Don Wildmon
AFA/AFR founder
January 1997 – In a few months, the ministry of American Family Association will be 20 years old. I never conceived, back during the Christmas vacation of 1976, that I would be involved in the battle for America’s soul 20 years later. It began one night as I was watching television and could not find a program which did not contain either sexual immorality, profanity or violence. I was simply trying to find a program to watch with my young children.
When I made the decision to leave the pastoral ministry and enter the battle full time, I thought we would win it in a short time. After all there were about 300,000 churches in this country, and surely most of them would get involved in the battle for basic morals.
But here I am, still involved in the battle. Those 300,000 churches are still in existence along with several thousand new ones. But the war, far from being won, is now more intense than ever. What happened, and how is it that we find ourselves fighting for the very heart and mind and soul of our society?
I have often said that it is not the pornographers, the dope dealers, the abortionists, the purveyors of filth on television who are responsible for the situation in which we find ourselves. No, in the final analysis it is those of us who are Christians – especially Christian leaders – who must accept the largest share of blame.
The pornographers, dope dealers, abortionists and purveyors of filth are doing what their job calls for them to do. They are doing what society expects them to do. But what about the Christians and their leaders and their denominations? Admittedly, some of them are doing what – by definition – they should be doing. But for the most part, we Christians have failed to address the moral decay in our society. How great has been that failure.
A President who claims to be a Christian vetoes the partial birth abortion ban. That ban would outlaw a procedure in which the baby is partially delivered, with all but the top of the head removed from the mother’s womb. Then the abortionist takes surgical scissors, plunges them into the back of the baby’s skull, makes a large hole and then vacuums out the brains of the baby. It is a horrendous way to kill a baby. When he did so, many of the leaders of our churches remained strikingly silent or applauded his veto.
Today we have many of the highest leaders in our largest denominations supporting the homosexual lifestyle, even ordaining practicing homosexuals and giving their blessing to homosexual marriages.
Some of our denominations have representatives on and contribute financially to groups who defend pornography and pornographers. Some of our largest denominations invest millions of dollars in minister’s retirement funds in various segments of the entertainment industry, an industry which seeks to destroy the very moral foundations those denominations promote.
And the battle goes on. One Christian leader once remarked to the effect, “I know no holiness but social holiness.” Perhaps the number of Christians who recognize that truth is growing. I hope so.
No, the battle isn’t over. Far from it. In fact, it is just now beginning the intense stage. Do I expect multitudes of Christians and Christian leaders to join the fight for moral decency. Not really. But perhaps a few will. And, like Gideon, God can use those few to win the battle.
The least we can do is pray for such to happen. 
