Tag prophetic editorial

America’s Crisis Is Not Biblical Illiteracy — It Is the Absence of the Living God

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

Introduction

As America reflects on its moral and cultural upheaval, many commentators have pointed to biblical illiteracy as the nation’s defining crisis. They warn that without the vocabulary of Scripture, society loses the categories necessary to sustain truth, virtue, and freedom. This concern is understandable, and the erosion of biblical language in public life is undeniable. Yet Scripture itself teaches that the collapse of a nation does not begin with the loss of religious vocabulary but with the loss of the Living God Himself. America’s crisis is not merely that it has forgotten the words of Scripture; it is that it has forgotten the Lord of Scripture.

The Root of National Collapse

Throughout the biblical narrative, nations do not fall because they lack access to truth. They fall because they reject the God who gives it. The prophet Hosea declared, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6), yet the knowledge they lacked was not academic. It was relational. God continues, “Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee.” The issue was not literacy but lordship. Israel possessed the Scriptures, the priesthood, the temple, and the covenant, yet repeatedly turned to idols. Their downfall came not from ignorance but from unfaithfulness.

America’s Present Moment

This distinction is crucial for understanding America’s present moment. The United States has more access to Scripture than any nation in history. Bibles fill our shelves, apps fill our phones, sermons fill our feeds, and theological resources are available at the tap of a screen. If biblical literacy alone could preserve a nation, America would be the most stable society on earth. Yet the opposite is true. The problem is not that we lack the text but that we have abandoned the God who speaks through it.

Jesus’ Confrontation with Biblical Literacy

Jesus confronted this very condition in His own generation. The Pharisees were the most biblically literate people of their time, yet He told them, “Ye search the Scriptures… and they are they which testify of Me. And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life” (John 5:39–40). They possessed the vocabulary of truth but resisted the Person of Truth. Their crisis was not interpretive but spiritual. In all their study, they had not found Christ.

The Example of Saul of Tarsus

The life of Saul of Tarsus underscores this reality with striking force. Trained under Gamaliel, zealous for the law, and fluent in the theological categories of his day, Saul embodied the very literacy many believe America must recover. Yet his mastery of Scripture led him to persecute the Church, not embrace Christ. Only when he encountered the risen Lord did the Scriptures he knew so well come alive. Reflecting on his former achievements, he wrote, “What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ… and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ” (Philippians 3:7–8). His transformation came not through further education but through new birth.

The Crisis of the Church

This is the heart of America’s crisis. We have built churches that teach principles but do not produce disciples. We have created religious environments that inform the mind but do not transform the heart. We have defended biblical values while neglecting biblical obedience. We have celebrated Christian heritage while resisting Christian holiness. The result is a nation shaped by the language of faith but untouched by the life of God.

The Call to Discipleship

Jesus did not establish seminaries; He established disciples. He did not say, “Take My course,” but “Follow Me.” Discipleship is not an academic exercise but a supernatural work of the Spirit. It is the process by which men and women are born again, conformed to the image of Christ, and empowered to live as witnesses in a darkened world. When the Church abandons this calling, the nation loses its light. When the salt loses its savor, the culture decays. When the people of God trade the Living Word for religious substitutes, the nation loses the moral clarity only God can give.

The Loss of Biblical Life

The Scriptures warn repeatedly that when a people forget the Lord, they lose far more than vocabulary. They lose the very life that sustains righteousness. Moses told Israel, “It is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life” (Deuteronomy 32:47). Jeremiah declared, “My people have forsaken Me the fountain of living waters” (Jeremiah 2:13). Jesus said, “Without Me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). The crisis of America is not the absence of biblical language but the absence of biblical life.

The Path to Moral Recovery

If America is to recover its moral footing, the Church must recover its spiritual power. We must return to the fear of the Lord, the necessity of repentance, the reality of the new birth, and the transforming presence of the Holy Spirit. We must proclaim the gospel not as a cultural artifact but as the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). We must teach the Scriptures not merely to inform minds but to form hearts. We must once again become a people who do not simply read the Word but are read by it.

The Biblical Foundation for Liberty

John Adams famously warned, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” His concern was not institutional religion but the inner moral restraint necessary for liberty to survive. Yet Scripture goes further still. It does not teach that religion upholds a nation, for religion has toppled empires and fueled oppression. Rather, the Bible declares, “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). Holiness, not mere religiosity, sustains a people. And righteousness does not arise from education or tradition but from hearts transformed by the living God. A nation may be religious and still be corrupt; it may be biblically literate and still be spiritually dead. Only a people submitted to the Lord can sustain the freedoms they celebrate.

Where Are the Levites?

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

An Editorial on the Priesthood That Lost the Presence

The Priesthood That Forgot to Ask “Where Is the Lord?”

