When a Nation Forgets God

Seeing the Problem

The news lately feels like a constant barrage of tragedy. We see escalating political division turning into violence. Hate crimes are on the rise. We're left reeling, asking: “Why is this happening? What can we do to stem the tide of such pain and division?" The recent violence is both tragic and deeply disturbing. Scripture is persistent in its reminders that there is a time to weep and mourn (Ecclesiastes 3:1-4), and perhaps that is where we should begin. Grieving what is broken while seeking understanding and wisdom. But we dare not live in our grief lest we miss the bigger picture of what is unfolding right before our eyes. That is, what happens when a nation forgets God.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Source: The Guardian

The Root Cause: Forgetting God

Behind these acts of violence, and countless others, lies a deeper crisis: a nation that has forgotten God. Proverbs 14:34 states, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” There is a clear principle here: the moral state of a nation determines its well-being. When violence and social chaos exist within a society, they are not random events but are symptoms of spiritual decay. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918–2008) was a Russian novelist, historian, and dissident who exposed the horrors of Soviet totalitarianism in works like One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and The Gulag Archipelago. His fearless witness to truth, grounded in a moral vision shaped by faith, earned him the 1970 Nobel Prize in Literature and later the 1983 Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion.

In his 1983 Templeton Prize speech, Aleksandr put it plainly:

“Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.”

He spent decades studying the collapse of Russia and traced a chain reaction that shows how societies crumble when God is abandoned. In his estimation, the first thing that happens is an outright rejection of God. The culture abandons objective moral authority and loses its firm footing as to what is right and wrong. The second proceeds from the first and is a rejection of truth. Thus, honesty, integrity, and accountability decay. The progression is logical. When a nation rejects the author of morality, truth is no longer objective but subject to the whims of personal experience and human convenience. The third is the onset of moral relativism. People begin to believe “anything goes”, truth becomes individual, and moral absolutes continue to erode.

Fourth is lawlessness. Human institutions and laws fail to restrain evil because, depending on who is in power, evil is sometimes called good and good is sometimes called evil. Finally, after a culture rejects God and truth, embraces moral relativism, and lawlessness results, the final step is an eruption of violence. Social chaos and political attacks abound. While not every culture’s collapse follows the same timeline or path, history shows a consistent pattern: when societies abandon God, they lose their moral foundation. Over time, this erosion of truth and righteousness often breeds instability, injustice, and even violence. What begins as spiritual decline eventually expresses itself in social and political chaos.

The Temptation: Turning to Politics

When confronted with chaos, it is natural to hope for political solutions: better laws, stronger leaders, winning elections. While crucial for maintaining order and seeking justice, political solutions alone cannot address the root cause of our societal woes. Pursuing justice and equity through political action is important; however, it ultimately is an insufficient solution to a much deeper issue. First, Politics changes behavior, not hearts. Laws can and should restrain actions, but they cannot remove pride, envy, or hatred. Those are innate to human nature. Furthermore, leaders are sinful. Even the best politicians cannot make a nation righteous. Again, laws, policies, and programs only reveal the fact that humans will continue to act according to human nature, that is, sinfully.

Finally, Temporal fixes cannot cure eternal problems. Political victories address symptoms, not the root cause: human sin. Without a solution that addresses sin in the hearts of all humans, no number of political triumphs can hope to fully deal with what is broken in the world. Solzhenitsyn warned against placing hope in human systems:

“To the ill-considered hopes of the last two centuries… we can propose only a determined quest for the warm hand of God, which we have so rashly and self-confidently spurned.”

Jesus made clear to Pilate that His kingdom operates on an entirely different level than earthly politics: “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). In other words, ultimate renewal does not come through governments or movements, but through God’s reign breaking into human hearts.

The Solution: The Gospel of Grace

The only solution to the decay Solzhenitsyn describes, and the violence we witness, is the gospel. Here’s why the gospel works where politics fails. First, it transforms hearts. Christ changes desires, priorities, and actions, not just outward behavior. A change in outward behavior without a change in desires and motivations rarely lasts, as the internal problems that caused it still exist. Second, it establishes equality. Every person, victim, perpetrator, or bystander, is guilty before God and equally offered forgiveness. This dismantles the pride, envy, and resentment that so often fuel violence.

