Adrian Rogers: America’s Forgotten Glory and the Call Back to God

We who believe the Bible must never fall into despair, as if there is no hope for America. There is hope—because the same God who raised up deliverers for Israel in the days of the Judges is the God who can bring restoration to us today.

The Book of Judges is not a cheerful story; it is a sobering one. It tells of a nation blessed beyond measure that squandered its inheritance. Israel had been given freedom, a land of promise, God’s own Word—and yet they turned away. They denied the Lord, defied His law, and defiled their land. Judgment came upon a people who had received so much, but had forgotten the Giver.

That history mirrors our own. America was blessed with a Christian beginning like no other nation. Our founding fathers built upon the foundation of Christ. Patrick Henry declared that America was not founded on religion, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. George Washington, at his inauguration, laid his hand on the Bible, kissed its pages, and led Congress to church for worship. Our heritage is undeniably Christian. God did it.

But just as Israel compromised, so has America. A generation has risen that does not know the Lord, nor the works He has done. The cultural revolution of the 1960s left us with a society where everyone does what is right in their own eyes. Polls reveal how far we’ve drifted—once two-thirds of Americans believed the Bible was the inerrant Word of God; now fewer than one-third do. Even among churchgoers, many deny absolute standards of right and wrong. We are raising generations with no fixed moral compass.

Israel’s downfall came through compromise. They feared certain enemies, favored others for personal gain, and eventually even fellowshipped with them until sin no longer seemed sinful. America has done the same—accommodating immorality, legalizing vice, turning gambling and addiction into “revenue streams,” and befriending the very sins that are destroying us.

The Bible warns, “Friendship with the world is enmity with God.” And unless we awaken, the story of Israel will become our own—the loss of glory, the decay of a nation, and the judgment of God.

But there is still hope. The God who restored His people when they repented is the same God who calls America back today. If we humble ourselves, return to His Word, and seek His face, He can heal our land.