Dr. James Dobson: Where Do We Go From Here?

The second critical matter on which the future depends was a runoff election in Georgia to fill two vacant senatorial seats. It was held on January 5th and resulted in two razor-thin outcomes. Democrat Jon Ossoff defeated Republican David Perdue, and Democrat Raphael Warnock defeated Republican Kelly Loeffler. With these two victories for the Dems, each party now holds 50 seats. Henceforth, tie votes on legislative issues will regularly occur. In those instances, Vice President Kamala Harris will cast deciding votes, granting victory routinely to the Democrats.

The Left has now achieved ultimate power in the White House, in the House of Representatives, and in the Senate. Consequently, as I warned in December, there will be no checks and balances within our system of government. The most radical ideas promoted by President Joe Biden and his majority party will be enacted. We can infer from what they have told us that the years ahead will bring more regulation, less freedom, more taxation, less religious liberty, more socialism, less democracy, more funds for abortion, less support for the sanctity of human life, less funding for the military, more illegal immigration, more restrictions on speech, less patriotism, more wasteful spending, less support for families, more regulations on business, more appeasement of China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea, less support for the electoral college, trillions more dollars for climate nonsense, more LGBTQ propaganda, less moral compunction, more governmental corruption, less oversight of elections, more "cancel culture," fewer police officers, more gun control, and less government of the people, by the people and for the people. We can also anticipate quick passage of the horrendous "Equality Act." You might want to keep track of these items as they occur. This is just the beginning.

America and Western civilization will never be the same, because it is not possible to back up on a freeway. Once radical changes are implemented, they will become ensconced in law and culture. I am most concerned about what all this means for the next generation. Children are extremely vulnerable to leftist curricula in the public schools. Specifically, I am worried about parental rights and the legality of home schooling. It is the only protection for kids.

I have been expressing this jeremiad since 1990, when Gary Bauer and I wrote a book entitled Children at Risk. What we said then has proved to be prophetic of our day. It described what I called a "civil war of values" that was developing when the book was published. This is what I wrote: 

In any major conflict between two established armies, a collision will eventually occur that proves to be decisive. Thereafter, historians will remember those terrible struggles as turning points that made the difference.

For Napoleon, that decisive battle occurred at Waterloo. It was Gettysburg and Vicksburg for the Union Army and for Abraham Lincoln. It was at Stalingrad and Normandy for Hitler's Germany. It was at Midway, Okinawa and Iwo Jima for the Japanese. These were the battles that contributed significantly to the ultimate outcomes of each war."

[Continuing to write 30 years ago, as follows:]

It appears that America is now engaged in such a struggle. [I predicted the culture war that was just lost]. The most radical activists have a specific objective in mind. They hope to accomplish it by isolating children from their parents. It will then be relatively easy to reorient and indoctrinate future generations of Americans. This strategy explains why the most bitter campaigns are being waged over school curricula and other issues that involve our kids. The hearts and minds of children are the keys to the future."

[This was my prediction:]

Children will be the prize to the winners of the great civil war of values. Those who control what young people are taught and what they experience—what they see, hear, think, and believe, will determine the future course of the nation. Given that influence, the predominant value system of an entire culture can be redesigned in one generation, or certainly in two, by those with unlimited access to children.

Writing now to parents and grandparents in 2021, never in history has it been more important for you to defend your kids and your rights to raise them in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Fight for it with your very lives. If you are too intimidated or distracted to give priority to your children, the popular culture will take them to hell.

So where do we go from here? What is the path forward for those of us who feel we have suffered a terrible loss of everything we hold dear? How do we deal with it? Conservatives have historically had a tendency to give up when they lose important battles. For those who feel inclined to surrender, I have a true story to share with you. It was told by Dr. John Corts, who was an executive with the Billy Graham ministry for many years.

John said when he was 16 years old, he and his younger cousins were invited to their grandparents' farm for a couple of weeks. When they arrived, they could hardly wait to go out to the fields where the harvest was in progress. It sounded like so much fun to ride the hay wagon pulled by horses, and to romp and play together. On this occasion, however, their grandfather wouldn't let them go. He didn't explain why, but the kids wouldn't take "no" for an answer. They begged and pleaded in one voice.

Finally, the patriarch of the family relented, but with one provision. He told John he could take the children to the fields IF he would agree to keep them there all day. No matter how they reacted, he was instructed not to let them come back to the house early. John promised to do as he was instructed.

At dawn the next morning, the children dressed and ran excitedly to the wagon. Then they climbed on board. They giggled and threw hay at each other as they rode to the fields. Then they hopped down and ran through the tall grass. But two hours later, they had begun to tire. They had itchy hay down their backs and the sun was blazing hot. The kids were becoming miserable. By lunch, they were grumbling and wanted to be taken back to the farmhouse. John, being the eldest, remembered his grandfather's admonition and he refused. Later in the afternoon, the younger children were crying and visibly upset. Then clouds gathered above them and the kids were scared. Still, John held his ground. It was a long, hard day.

