Contact: Rev. Rusty Lee Thomas, Elijah Ministries, 254-715-3134, rusty@elijahmin.com

WACO, Texas, May 24 /Christian Newswire/ -- The following opinion article is submitted by Rev. Rusty Lee Thomas of Elija Ministries:

Newsflash: "Waco is the fifth worst city in America to raise a family."  This disturbing proposition is according to a magazine known as "Best Life."  Studying different aspects of family life and statistics based upon crime, schools, etc. the "powers that be" bestowed upon Waco this ignoble title.

Of course our city officials were offended and dismissed this finding out of hand.  They refused to acknowledge any merit in this alarming report.  Regardless, if Waco is the fifth, fiftieth, or the five hundredth worst city to raise a family, the traditional family as we have known it has become an endangered species.

Since the 1960s, the American family has been under assault.  Thanks in large part to the sexual revolution whose theme song was "If you are not with the one you love, love the one you're with."  As a result, the traditional boundaries were removed and the ancient landmarks overthrown.  Since then America has given full vent to the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.

Once fornication became the norm, which produced the "hook up" generation, other manifestations of sexual immorality proliferated as well, such as, adultery and homosexuality.  No longer did intimacy require responsibility.  No, sex became a recreational sport and he who dies with the most conquests wins.

To the shock of many, however, sexual irresponsibility does not abide in a vacuum.  It is accompanied with unwanted pregnancies, STDs, family breakdown, divorce, mental instability, fatherlessness, increased taxation and a host of other ills.  In fact, the cost to taxpayers exceeds 112 billion dollars annually.  According to Ben Scafidi, the lead researcher and an economic professor at Georgia College and State University, "These costs are due to increased taxpayer expenditures for anti-poverty, criminal justice and education programs, and through lower levels of taxes paid by individuals whose adult productivity has been negatively affected by increased childhood poverty caused by family fragmentation." 

Do these disconcerting problems give us reason to pause for the cause?  Of course not!   We are to busy championing our "sexual freedom" and over sexualizing our children.  Our economic system based upon vice must continue to prosper, right?   Otherwise, groups like Planned Parenthood would be put out of the sex business and we couldn't afford that as a nation, could we?  Excuse my sarcasm, but if a foreign nation had perpetrated upon us this sickening reality, we would be at war.  The problem is we have met the enemy and according to Pogo, it is us. 

America has proven that we will destroy marriage for sex, kill for sex, (abortion) and we will die for sex, (HIV AIDS).  Instead of returning to the soundness of the Biblical nucleus family we, in our great brilliance, continue to rely on birth control, no-fault divorce, abortion, and are in the process of redefining family to maintain our promiscuous lifestyles.    

The homosexual agenda is doing back flips over the recent Supreme Court Decision in California.  Four judges defying the will of the people who voted against "gay marriage" declared two men or two women can be married.  What are next violations to be considered, polygamy, incest, and legitimizing marriage with Bessie the cow?

Another newsflash: The same crowd that screams for Separation of Church and State salivate over Caesar's intrusion into the sacred.  It was neither mankind nor civil government that created marriage nor the blessing of sexual intimacy.  It was God Almighty, the God of the Holy Bible.  With this blessing, however, come parameters.  It is these protective constraints that we have violated to our collective harm.

Common sense determines we cannot continue to kick against the goads and ignore the dangerous trends that ill-affects us as a nation.  Let us get back to the basic building blocks of a healthy society.  First, we must teach our children to remain abstinent till marriage.  Second, the definition of marriage needs to be defended as one man with one woman.  Third, after securing this self-evident truth, we must seek to remain faithful till death do us part.  Though there will always be failures based upon mankind's sinful inclinations and rebellion that doesn't mean our laws and public policies should reward or excuse our infidelities.  No, our laws and public policies should strengthen and not weaken this foundational institution.

I will conclude this guest column with a time-honored equation.  As goes the father, so goes the family, as goes the family, so goes the church, as goes the church, so goes your nation.  Waco as well as America would have a brighter future if we came back to this divine order.  Otherwise, cities in America will continue to compete over which city is the worse to raise families.