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playlist Go to the National Decline (topic) playlist

A Polluted National Landscape

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

While the politicians may be constantly in the public eye, and their indiscretions thus become front page news, they are not altogether unlike their constituents.


A Sign of Moral Decline

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The Boy Scouts of America decided to admit openly homosexual boys into the association, which currently counts about 2.6 million boys as members.


A Badly Divided Nation

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Our country is divided politically and culturally more than at any other time since the Civil War and the population as a whole has become more callused.


Birthrates in Decline

Commentary by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Statistics show that the birth rate for the Western nations has dropped below the replacement rate of 2.1 children per woman, sometimes significantly so.


Is the Tide Turning?

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

There are indicators that momentum is gaining against abortion. Recently, even the Washington Post admitted as much in its coverage of the annual March for Life.


Back to the Future

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

A crisis reveals the grim truth about liberals in high office: They do not understand basic capitalism, and they lack the stomach for international hardball.


A Lesson From History

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

A democracy only works when the citizenry are moral and capable of governing themselves, neither of which the current citizenry possess.


Another Supreme Court Nomination

Commentary by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The upcoming Supreme Court appointment could possibly tilt the court in favor of conservatives for the first time in decades.


Nonsense and Senselessness

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

In the blessings and curses chapter, God promises to send a kind of foolish madness upon Israel when the people fail to obey Him.


Sign of the Times

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Injustice in all its forms is a sign of the time. God will not let too much time slip by before He begins to require true justice—and it will come at His hand.


The Beat Goes On

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Secular progressive propagandists began spreading the rumor that young women were dying in make-shift abortion clinics in an effort to force legislation.


Tyranny by the Few

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

The media bears responsibility for our downward spiral through marginalizing the conservative majority. It presents a warped reality, and gradually makes it stick.


Divided We Fall

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The social indicators are not improving as a whole, and as each year goes by, behaviors that were once thought beyond the pale are accepted into the mainstream.


In the Wake of an Unnatural Disaster (Part Seven)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Of the things God says He hates, including pride and hands that shed innocent blood, nothing seems to be more disgusting than the American abortion industry.


Do Americans Really Care? (Part Three)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Those who really care about what is happening to this country are too few to make any difference, and the youth have been schooled without reference to God.


What's in the Bucket? (Part One)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

The last three American generations have had their minds poisoned, such that they unquestioningly embrace socialism and deviant lifestyles as the norm.


American Education: A System Destroyed

'WorldWatch' by Joseph B. Baity

Once envied, the U.S. educational system is in a deplorable state. Federal meddling and rampant liberalism have cratered the institution nationwide.


The Changing Face of Mainstream Christianity

'WorldWatch' by Joseph B. Baity

Some basic tenets of mainstream Christian churches in the United States are markedly different from what they were just a few decades ago in critical areas.


Do Americans Really Care? (Part Two)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

The vast majority of the citizenry has been dumbed-down by a half-century of leftist, progressive education, eradicating God from the minds of most people.


Do Americans Really Care? (Part One)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

We are no longer a representative democracy, but an oligarchy taken over by thugs, whose economic policies have put us into serfdom in our own country.


A Government To Fear (Part Two)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

The 'religious' communities of America are so biblically ignorant that they have learned to tolerate immorality, accepting lying in governmental leaders.


In Defense of Marriage

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

If the definition of marriage is opened up to combinations of people other than one man and one woman, we can mark it as the death-knell of the nation.


Liberal Lunacy (Part One)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Progressive humanists are neither satisfied with God's standards nor common sense, but strive to replace them with something they deem to be 'better.'


America's Imminent Perfect Storm

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Is there a leader in the wings who will have the fortitude to face the coming crisis? Perhaps there is, though it appears that he has not shown his face in public.


The 'Gaying' of America

'Prophecy Watch' by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Not only is homosexuality out of the closet in America, it is entirely out in the open and militantly demanding its recognition and acceptance.


Persecution From the Nones?