“O priests, this command is for you.”** [Malachi 2:1]**

There is a verse in Scripture that does not whisper, does not hint, does not suggest, but speaks with the full weight of divine judgment, and it is the verse that exposes the entire collapse of the modern pulpit: “The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’ Those who handle the law did not know Me; the shepherds transgressed against Me, and the prophets prophesied by Baal.” [Jeremiah 2:8] This is not a mild rebuke. This is not a gentle correction. This is the Lord Himself declaring that the spiritual leaders of the nation had abandoned the very thing they were entrusted to guard. They handled the law but did not know the God who gave it. They preached sermons but did not seek the presence. They stood behind altars but did not stand before the Lord. They led the people, but not toward green pastures — they led them into a barren wilderness, and the people followed because they trusted the shepherds who no longer trusted God.

This is why Churchianity must die in the wilderness it craves. It is not a movement of consecration but a system of convenience. It is not a priesthood of presence but a priesthood of performance. It is not a people led by Levites but a people led by Aarons who have forgotten the fear of the Lord. And Scripture does not soften its language when it speaks of such leadership. It says, “Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture.” [Jeremiah 23:1] It says, “His watchmen are blind… shepherds that cannot understand.” [Isaiah 56:10–11] It says, “They feed themselves and not the flock.” [Ezekiel 34:2] It says, “Her priests have done violence to My law… they have made no distinction between the holy and the common.” [Ezekiel 22:26] And it says, “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest to Me.” [Hosea 4:6] These are not the words of a frustrated prophet. These are the words of a holy God who refuses to bless a priesthood that refuses to be holy.

The Giant of Religion Must Fall

There is a giant standing in the valley of the modern church, and it is not Goliath — it is religion. It is the giant that mocks the armies of the living God with its traditions, its routines, its empty rituals, its predictable services, its polished performances, and its unconsecrated priesthood. It is the giant that convinces people they are spiritual because they are busy, that they are faithful because they attend, that they are worshipers because they sing, that they are disciples because they serve. It is the giant that has replaced the Ark with a stage, the altar with a platform, the Levites with performers, and the presence with production. And like the Philistines, the modern church does not realize it has adopted the very methods of the enemy it claims to oppose.

Israel learned from the Philistines how to move the Ark. They watched the world handle holy things and decided it was easier to imitate the culture than obey the command. They placed the Ark on a cart because the Philistines did it first. They substituted convenience for consecration, efficiency for obedience, and innovation for holiness. And when the Ark stumbled, Uzzah died — not because he was wicked, but because the priesthood had forgotten the order of God. The giant of religion always falls the same way: not by argument, not by debate, not by reform, but by a single stone of truth aimed at the forehead of a system that has lost the fear of the Lord.

The Levites Were Not Optional — They Were Essential

When God established the tribe of Levi, He did not create a volunteer team. He created a priesthood. He set apart a people whose entire existence was defined by proximity to His presence. Scripture says, “At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, to stand before the Lord to minister to Him, and to bless in His name.” [Deuteronomy 10:8] Their calling was not to impress the people but to minister to God. Their role was not to entertain the congregation but to carry the presence. Their identity was not rooted in talent but in consecration. And when Israel crossed the Jordan, it was not the warriors, not the elders, not the singers, but the priests — the sons of Levi — who stepped into the waters first. Scripture says, “And the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan until all the nation finished passing over.” [Joshua 3:17]

The people could not cross until the priests obeyed. The waters did not part until the priests stepped in. The nation did not advance until the priests carried presence. This is the divine pattern: no Levites, no crossing; no priests, no promise; no consecration, no conquest. And this is why the modern church is wandering — not because the sheep are rebellious, but because the shepherds are unconsecrated. The people cannot rise above the priesthood that leads them.

Churchianity Must Die in the Wilderness

The wilderness is where God lets unbelief die. It is where nostalgia dies, where tradition dies, where grumbling dies, where fear dies, where compromise dies, where every system that refuses to seek the Lord dies. The wilderness is where the first generation fell because they would not stop looking back. And the wilderness is where Churchianity must fall because it refuses to look up. It craves the predictability of Egypt, the familiarity of tradition, the comfort of routine, and the safety of a god it can manage. It does not want the mountain. It does not want the fire. It does not want the voice. It does not want the presence. It wants a golden calf it can worship without surrender.

But the God of Scripture does not negotiate with idolatry. He does not bless a priesthood that refuses consecration. He does not empower a pulpit that refuses repentance. He does not anoint a leadership that refuses to ask, “Where is the Lord?” The wilderness is the graveyard of every system that refuses the presence of God. And Churchianity must die there, because only then can a consecrated priesthood rise.

The Call for a Consecrated Priesthood

The question that echoes through Scripture and through this moment is simple and unavoidable: Where are the Levites? Where are the priests who tremble at His Word? Where are the shepherds who lead the sheep to green pastures instead of barren routines? Where are the ministers who stand before the Lord before they stand before the people? Where are the leaders who refuse mixture, who refuse compromise, who refuse to handle holy things with unclean hands? Where are the ones who will step into the Jordan and stand there until the people cross?

The giant of religion will fall.
The wilderness generation will die.
The Ark will move again.
But only when the Levites return to their calling.

