Kerby Anderson

More than sixty years ago, American philosopher James Burnham wrote his famous book, Suicide of the West. He predicted that “suicide is probably more frequent than murder as the end phase of a civilization.” In a recent column, Tony Morley laments that many in the West “engage in an unprecedented campaign of cultural self-flagellation and rejection of Western and Enlightenment values.”

The critics come from within and from without. “Polarized critics from within perceive the downfall of the West, preaching inequality, down with imperialism, tax the rich, racial injustice and systematic oppression.” The polarized critics outside of West society, burn flags, chant death to America, and denounce Western values.

Tony Mobley also reminds us of the positive impact of Western values. “Between 1800 and 2025, average global life expectancy climbed from 28.5 years to roughly 73 years, while extreme poverty fell from roughly 80 percent to 10 percent.” In addition to the improvement to health, we could add the flourishing of governments and societies that provide freedom and abundance.

The problem is that so many today have become detached from the systems and institutions that provided the high standards of living we enjoy today. That would include the free market, property rights, entrepreneurship, constitutional government, family values, and the rule of law. Most of those ideas rest upon a biblical foundation.

We face a battle for Western civilization, and Christians must stand up to defend the values that built the culture we enjoy today.