Third, it creates lasting peace. The kingdom of God offers justice and reconciliation that endure beyond laws, leaders, or social programs. As Romans 3:23-24 reminds us: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Every soul, including the ones who commit violence, needs forgiveness. Violence is the symptom; the gospel is the cure.

Perspective: Souls Over Sides

The gospel changes how we see people. They are not merely political opponents; they are humans created in God’s image, desperately needing redemption. Jesus demonstrated this on the cross, praying: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). We, too, are called to be ambassadors of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:20). It is a question of priority. The gospel changes what is most important to us as Christians. Instead of immediately attacking someone's political views online, we might try to understand their experiences and motivations. We can still disagree, but we can do so with empathy and respect, recognizing their inherent dignity as a child of God. Winning arguments or political battles is secondary to introducing people to Christ’s transforming grace in the gospel.

Hope: God’s Unshakeable Kingdom

Political systems will rise and fall, and human solutions will fail. But Christ’s kingdom endures forever. Solzhenitsyn, even under oppressive regimes, clung to the hope that faith endures when systems crumble. He remarked that despite the massive persecution and silencing of the church in Communist Russia,

“there remain many millions of believers: it is only external pressures that keep them from speaking out, but, as is always the case in times of persecution and suffering, the awareness of God in my country has attained great acuteness and profundity.”

True renewal comes only from God. Hebrews 12:28 reminds us: “Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.” Our hope is anchored not in politicians, parties, or policies, but in the eternal kingdom of God.

A Better Way: Gospel-Centered Engagement

As we consider America as a mission field, it is vital to be clear about where our hope lies. We can love our country, be grateful for the blessings God has given us, and engage responsibly in civic life—voting, serving, advocating for justice, and promoting the common good—without ever equating the success of our nation with the triumph of Christ’s kingdom. The idea that America is a “Christian nation” whose ultimate salvation or moral restoration depends on political power is deeply problematic. It elevates national identity above Christ, confuses the gospel with ideology, and compromises our witness to the world.

Christian nationalism distorts our mission in several ways: it encourages loyalty to political agendas rather than to Jesus; it risks alienating those outside our culture; and when tied to ideologies that elevate certain groups—especially white Christians—above others, it directly contradicts the gospel’s teaching that all people are made in God’s image and equally deserving of dignity and love. As Tim Keller observes, Christian nationalism “means the death of Christian witness,” replacing a desire to see all people come to know Christ with the pursuit of political dominance.

The better way is to approach American culture as missionaries approach a foreign society: with discernment, humility, and a clear focus on the gospel. We build on what is good, confront what is wrong with grace and truth, and live in ways that model Christ’s love and integrity. By doing so, we serve as light in a dark world, allowing the beauty and truth of Jesus to shine through our actions, not our political affiliations. In all we do, our ultimate hope remains spiritual, rooted in God’s kingdom, not in the rise or fall of any political party or ideology.

Application: What Do We Do Now?

It’s appropriate for us to desire the next step. What do we do with the knowledge that we have received? Here are four ways you might apply the biblical truths. First, acknowledge the problem. Recognize that societal violence stems from a deeper spiritual issue: forgetting God. Second, repent and embrace the gospel. Examine your own heart and seek God's forgiveness. If you're not familiar with the gospel, explore what it means to receive Christ's grace and experience a transformed life.

Third, love souls, not sides. Approach everyone as someone Christ died to save, recognizing their inherent worth and potential for redemption. Finally, pray and live faithfully. Let us be agents of reconciliation, bringing the light of Christ's love to a world desperately in need of healing. Join me in praying for our nation, seeking forgiveness for our sins, and sharing the good news of Jesus with everyone we meet. By acknowledging the problem, embracing the gospel, loving souls, and living faithfully, we can offer the only true and lasting solution to the violence in our nation, and may God be glorified as we share the hope of Christ.

To read Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s Templeton Prize acceptance speech, click here.