Over the past thirty days, American culture has turned a corner, shifting what was once an inexorable, uncomfortably rapid slide away from the God into a stampede. While it isn't fair to lay this shift on President Obama's shoulders, it is his election which has emboldened those who are responsible for the stampede.

America was clearly tired of how the country was being managed, and the shift from Republican to Democratic leadership was their way of telling their leaders they wanted change. But the change the American people demanded with their vote was not a repudiation of Christianity and it was not an invitation to throw out the principles which were used to build this country. In fact, it was a call to return to those principles.

Unfortunately, nobody is listening. (Click through on the title to read more.)

     When Joshua assumed command of the Israelites after Moses, one of his first acts was to challenge the people to declare themselves. "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.," he said, and then, with the same bold confidence that had marked his life to date, he left no doubt about his choice: ".as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

     Over the past thirty days, American culture has turned a corner, shifting what was once an inexorable, uncomfortably rapid slide away from the God into a stampede. While it isn't fair to lay this shift on President Obama's shoulders, it is his election which has emboldened those who are responsible for the stampede.

     America was clearly tired of how the country was being managed, and the shift from Republican to Democratic leadership was their way of telling their leaders they wanted change. But the change the American people demanded with their vote was not a repudiation of Christianity and it was not an invitation to throw out the principles which were used to build this country. In fact, it was a call to return to those principles.

     Unfortunately, nobody is listening.

     Instead, a new agenda is already making its appearance, one which disguises itself as welcoming to all beliefs but which is bent on destroying only one: Faith in Jesus Christ.

     For eight years, we've used this devotional to challenge, encourage, inspire, educate and even to cajole people to see and consider the great love of God. Consciously we have worked to avoid the temptation to strike out at individuals or to riddle someone with criticism in support of our faith. This is as it should be, for Christians must always find ways to be humble even as they are bold.

     And while all of us who are followers of Christ must continue to resist the urge to lash out, a new courage is needed for believers who will serve in today's America. Timidity only emboldens false prophets and wrongheaded thinking. The time for firm speech steeped in heartfelt humility is now, and the silence we once took for strength must be replaced by the roar of our pledges to surrender our lives to service to Christ above all else, and to others above ourselves.

     In this cause we can no longer dodge the assaults on our faith, hoping by our gentle demeanors to win the culture over to our views. When Lisa Miller writes in Newsweek about sexual sin, it isn't just that she differs with Christians that's so troubling; it is that she so abominably desecrates the truths in Scripture to serve that purpose. Homosexuality may never be singled out as being more reprehensible than infidelity and lust and the other sexual sins we all battle, but it can also never be written off as acceptable for Christians.

     Either all of Scripture is literally to be trusted, or none of it can be trusted.

     We may argue over what is legal, but the decision about what is moral is for God alone to decide; and attempts to rewrite God's Word to serve any selfish purpose must be resisted at all times and at all costs.

     Ours was the first nation founded on Biblical principles. History shows, without rebuttal, that the authors of our founding documents-and the textbooks which turned those documents into practices-were written with an eye on the Bible and an ear to the Almighty. That we would now as a nation suddenly view with disdain the very truths which make us different, which make us the dreamed-of home of freedom-lovers everywhere, is utterly without merit.

     Without sudden and dramatic change, we will now live and work in a nation bent on separating faith from daily life at a time when faith is the thing people need most desperately. While it is not yet fair to say it is dangerous to be a Bible-believing Christian in America, that time may not be far off. A culture that decries Rick Warren as a "radical fundamentalist"; that allows respected journalists to call him a "bigot"; that endorses two-part attacks in USA Today on President Obama for his faith-based initiatives; and that sees an editor of Newsweek attack Christians for our "resort to Biblical authority" (he further assaults us by saying this: "To argue that something is so because it is in the Bible is more than intellectually bankrupt.") is a culture that has accelerated its move away from God, away from truth, and away from the only integrity that matters.

     It is not possible to be a spectator in the culture clash rearing its ugly head now, nor is it permissible to be silent. Faith is an integral part of every aspect of life, and government, poverty, illiteracy, hunger, health care, and economics are all battles unwinnable without the guiding words of the Creator.

     We must not surrender the high ground of grace and humility by tossing our words around in hurtful, hateful ways. God will not tolerate tactics which disdain His loving commands. But we must also not surrender passion and principles to those who would suggest God belongs in the private corners of our lives.

     Jesus said quite clearly we cannot serve two masters. Joshua's clarion call rings down through history to the very soul of any believer who would bring peace to Creation: Choose today whom you will serve.