Finally, all the field hands packed up to go home, and John gathered the children to the wagon. By the time they reached the farmhouse, they were exhausted, whiny and sweaty. But then they were given baths and provided with clean clothes, followed by a delicious dinner. The kids began talking excitedly about what they had done. They were proud of having spent all day with the workmen.

That's when Grandfather pulled John aside and told him why he had been so insistent they stay out there all day. He said,

"This farm has been in the family for many years. It is still successful primarily because when we were tired and hungry and wanted to quit and go home, we stayed in the field. We didn't give up. And that became a secret of the farm's success. That's why, John, I wanted the children to have one experience where they hung in there even when the going got tough. Today was one of those times. Thanks for keeping the kids in the field all day."

The point of the story is relevant to our situation in 2021. We conservative Christians are now experiencing one of the most difficult challenges of our lives. Everything we have fought to defend and preserve seems to have been lost. Our every impulse for those who are older has been to quit—"to head back to the farmhouse." The battle for righteousness has been challenging since the 1960s which was followed by the Roe v. Wade decision. There have been many demoralizing times. We conservative Christians have been ridiculed and out-voted at almost every turn. We have won a few battles, but there have been many devastating losses, especially during 2020. Some may be asking, "What should we do, Lord?"

I believe He is telling us to stay in the field. There is work to be done in His vineyard. We must not abandon our conservative politicians who are up against formidable opposition from the Left. Our Bible-believing pastors are facing unrelenting pressure, and it isn't going to get easier. Godly teachers and professors need to know we have their backs. Many Christians in the military may feel lonely and overwhelmed. Police officers and firefighters need to know we are praying for them. Those of us on the home front must not cut and run. Your children are watching you daily. Don't disappoint them at this time of crisis. We must stay in the field.

The Scripture speaks to our situation. Isaiah 40:28-31 gives us comfort. It says,

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Let's pray together: Heavenly Father, we speak collectively to You at this time of sorrow. We have done what we could to preserve righteousness in the culture, but we have encountered one setback after another. Be with those who are discouraged and demoralized. We know You are in control. We ask that You bring comfort to Your people at this time. Strengthen our faith and show each of us what You would have us do. We pray fervently for our nation. We pray for a great spiritual awakening that will sweep across the land in the days ahead. May it engulf the younger generation whose faith has been weakened by false teachers and leaders. We ask for Your miraculous hand of protection on unborn children whose lives are in mortal danger. We also pray for families that are crumbling, even as I speak. These are difficult days, Lord. We turn to you for solace and wisdom. Amen.

One final thought, which I urge you to read. I sent a draft of this letter to my colleague, James Gottry, for his comment. James is vice president of public policy at JDFI, and a man of God. This is his response to me this morning. It must be read, especially by despondent Christians:

Dr. Dobson,

This was a heartfelt and passionate letter. I can't imagine the time and effort it took to draft in the last few days, particularly as the discouraging news continues to swirl around us.

As I reviewed the draft, this line jumped off the page at me:

What is the path forward for those of us who feel we have suffered a terrible loss of everything we hold dear? How do we deal with it?

On the one hand, it resonated. After all, as you noted, what the Democrat platform "offers" is a move toward socialism, dreadful legislation like the Equality Act, increased attacks on parental rights in the name of "tolerance" and "diversity," and a denial of truth (both the truth of Scripture and even basic biological realities). I quite literally put my face in my hands after typing these words.

But….

On the other hand, we have lost nothing that we need because His Word tells us in 2 Peter 1:2-4 that grace and peace are ours in abundance through the knowledge of God and Jesus, and that His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life! It also says that through His great and precious promises, we may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world [which we are certainly witnessing!] caused by evil desires.

Praise God! This gives me hope! Indeed, though the world may be sinking all around us, we serve a risen Christ. And we serve a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Therefore, we can lose nothing that is found in Him, and in Him we have everything! If the first paragraph caused me to put my face in my hands, this one puts my hands in the sky!

And even as the world around us grows darker, I rejoice that His light—which the world may see in us—grows brighter by contrast. Because of that, I have hope that this earthly loss may yet result in a great eternal gain! And for that reason, I feel invigorated. Because in dark days like these, we have no chariots or horses to trust in; the only place where we can place our trust is in the name of the Lord our God. He is always the only One who can deliver.

We can't preserve righteousness in the culture (as 2 Timothy reminds us, evil men will proceed from bad to worse). But we can bring Jesus to the culture, and we can pray for that spiritual awakening.

As my dad—who has been living with stage 4 cancer for more than two years—often says, there is news and there is truth. And the news isn't great for our country right now. In fact, it's been pretty awful for the last year on many fronts. But the truth is so good, because Jesus is the truth, and He is the way, and He will never be defeated!

Thank you for allowing me to share this. I pray it is in some way encouraging. Bless you, Dr. Dobson. May God bless America, and may every knee bow and every tongue confess that HE IS LORD!

James

Above all else, continue in prayer. It will be our greatest contribution to the preservation of this nation.

America, we love you. God shed His grace on you. And He crowned your good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea.

Sincerely,