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

From 1950 to the present, the secular progressives called the Nones have risen from 3% to 20% of the population. This group has a Leftist political ideology.


Liberals and the Election

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

The next four years will require sacrifices from our citizenry, just like Americans were required during the Second World War.


The Coming Anglo-American Crisis

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

The nation cannot continue as it is. The questions that remain are: How long do we have? How bad is it going to get? What will our nation look like afterward?


Sodom, Here We Come

CGG Weekly by Charles Whitaker

What an individual does affects the lives of others as well. Regardless of who commits it, there is no such thing as a victimless crime or a private sin.


Sodom and Egypt

Sermonette by John W. Ritenbaugh

'Sodom and Egypt' in Revelation 11:8 identifies Jerusalem, but stands for all the inhabitants of modern Israel, including the US, Canada, and England.


Leaving Religion Behind

Commentary by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

More Millennials identify themselves as non-religious and show no indication of embracing religion in the foreseeable future.


Two Different Perspectives

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

While more people consider themselves spiritual, fewer are religious. They are less sure about what they really believe and more tolerant of other beliefs.


Freedom Isn't Free

Commentary by Ryan McClure

Abraham Lincoln, in his 1838 Lyceum Address, warned that America's destruction could occur only from moral rot within, as exampled by the Roman Empire.


The Handwriting is on the Wall (2017): The Fourth Turning

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Steve Bannon embraced The Fourth Turning, a book which explains why many Americans no longer recognize the country they once knew and respected.


Liberalism and Education (Part Two)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Liberalism is much easier to push than conservatism because the latter requires discipline, while the former caters to self-interest and emotion.


Liberalism and Education (Part One)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

While liberalism claims to champion civil liberties and individual liberties, liberal governments rob us of liberty and saddle us with useless regulations.


What Does It Say?

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

What does it say about a nation that lacks both the heart and the leadership to stop itself from committing suicide? God says we are headed for a fall.


Has America Gone Crazy? (Part One)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

America today resembles pre-revolution France. Like other mass movements, America's civil war drums are beaten by leaders in government, religion, and education.


A Quick Survey of American Christianity

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

A nation's religions generally determine the moral standards of a nation. The United States is currently afflicted with biblical illiteracy.


Hebrews as a Sermon (Part One)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Even as Hebrews prepared the first century church for persecution, so it is also relevant to today's church as it faces an increasing assault on God's law.


How Far Have We Fallen? (Part Two)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Keeping God's laws becomes dangerous in a godless society, in which bribery is good, homosexuality is good, murder is good, theft is good, and sin is good.


Urgency to Get Closer to God

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Kim Myers

The time when the offspring of Jacob are going to pay the piper is rapidly closing in. We must cultivate a sense of urgency in our relationship with God.


The Sacredness of Marriage

Article by James Beaubelle

Scripture holds the divinely ordained institution of marriage in high regard. Here is why God considers marriage to be so important to us, society, and His purpose.


Do Americans Value Liberty?

CGG Weekly by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Younger Americans have been spoiled by the sacrifices of preceding generations, and many do not realize the responsibilities freedom imposes. Freedom is not free.


If You Can Keep It

Sermonette by Joseph B. Baity

Americans, having by and large lost both their morality and their sense of vigilance, now stand on the verge of losing the republic.


Hebrews 2: God Is Present

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

God's people must immerse themselves daily in the Scriptures. While sinning Israelites consider God to be absent, He is nevertheless present with His saints.


A Search for a Singular Truth

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

A political party has the trappings of a religion, trying to get adherents to their beliefs and ideas. America is being torn apart by two false religions.


Mass Shootings in Today's America

'WorldWatch' by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The knee-jerk calls for gun control after a mass shooting miss other, more likely causes of mass murders—especially the spiritual dimension.


Everywhere But Up

Commentary by Joseph B. Baity

Western society is looking to technology, medicine and government for solutions to its seemingly unsolvable problems, looking everywhere but up.


