Is America Good?

It was the French statesman, historian, and philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville who is often attributed with saying, “America is great because America is good.” But what makes America good? What makes anyone good? While a measure of goodness is possible without God, true goodness is only possible through regenerated people. And those people are found in the Church. This is why, as believers in Christ, our passion must first be for the Church (American Christians) to experience revival. If America is ceasing to be good, might it be because the Church is not reflecting or producing godly goodness?

What would America look like if the majority of churches were beacons of righteousness and love? How transformational would this be for our nation—and not just ours, but any nation?

Political change should rate far below our burden for revival in the Church. The greater burden we should carry as Christians in America is for the Church to experience and live out its call to be salt and light. Alexis de Tocqueville saw this almost 200 years ago, and it remains true today. So, if we pray, let it be first for the Church of Christ to experience repentance, healing, and transformation. God wants His people to be His people, wherever they are and under any circumstances. The world is complicated, as are the issues we face as a nation, but surely the most basic solution is for the Church to be all that Jesus called us to be, whatever the cost. It begins with prayer (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house."