For the Word still stands:
“Be holy, for I am holy.” [1 Peter 1:16]
“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” [Joshua 3:5]
“Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” [James 4:8]

The people are waiting.
The Jordan is rising.
The giant is mocking.
The wilderness is claiming another generation.

And God is asking one question: Where are the Levites?

The House of Saul and the Songs of David

Allen Frederick Leave a comment

A prophetic editorial for a noisy age

A sobering pattern in Scripture keeps resurfacing in the modern worship debates. This is especially true when scandals erupt. During these times, voices rise to condemn entire ministries. It is the pattern of Saul’s house. It is impressive, polished, and anointed in the eyes of the people. It is also the pattern of David, the shepherd‑psalmist whose songs carried healing into a broken court.

Why This Conversation Matters Now

In recent years, well‑known ministries such as Bethel, Hillsong, and Elevation have faced intense public scrutiny. Some of that scrutiny has been justified, some exaggerated, and some weaponized. What began as accountability has, in many circles, turned into a movement. This movement seeks to discredit not only the leaders who failed. It also discredits the worship, the songs, and the sincere believers who served faithfully within those houses. This article is not written to defend institutions. It is written to defend the Davids—those who ministered with purity in places where Saul’s fell. It also aims to remind the church that while God judges leaders, He also preserves worship. This is not a theoretical argument. It is a response to a spiritual battle raging right now.

The People’s King and the Shepherd’s Song

Saul embodied everything Israel believed a leader should be. “A choice young man and a goodly: there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he” (1 Samuel 9:2). Yet beneath the appearance, something was breaking. His disobedience became rebellion, for “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry” (1 Samuel 15:23).

Into that compromised house, God sent a boy with a harp. Scripture says, “David took a harp and played… so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him” (1 Samuel 16:23). While Saul unraveled, David worshiped. While Saul threw spears—“Saul cast the spear; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall” (1 Samuel 18:11)—David refused to return them.

David ministered instead of weaponizing his gift.

The Modern Sauls and the Modern Davids

Today, the failures of large ministries often become the feeding ground of self‑appointed critics. They gather like the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable, who prayed, “God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are” (Luke 18:11). They forget that Saul was anointed too. God placed him on the throne. David served faithfully in a spiritually sick environment.

David’s songs were born in a broken house, not a perfect one. His worship rose from places like, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1) and “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10). To attack every worship song because of the failures of a leader is to confuse Saul with David. It is to condemn the harpist because the king lost his way.

The Sin of the Sword‑Bearer

There is a dangerous arrogance in believing that God needs human outrage to accomplish His justice. David understood that judgment belongs to God alone. When Saul hunted him, David said, “I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the Lord’s anointed” (1 Samuel 24:10).

There is another moment in Scripture that exposes this same spirit. When the mob came to seize Jesus, Peter drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. But Jesus immediately rebuked him: “Put up thy sword into the sheath” (John 18:10–11). Peter believed he was defending the truth. He believed he was protecting the Kingdom. But in his zeal, he wounded the very one Jesus intended to reach—and Jesus healed what Peter’s sword had damaged. Many today are repeating Peter’s mistake, cutting off ears in the name of righteousness and silencing the very people God is still pursuing.

Paul echoes the same truth: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord” (Romans 12:19).

Because David refused to take God’s job, God gave David the kingdom. “So all the elders of Israel came… and they anointed David king over Israel” (2 Samuel 5:3).

The Scandals Are Real—But So Is the Pattern

Yes, the sins of modern Sauls are being exposed. Yes, God is humbling what needs to be humbled. “To every thing there is a season… a time to break down, and a time to build up” (Ecclesiastes 3:1,3). But in the midst of that shaking, there are Davids—songwriters, worship leaders, musicians—who served faithfully in those houses. And God is still near to them, for “the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart” (Psalm 34:18).

To crucify them because Saul fell is to repeat the error of the Pharisee who mistook indignation for righteousness. Jesus warned, “Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1).

Let God be God.

A Final Admonition

Unless we are sinless, it is not wise to cast stones or spears at another whom God may be preparing to raise up. Jesus said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone” (John 8:7). And James reminds us, “There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?” (James 4:12).

The call of this moment is not to sharpen swords but to sheath them. Not to condemn but to discern. Not to destroy but to wait. Not to exalt ourselves but to humble ourselves. “Let all bitterness… be put away from you” (Ephesians 4:31) and “in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves” (Philippians 2:3).

The God who removed Saul is the same God who raised David. “Promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west… but God is the judge” (Psalm 75:6‑7). And Christ Himself “committed himself to Him that judgeth righteously” (1 Peter 2:23).

The Final Word

In an age of noise, outrage, and digital stones, the church must remember the lesson Jesus taught: “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). And again, “He that humbleth himself shall be exalted” (Luke 18:14).

Let the Sauls fall if God wills it.
Let the Davids rise when God appoints it.
Let the songs continue to minister.
Let the swords remain sheathed.
Let God be God.

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart… and He shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5‑6).
“All things work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28).