“Lest We Drift Away”

G. Thomas Sharp • July 25, 2016

In the brief space of this Newsletter, I will not be able to fully express all of the reasons, and provide all the points, for the disquietude that I have in my own heart concerning America’s future, but I will, at least, help the reader to see some of the antagonisms facing Bible believing Americans.

Not too long ago (June 2014), Dr. John MacArthur indicated his concern for America’s abandonment of the Scripture in a guest article written for the Christian Post newsletter:

“A recent Gallup poll found that only 28 percent of Americans believe that the Bible is the Word of God and should be taken literally…yet nearly 50 percent believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God while insisting that not all of its content be taken literally, but rather as metaphors and allegories that allow for interpretation …Allowing for interpretation seems to be key for our postmodern, pluralistic society, as 58 percent – representing the majority of self-identifying Christians in America accept that the Bible is the “actual Word of God” but insist, “multiple interpretations are possible”… Clearly, the prevailing belief in our culture is that while the Bible may be the inspired Word of God, it doesn’t mean what it says. It’s only authoritative as long as the reader is the final arbiter of what it actually means. Debates on Scripture ultimately all come back to the issue of authority, but the majority of professing Christians in America have rejected the objective authority of the inerrant Word of God and have replaced it with the authority of self.” (emphasis added)

Last Sunday I spoke from Hebrews 2:1-4: “ Therefore, we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.” (NKJV) KJV says, “… let them slip.” The only prevention or antidote for “drifting or spiritual slippage” is faith in, and obedience to, the Holy Scripture. And because families, schools, churches and governments have cast off the Bible as non-essential; chosen to expurgate from normal procedure; shunt it to the back-room;  the past several generations of Americans have escaped the attitude forming, behavior adjusting, heart mending influence of the Word of God. In the last few years 70% or more of high school graduates have had no formal Bible training. This is terribly obvious!

As a result every facet of our society is drifting! Churches are drifting from the authority of Scripture; therefore they never present non-politically correct doctrine as absolute truth. Families are drifting from Biblical role models for raising children; therefore they justify why they never attend church or read the Bible to their children. Politicians are drifting from the clear Biblical instructions for effective government; therefore their motive for election is always selfish. Our court system is drifting from the Biblically stated purpose for civil authority; therefore the court never pushes back against the evils that are destroying us, such as claiming that reading the Bible in school is unconstitutional, while normalizing abortion and homosexuality, etc. We save the whales and kill our children! How tragically ironic!

Drifting always leads to irresponsibility, disrespect and fleshly indulgence, which engenders prayerlessness, Biblical ignorance and selfishness. Are you drifting? Do you read your Bible daily? Do you explicitly obey it?  Do you pray daily? What will it take to awaken us form this terrible stupor? Oh, God, in your wrath, please remember mercy!

Washington the Soldier
by Jacques Auguste Regnier, 1834
By Ryan Cox May 7, 2026
Washington the Soldier by Jacques Auguste Regnier, 1834
Picture of the Moon
By Matt Miles May 6, 2026
Artemis - the Greek goddess of wild animals, the hunt, vegetation, chastity and childbirth. 1 While the Greek goddess may not be openly worshiped anymore, her name has now been irrevocably linked to the lesser light, just as her mythological twin brother Apollo’s was in the last century. Even so, it was not without Providence showing Who is really present in the affairs of men. NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has been focused on having a prolonged presence in space with the work of the International Space Station (ISS), so until recently lunar exploration took a backseat. The Artemis missions of NASA have changed that. They began with the first launch in 2022 when an unmanned spacecraft orbited the Moon and returned successfully for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972. The plan for the Artemis program is to establish an ongoing manned presence on the Moon. In upcoming missions astronauts will return to the surface, marking another generation of Moon exploration. As we press forward, may we never forget the sacrifice of many lives throughout our ongoing space program, and may we remember it is only possible by the ordered design and engineered forces at work in creation by the Lord God our Creator. Many of you may have watched, as I did, as four brave astronauts were launched from the clutches of Earth’s gravity on April 1, 2026. It was hard to describe how proud I was as an American on that day. This country, founded on God-ordained rights and privileges, was the first and only country to place His image bearers on the surface of the lesser light years ago, and we are headed back again. We are literally doing what the Lord asked of us from the Genesis 1:28 mandate in studying His creation. As much as I know that not all who work for NASA have this worldview, there are several that do, praise the Lord! On Artemis II launch day, one of the four astronauts on board was our brother in Christ - Victor Glover, mission pilot.
Show More