As Americans stand horrified by the atrocities in Las Vegas, a leading Christian author says turning to God is the only way to heal this nation from wounds of division, violence, and even natural disasters.
Dr. Michael Brown is a national radio host and a contributing editor at thestream.org. His latest book is “Saving A Sick America.”
“America is hurting, be it from the hurricanes ravaging our nation, be it from the murders that take place in our inner cities every single day, be it from the racial strife and division that’s in our nation to the mass murders. We are hurting and only God can heal America,” said Brown.
He says with the onslaught of horrible news in recent weeks and recent years, it’s easy to lose sight of just how devastating events like the concert shooting in Las Vegas is, with at least 58 people dead and more than 500 injured.
“We become so desensitized that I don;t even know if we understand how evil evil really is, how dark dark really is. What’s going to make it apparent? The light shining. Martin Luther Kind said, ‘The church has to be reminded it’s not the master of the state or the servant of the state but the conscience of the state,'” said Brown.
“My greatest concern is not so much with the presence of darkness but with the absence of light,” added Brown.
Brown says a reliance on God is vital to America thriving again.
“America can only be great if America is good. America cannot be good without God. The founding of our nation attached our freedoms to morality and morality to God,” said Brown.
However, Brown is very quick to clarify that the carnage inflicted in Las Vegas is the responsibility of one depraved gunman with massive firepower and should not be interpreted as dive judgment.
“This [isn’t] because of gays or abortion. No. There’s a madman who’s a murderer. He and anyone who’s complicit with him, he or they alone are responsible. I am not saying, oh this is because they’re in Las Vegas and it’s in Sin City. Come on. These are people attending a country music concert. They’re just like anybody else, any other family,” said Brown.
“To make it as if they’re the worst of sinners or this because of is Las Vegas or this is God’s wrath. No, this is human evil,” said Brown.
So what does a nation turning to God look like? Brown begins by explaining what it doesn’t include.
“I’m not talking about a theocracy. I’m not talking about imposing the Bible on the culture and hitting people over the head with it. I’m saying that our very liberties, our very foundation are based on scriptural principles, on human beings being created in the image of God and our need for him as a creator. If we turn back to Him, I believe He’ll help us,” said Brown.
“The problems are too big. This is not a gun control issue. This is a political issue. There’s no social band-aid. We need to say, ‘God, right now we need you.’ I don’t think there’s any other solution,” said Brown.
Brown says it’s clear to him that’s there’s only one smart direction for America to turn.
“Where are we going to go? Who can help us? Who’s big enough? You going to look to the president? You going to look to the Republican Party, the Democrat Party, the media? Even the church itself is often so compromised. Many times our pulpits sound like they’re entertaining people than challenging people.
“We need a fresh awakening. The bad news is I think America’s in critical condition. The good news is we’ve had really dark times before in our nation and those were followed by Great Awakenings,” said Brown.
He says such an awakening is possible because God rescued him from being “a heroin-shooting, LSD-using hippy rock drummer” in 1971.
Brown says Christians need to be the light that Jesus called them to be.
“I don’t believe people are really turning away from God. They’re turning away from religion as they know it. I believe if we could come – not with just a pep talk message but with a real message of truth. If those who claim to follow Jesus and believe the Bible can demonstrate there’s a better way, I believe our families will be healthier, our kids would be healthier, our country would be healthier,” said Brown.
