On March 23, 1776, the delightfully blunt John Adams wrote to Horatio Gates that “in Politicks the Middle Way is none at all.” Referring to the revolution that had commenced on the ground, though not yet on paper, Adams further wrote: “If We finally fail in this great and glorious Contest, it will be by bewildering ourselves in groping after this middle Way.” Today, it is evident that Adams’ words were prophetic. Our Republic has faltered because the American People have sought after a “middle way” and, finding none, have instead chosen the wrong, downward path of compromise and false “tolerance.”

The Bible makes it clear that there is no middle ground on moral issues. There is no neutrality in the fight for men’s souls. Simply, there is a right way and there is a wrong way. Good sits in opposition to evil. Light repels darkness. Truth stands separate from lies. God is everlastingly and irrevocably opposed to Satan.

The Apostle Paul poignantly wrote:

“[W]hat communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?” (2 Corinthians 6:14-16).

Rejecting this sage advice, modern man has sought to bridge the gulf between good and evil. He has sought to make Christ and Lucifer shake hands, compromise, and come to terms. But there is no compromise on principle and truth. Every compromise on principle is a tragic defeat. We cannot afford to give up any more ground through compromises. We can no longer cooperate with wolves in sheep’s clothing. We must not allow evil to penetrate further into our midst under the name of “tolerance,” “equality,” “open-mindedness,” or “bipartisanship.”

The ground we so flippantly yield through compromise and by “reaching across the aisle” was won with the price of blood. Our patriot forefathers were animated with the spirit of Liberty. They understood their rights. They cherished their God-given Freedom. And they would have rather died on their feet fighting as freemen than live slavishly on their knees. In a word, they were real men and true patriots.

On Independence Day 1798, Noah Webster gave an oration in which he observed:

“[O]ur fathers were men – they were heroes and patriots – they fought – they conquered – and they bequeathed to us a rich inheritance of liberty and empire, which we have no right to surrender.”

In a touching letter to his wife written in 1777, John Adams spoke to us in similar language:

“Posterity! You will never know, how much it cost the present Generation, to preserve your Freedom! I hope you will make a good Use of it. If you do not, I shall repent in Heaven, that I ever took half the Pains to preserve it” (John Adams to Abigail Adams, April 26, 1777).

And, finally, in a rousing speech at the start of the War for Independence, Samuel Adams thundered:

“Contemplate the mangled bodies of our countrymen, and then say, What should be the reward of such sacrifices? Bid us and our posterity bow the knee, supplicate the friendship, and plough, and sow, and reap, to glut the avarice of the men who have let loose on us the dogs of war to riot in our blood, and hunt us from the face of the earth? If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquillity of servitude, than the animating contest of freedom – go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!” (Samuel Adams, “American Independence,” speech at Philadelphia State House, August 1, 1776).

Clearly, our gallant forefathers were men who understood that there is no compromise with evil, no cooperation with tyranny, and no communion with darkness. They drew a line in the sand and dared every friend of Liberty to stand on their side and to fight for a truly just cause. They understood that their posterity – you and I – would be under the same obligation that they were under at the time; namely, to preserve the blessings and privileges their forefathers secured with their blood, sweat, and tears. They also understood that if we do not exert ourselves to maintain our rights, we will one day be forced to spill our blood – as they did – to regain what we carelessly surrender.

How does the freest, most powerful, most prosperous People on earth lose their Liberty? Ultimately, they lose their Freedom, their power, and their prosperity through compromise. They lose it by playing nice, tolerating vice, and seeking the ever elusive “middle way.” This was never truer than in modern America where people become so offended by opposing viewpoints that they literally need “safe spaces” where they can retreat from reality and immerse themselves in their pipedream of “tolerance.”

To this growing segment of society, all opinions and actions – no matter how hedonistic, vile, or profane – are equal and permissible (that is, all opinions and actions with which they agree are acceptable). It is one of the great ironies that our right to freely express ourselves and to promote traditional values and religious perspectives is being chipped away and assaulted in the name of “tolerance.” Many otherwise good people are afraid to speak out or declare their principles because of the monstrosity of political correctness which stands poised to pounce on and devour them if they dare buck the system.

Our society has been hoodwinked into accepting everything vile and wrong – communism, homosexuality, feminism, paganism, etc. – under the guise of “tolerance.” We are told by conniving anti-Christians that it is unChirstian to “judge.” We are led to believe that it is the loving, Christian thing to accept anyone, anything, any idea, and any behavior without complaint. No matter how antithetical to our principles or to our nation’s wellbeing, we are told that we must openly embrace everything (that is, everything except authentic Christianity and traditional values). If we do not obediently toe the line, we are called “intolerant,” “bigoted,” “misogynistic,” “nationalistic” (as if that is wrong), “anti-Semitic,” “racist,” and other such slurs that have lost their meaning because of how frequently and erroneously they are thrown around.

The great religious leader Marion G. Romney observed in 1955: “Now there are those among us who are trying to serve the Lord without offending the devil.” Today, the number of compromisers who traverse the fictitious “middle way” has dramatically increased. In politics as in religion, the average person has compromised the traditional values that society once held sacred. Whether out of fear of being smeared and falsely labeled an “anti-Semite” a “racist” or a “homophobe,” or through ignorance, or by falling victim to the “don’t judge others” sham, modern Americans refuse to fight for their very survival. Only by repenting, exercising faith in the Redeemer Jesus Christ, and standing steadfast on matters of morality and principle can we extricate ourselves from this deep pit we have dug with our compromises.

