Every election season, Americans send policies to the halls of government. Voters argue about taxes, foreign policy and healthcare. Yet, beneath the noise of campaign rallies and political advertisements lies a sobering truth: The leaders we elect are mirrors of the people who put them in power. Our government, in many ways, is a spiritual reflection of our collective moral condition.

The Bible (that timeless book that is, itself, a mirror into which wise people should bravely and honestly look) says that when righteous people govern, the people rejoice (Proverbs 29:2). Conversely, when the wicked rule, the people groan.

The moral/spiritual compass of the American electorate has drifted. In our moral-based, Constitutional Republic, representative leaders are chosen by the people. But votes are cast for the policies that the person running represents. Assuming that the voters understand the issues and the platforms promised by the candidates (I realize that this is an assumptive leap), we may rightly conclude that the character of the government is a direct result of the character of its citizens.

The Spiritual Roots of Political Decay

The Founders of the United States understood that liberty could not survive apart from virtue. Second President John Adams (1735-1826) warned, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) noted, “Only a virtuous people are capable of........

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