Bork was rejected because of his originalist view of the Constitution. Though writing as a constitutional scholar rather than a theologian, he arrived at a remarkably similar conclusion.<\/p>\n<p>After coming to Washington, I hoped to meet Robert Bork. I invited him to lunch, and he graciously accepted. During our conversation, I asked for his prognosis of America\u2019s future.<\/p>\n<p>He replied, \u201cThe culture is too far gone for the country to turn around.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For a moment, I thought there was no hope.<\/p>\n<p>Then he added, \u201cThere is one thing that could save the country, a genuine renewal of religion in America. But unfortunately, the church has been, and continues to be, in decline.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So how did the barbarians get inside the gate? Through the church\u2019s loss of its preserving influence as the salt of the earth. And how do we secure the gate once again?<\/p>\n<p>Jesus said, \u201cYou are the salt of the earth.\u201d Salt preserves what would otherwise decay. History has confirmed what Christ taught. The decisive battle for America\u2019s future will not ultimately be won in Congress, but in the church as it once again shapes the nation\u2019s moral character. Change the nation\u2019s character, and its politics will follow.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn God We Trust\u201d cannot remain merely a motto etched in stone. It must once again become the conviction written upon our hearts and reflected in how we live.<\/p>\n<div><em>Tony Perkins is president of Family Research Council and executive editor of The Washington Stand.<\/em><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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