Recall the penetrating words of the Father of Our Country, the great George Washington:

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them. A volume could not trace all their connections with private and public felicity. Let it simply be asked: Where is the security for property, for reputation, for life, if the sense of religious obligation desert the oaths which are the instruments of investigation in courts of justice? And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.

“It is substantially true that virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government. The rule, indeed, extends with more or less force to every species of free government. Who that is a sincere friend to it can look with indifference upon attempts to shake the foundation of the fabric?”

Indeed, the person who would stand by and “look with indifference” as the instruments of tyranny ravage our culture, mutilate our Constitution, and systematically destroy traditional familial and religious values, is a traitor to the Republic and an enemy to Liberty. By the same token, anyone who promotes or accepts homosexuality, transgenderism, feminism, socialism/communism, paganism/Wicca/New Age philosophy, and all other principles, programs, parties, or philosophies that undermine the Christian foundation of our Liberty, is an adversary.

Lest anyone misunderstand, let me be clear: We should not hate these people for their incorrect beliefs. We should not shun them. We should not treat them differently. We should not take up arms against them, except in self-defense and as a last resort if need be. Rather, we must love them and help them and extend the hand of friendship to them. We must educate and inform them. We must lead by example and show them a better way. We must convince them of their errors in as professional a way as possible. But we must never accept their ideas and behaviors, nor tolerate or indulge them as “normal,” “healthy,” “safe,” or “equal.” We can never win this fight by compromising our values and accepting antithetical ones just so we can all “get along.”

The Lord Jesus Christ taught:

“No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24).

The Master did not show his supreme love by compromising with the Pharisees; He called them murderers and children of the Devil (John 8:44-45). He did not show His divine compassion by toning down His unbending doctrine; He instead made it clear that those who have the opportunity to believe in Him and do not will die in their sins (John 8:24). He did not embrace the money changers who polluted His temple; He quite literally cast them out and exposed their crimes and fallacies in full public view (John 2:13-16). Rather than compromise one whit, that humble Man from Nazareth taught that we can only be made free by accepting the truth (John 8:32); and the most important truth of them all is that Jesus Christ was and is the Son of God, the Lord of lords, and the King of kings.

Not much has actually changed over the course of history. The forces of good and evil continue their battle for the souls of men. The Devil and his pharisaical minions battle the Lord and His stalwart band of disciples. Though Christ has already won the ultimate victory, the powers of darkness seem to always have the upper hand because “good men . . . do nothing” and would rather compromise and tolerate evil than risk becoming pariahs by trumpeting the truth and standing firm on principle.

In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson commented on this phenomenon when he wrote that “all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.” Thankfully, in 1776 a band of brothers loved Liberty, virtue, and truth more than compromise, “tolerance,” and so-called bipartisanship. With their faith in Christ sustaining them, they pledged to one another “[their] Lives, [their] Fortunes, and [their] sacred Honor.”

Summing up the collective attitude of our Founding Fathers, Patrick Henry declared:

“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

With the determination to never compromise their Freedom or their religion, our patriot forefathers won Liberty at the price of their blood. I thank God for them and honor their names, their memory, the workmanship of their hands embodied in the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution, and their sacrifice!

Today, we must make the same choice: Will we compromise and acquiesce to the destruction of our Constitution, our rights, our culture, and our morals, or will we unflinchingly say “give me liberty or give me death”? Will we cower in fear of rocking the boat, or will we speak out and let ourselves be counted in the cause of Freedom? Will we timidly surrender the Liberty won by our forefathers, or will we pledge our lives, fortunes, and honor in its defense? Will we allow the anti-Christ forces of the Adversary to sweep away the last vestiges of morality, goodness, and virtue from our once Christian culture, thus proving that we are ashamed of the Gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16), or will we “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free”? (Galatians 5:1).

By chasing the shimmering “middle way” mirage and erroneously believing that we can compromise our principles and morals with impunity, we have set ourselves up for ultimate failure. Our religious compromises eroded the bedrock foundation that our societal, political, and economic system was built upon – just as George Washington said they would. Because the Christian foundation of our Republic is cracked and broken, the whole of society has suffered a loss of self-respect, prosperity, power, purity, and rights. We say we are “tolerant,” but all we are truly tolerating is lies, immorality, and false philosophies. These wicked behaviors are self-defeating, emasculating, and cowardly. The only real strength and self-respect is to be found in standing for truth and righteousness, and never compromising.

I end by quoting a statement from Noah Webster made during the same oration cited earlier. He stated:

“May the illustrious example of the conductors of the American revolution, be sacred to imitation, in every period of our history! . . . .

“Let us then rally round the Independence and Constitution of our country; resolved, to a man, that we will never lose by folly, disunion, or cowardice, what has been planned by wisdom, and purchased with blood.”

Yes, let us rally behind the just principles of our Constitution and the rights given us by our Creator, and stand uncompromising in defense of our Christian heritage! If we will simply serve the God of this land, who is Jesus Christ, He will hear us, forgive us, and heal our land (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Zack Strong

January 6, 2018.