Our Moral Bearings Lost

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

America's leaders have lost their moral compass. God has replaced wise adults with foolish children mocking and scoffing at wisdom and moral standards.


The Philosophy of Black Friday

Sermonette by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Black Friday stirs up greedy, materialistic, covetous attitudes. When a nation reaches a materialistic mindset, it is on its way to oblivion.


The Handwriting Is on the Wall (1995)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Because restraints that once held human nature in check have been removed, the US has grown increasingly more corrupt, approaching conditions before the Flood.


Is Education the Answer? (Part 4)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Because the secular progressives control the media, entertainment, and education, Americans have no inkling about how sin destroys the quality of life.


Demography Is Destiny

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Population trends become reliable trends of future national consequences. We do not have a debt crisis as much as a death crisis.


Reality Narcolepsy

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

It is an exercise in futility to play king-of-the-hill in a world so universally sinful.


America the Great

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

With our wealth, our power, our resources, and our technology, we have become a great nation. But it is all for naught unless we also become a good nation.


Who Is America's Greatest Enemy?

'WorldWatch' by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The United States stands weakened by worldwide conditions, but its foreign enemies cannot match its power. Its real foe lies much closer.


What Makes Generation "Me" Tick?

Commentary by David F. Maas

Over the past six decades (from the Boomer Generation to the Millennial generation), individuals have grown more narcissistic, entitled and miserable.


The Wilderness Trek and Judgment Begins

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

God's people must learn to trust Him for their survival, remembering that the eating of Unleavened Bread is a reminder that only God has the power to rescue.


No Time to Think!

Commentary by Martin G. Collins

The media attempt to hypnotize the citizenry to hate Donald Trump and love Hillary, pretending to explain complex situations by two second sound-bites.


Why Hebrews Was Written (Part Thirteen): Hebrews 2 and the Next Five Years

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

We must keep God's Word fresh in our minds through diligent study and practice of His way of life to keep from drifting spiritually during perilous times.


Why Hebrews Was Written (Part Six)

'Personal' from John W. Ritenbaugh

American culture is in obvious decline, and it is undoubtedly linked to the fact that mainstream Christianity is bereft of moral leadership.


Rudderless Leadership in U.S. Foreign Affairs

'WorldWatch' by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

With one look at American activity on the world scene, an observer is struck by the lack of coherence of this administration's foreign policy.


Everything Is Upside Down

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

We have crossed over into a dystopian society, where wrong is right and right is wrong, bad is good and good is bad, error is truth and truth is error.


Identity as Sovereign

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

With mankind as the pinnacle and the undisputed authority, and one's Identity unassailable, we are left with a whole planet of little sovereigns.


Slowly Sinking

'WorldWatch' by Joseph B. Baity

Recently, the vaunted power of the American armed forces has begun to erode under weak and vacillating leadership, undermining its hegemony.


The Fruit of Existentialism

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Progressives, oozing with pride, have brainwashed young people into embracing evil, godless propaganda, embracing immorality and ethical relativism.


Abortion

Sermonette by Martin G. Collins

When abortion becomes a social custom, it is a major indicator of the decadence of a people. Today, even mainstream churches have approved abortion.


Conspiracy Theory (Part Seven)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Satan has done a good job of sabotaging the educational system of this nation, a deliberate effort by those motivated by a desire for wealth and power.


A Body in Motion

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Just as a body in motion tends to stay in motion, the standards of morality in this nation have eroded exponentially since the time of the Founding Fathers.


The Not-A-Problem Folk

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Charles Whitaker (1944-2021)

We have no bold Phineases today who are unafraid of political correctness. The die has been cast for morally bankrupt America.


Another Step Further

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

The leadership of the current government is enacting Executive orders to box in the citizenry, preparing to restrict the movements of all enemies of the State.


The Importance of God's Word

Commentary by Charles Whitaker (1944-2021)

II Thessalonians 2:6-7 speaks of a force capable of restraining the emergence of the man of lawlessness. God's word and revelation is what restrains iniquity.


