Kerby Anderson
As we look through the corridors of history, we see the rise and fall of nations. The symptoms of societal decline are well known. Governments spend too much and debase their currency. Leaders get decadent and patriotism declines. Families fracture, and eventually the society falls apart.
A nation in decline fails to protect its citizens. One of the important functions of a society is to protect the weak from those who intend them harm. Not only is crime in the streets, but it becomes difficult and eventually impossible to travel anywhere.
In the ancient world, that surfaced in the form of highway robbery. In a recent commentary, Tucker Carlson explained that the modern version of this is carjacking. “Carjacking is the clearest possible sign that your civilization is falling apart and that’s why you find it in places like Somalia and South Africa, places where force, violence, and clan loyalty have replaced law and order, places where ‘might makes right.’ In the city of Johannesburg, for example, a vehicle is hijacked on average once every hour of the day. Now once that happens, there’s really no coming back from it. Nobody’s going to build anything in the city with endemic carjacking.”
Tucker Carlson then brought the story closer to home. He explained that carjacking has become a permanent feature of life in New Orleans. That’s not surprising since the city probably needs 2,000 police and has under 500 active-duty police.
The crime problem in this city can be found in many other cities in the nation. Two years of “defund the police” have had their toll on the officers on the police force and have kept possible recruits from joining the police force in their city.
There are many signs of societal decline. We should add increased crime and carjacking to the growing list of problems in America.

Kerby Anderson
When I talk about the polarization in this country, I am often asked why is there so much hostility against Christians? We are often the greatest source of ministry and encouragement in the community.
In his book, Christians in a Cancel Culture, Joe Dallas devotes a chapter to this question about hostility toward Christians. You can summarize his excellent discussion with three words that begin with the letter “C.”
The first is convenience. Whenever truth is told, someone is inconvenienced. Former worshippers of the Goddess Diana were upset when the gospel was preached in Ephesus. The silversmith who made money selling shrines was negatively affected. Elijah’s words to Ahab were an inconvenience to the King.
The teachings of Jesus were certainly troubling to the religious leaders of His day. He rebuked their hypocrisy (Matthew 23) and presented Himself as Savior (John 3:16) and the way to salvation (John 14:6).
The second is conscience. Presenting biblical truth can prick the conscience of unbelievers and carnal Christians. One example, he cites, is the accusers of the adulterous woman who were convicted of their own sins (John 8), because that conviction can be found in both Christians and non-Christians (Romans 2:15).
The third is conviction. It would be a mistake to assume that hostility toward biblical truth springs only from an inconvenienced agenda or a pricked conscience. Saul of Tarsus had strong convictions. He “persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it” (Galatians 1:13). But after his conversion was able to later say that he “lived in all good conscience before God until this day” (Acts 23:1).
Should we expect hostility? Jesus faced hostility, so we will likely face hostility as well as we present biblical truth. We should speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) and leave the rest to God.