“ When truth is suppressed and God is marginalized , things get dark — very dark .
Paul tells us how a culture seeks to replace God in Romans 1:21 – 23 :
For even though they knew God , they did not honor Him as God or give thanks , but they became futile in their speculations , and their foolish heart was darkened . Professing to be wise , they became fools , and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and fourfooted animals and crawling creatures .
Paul reminds us in this passage that it is futile to replace God . When truth is suppressed and God is marginalized , things get dark — very dark . A cursory glance at the chaos in our culture today will clearly show us how dark things have gotten . This is exactly what Scripture said would happen , so we shouldn ’ t be surprised at the darkness in our land . Proverbs 11:11 tells us of the destruction a city faces when wickedness prevails : “ By the mouth of the wicked it is torn down .” Cities , cultures , and countries rise through the power of righteousness , not lies . Similarly , wickedness ushers in their destruction .
Wickedness is what has brought disgrace on our land and disaster within our halls . We have the idols of notoriety , materialism , racial identity , culture , politics — you name it ; there is an idol for anything and everything .
34