The bible and society

The column is changing slightly in that while I’ll still be writing on a wide range of themes from Scripture, I will also examine a number of secular quotations from a Christian worldview.

Noah Webster is referred to as the “Father of American Scholarship and Education.” Of his many insights into not only the English language, but political theory as well, none strike me as more true than his observation on the bible and American society. He held that,
       "The Bible is the chief moral cause of all that is good and   the best corrector of all that is evil in      human society; the best book for regulating the concerns of men."
 
       Let’s reflect on this important observation. It holds that behind all that is noble and good in this world is what Christian believers call “The Word of God.” The conduct of every society rests on a set of moral absolutes, the “thou-shall-nots” of the community. Some seem to come from the extended practice of the community, others from the teaching of some famous or legendary figure. Webster understood that behind the remarkable advance of the American experiment lies the bible. It begins with Mosaic Law, which is restated in terms of intent by the writers of the New Testament. What scripture teaches is considered absolute and has produced over the years a widely accepted plan for the better life. The historic record of the westward advance of the Christian faith is clear evidence of the value of a biblical world-view. It is not by accident that the major movements in education and humanitarian concerns have their origin in a Christian culture. Webster is correct in his position that scripture is the “chief moral case of all that is good.”
       Then he went on to point out that when it comes to correcting “all that is evil in human society” there is nothing that surpasses scripture. Currently as a nation we are living in a period when society at large has adopted an outlook on life that reflects the absence of all moral restraint. Various practices that have been held to be wrong in times past are now acceptable and, should you object, you immediately become an adversary of the “new morality” (which is the absence of morality). When black becomes white there is no longer a basis for judging between good an evil. In fact, good and evil have been redefined as personal preference. Once again, it is the bible that refuses to accept the downward spiral of contemporary thought.
       And finally, the bible is the “best book for regulating the concerns of men.” Once again it has been the role of scripture in a society that has determined its moral direction. Show me the cultural heart of a society and I will tell you the role that scripture is playing, or has played, in that society.
       We are indebted to Noah Webster for his keen and prophetic insight into what is perhaps the most important issue of our day.