South Africa's Land Confiscation

Commentary by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

The sinister handwriting is on the wall for South Africa, hell-bent to follow the same Marxist principles which destroyed Zimbabwe.


Hope to the End (Part Two)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

We need these horrific times and conditions to learn the consequences of foolish decisions in order to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again.


A Government to Fear (Part Six)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

The US government has changed for the worse in the past 50 years, incrementally following collective dictatorships like Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia.


Self-Government

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Submitting to a human government is a work that requires self-government. Paul thoroughly disciplined his body as he followed the example of Jesus Christ.


A Time For Thanksgiving

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Our annual Thanksgiving was derived from the harvest festivals, patterned after the Holy Days such as Pentecost and Tabernacles. We must not forget God.


The Entertainment Craze

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Elizabeth Taylor exemplified the hedonistic, pleasure-mad lifestyle that destroyed the ancient Roman Empire.


A House Built on Sand

CGG Weekly

Harvard postgraduates, Yale Law School professors, and countless others support policies that to the average citizen seem an affront to common sense.


Purpose-Driven Churches (Part 7)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

The Purpose Driven Church will be a major player trying to take the true, end-time church in the wrong direction.


Does Doctrine Really Matter? (Part Five)

Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh

Most people have not used the Word of God as their standard of morality and conduct, but instead are allowing society and culture to shape their attitudes.


The Handwriting on the Wall (2012)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

Lying and flattering seem to be the modus operandi of many of the officials holding public office, from the President to the constable.


A Cure for News Depression

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

The overwhelmingly depressing news must be counterbalanced by edifying news, namely God's Word. The Scripture, with its life-giving words, provides hope.


The Beginning of History

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Charles Whitaker

Many believe that history is progress—that mankind, along with his nature, governments, and technology, is on an inevitable course of advancement.


Intensity is Increasing: Are You Listening?

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

It is far more important for God's called-out ones to be ready than to know the time of Christ's return, an event to which even He is not privy.


Liberty and Justice for All

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

God has freed us from the bondage of sin, the breaking of His law. Liberty comes only from obeying God and accepting the positive yoke of Jesus Christ.


Its All the Rage

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

The mercurial fads in fashion and music have a lot to do with what the Germans refer to as Zeitgeist - or the spirit of the times or spirit of the age.


The Wearing Out of the Saints

Sermon by John O. Reid

Daniel foretells of a leader who will 'wear out the saints of the Most High.' Though we may feel worn out now, we will prevail in the end if we stay the course.


If You Do Not Obey My Voice

Commentary by Martin G. Collins

America's infrastructure, educational standards, and economy, etc. are beginning to flag, largely from disobedience to God's laws and squandering blessings.


The Commandments (Part Seventeen)

Sermon/Bible Study by John W. Ritenbaugh

Wealth accumulated by honest work and diligence will be blessed, but hastily acquired by any kind of theft or dishonesty will be cursed.


Handwriting on the Wall: Without Natural Affection

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by Richard T. Ritenbaugh

Narcissism and self-centeredness have snuffed out out-going concern, and everyone does what is right in their own eyes as the love of many grows cold.


Micah (Part One): Hope for the Hopeless

Sermon by Martin G. Collins

The prophecy of Micah had a delayed effect, taking many years before a reformer emerged on the scene. Jeremiah's life was spared because of the memory of Micah.


Simple Gifts: American Reflection

Commentary by Mark Schindler

Liberty cannot exist without morality, or morality without faith. Today, humanists are destroying God's 'simple gifts' that made America exceptional.


Learning the Right Things (Part Two)

Commentary by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

If parents are not gatekeepers of their children's culture, other philosophies will capture their attention and warp their perception of reality.


The Handwriting is on the Wall (2008)

Feast of Tabernacles Sermon by John W. Ritenbaugh (1932-2023)

We must allow God to change our lives. The blessings and cursing principle of Deuteronomy 28 remains unchanged, applying to all who have made the covenant.