What will America be like in 2020? Some believe we will be another socialist state modeled after various European countries. Others see an even more extreme form of totalitarianism in our future. Some believe a reaction to the recent radical turn to the left will result in an even more radical swing to the extreme right after the seemingly inevitable economic meltdown. However, there is another possibility. The following is a very possible scenario. In just ten years, America could have:

the strongest and most secure economy in the world no unemployment the most productive and efficient manufacturing in the world a balanced federal budget no national debt independence from foreign energy virtually no pollution the best, most affordable, and obtainable health care system in the world the best and most affordable education system in the world the most powerful and effective military a welfare system that takes care of the truly needy with dignity—much better than we do now a social security system that honors seniors, allowing them to live in the dignity, respect, and security they deserve more freedom, not less crime a fraction of what it is now a foreign policy that does not exploit other nations, but helps to elevate the rest of the world, while inhibiting the dangerous ambitions of rogue states

Sound impossible? It is not only possible but is a reasonable expectation from our government. This not only can be accomplished, but it has been done before, and by a nation in far worse shape than America is in right now.

In the 1930s, Germany had much greater deficits in relation to the GNP than we have now, and unemployment estimated at between 30 and 50 percent. Their currency had become so worthless that it literally took a wheelbarrow of it to buy a single loaf of bread. From that state, almost all of the items on the above list were accomplished in only four years. It was possibly the greatest economic turnaround in history, unless we consider Germany after World War II, which may have been an even greater miracle.

It is reasonable to suppose that accomplishing this would not have been possible without the cruel dictatorship of Hitler and the mobilization for war that Germany was pursuing then, but that is not the case. Positive motivation, which is with vision and hope, is actually much more powerful than negative motivation, which is through fear. We also have to consider that

Germany did it again as a democracy after World War II, being even more devastated than in the 1930s. In just ten years, it was again one of the three most powerful economies in the world. The German people are some of the most remarkable and disciplined in the world, but in infrastructure and resources, America has far more going for it in every other way than Germany had. The list on the front page of this Bulletin is not only doable, it should be demanded by Americans.

How Do We Get There From Here?

As a democracy, it is up to the people to demand quality leadership and management of the government. As Christians, who are called to be the light and salt in this world, we have a basic responsibility, and we must consider that this present meltdown of America is happening on our watch. It is up to us to stand up and demand change, real change. This is not to advocate rebellion, but mobilization.

We are facing a number of crises now, each of which could be our doom. However, the potential economic meltdown is the most desperate, so we will briefly look at a plan for correcting it. The answers are simple, just a few steps could correct it and immediately set it on a course for stable and enduring health, as well as begin to fix many of the other problems.

Presently, it is obvious that the government is not the solution but the main problem. It should not be this way, but it is. There is no reason why the government cannot be run with the same kind of efficiency and effectiveness that any business must be run with if it expects to survive, much less prosper. In fact, government should have an even higher standard because it is a sacred trust of the people.

With sound management, our U.S. Government could be 25 percent of its present size, accomplishing much more than it does now. That should be our goal, and it is easily achievable within ten years.

For a century, our elected officials have been flailing at the branches of government inefficiency and waste, but the ax must be put to the root of the tree. There is radical change needed in the structure of government, from ever y bureau through every elected position. It would actually be a return to the original structure of the democracy established by the Founding Fathers, not a departure from it. Some might protest that this is not possible in the modern world, but in fact it would work even better in the modern world.

The Federal Government arrived at the present state of inefficiency and ineffectiveness in about a century, so it cannot be corrected overnight. However, it could easily be cut at least 10 percent a year over the next five years while dramatically improving the service of the government to the people. What kind of effect would that have on the economy? Several trillion more dollars a year would be flowing through the economy that is now going into the black hole of government mismanagement, which would make everything on our list easily achievable.

Those who are mired in the present system, who are benefiting from it, will protest that this is impossible, and it is, with them continuing to run our government. We must demand leadership that is going to give no quarter to government waste and inefficiency.

Without radical and immediate change, if the U.S. dollar survives two more years, it will be a surprise to the greatest financial minds in the world. Many think the present Administration is purposely trying to kill the U.S. dollar so that we can go to a one world currency. I personally cannot believe that such treason is being done on purpose, but the foolish economic policies being pursued by the present Administration seem to be making such a fate inevitable. This would be the single greatest blow to the American economy in history and probably lead to our subjugation as a nation. Whether being done on purpose or not, it is where we are headed. As the saying goes, “If you do not change your direction, you will end up where you are headed.”

The cancer that is killing us is government inefficiency and mismanagement. No Administration, Republican or Democratic, has made a serious effort to correct this, but our present Administration has sought to correct the economy by feeding the very cancer that is killing it—growing the deficits rather than cutting spending. Obama said that he was going to “send a message” by cutting government spending by 100 million a year. That is correct, not 100 billion, but 100 million. That is not even enough to pay the interest for one day of his stimulus plan and only a couple of hours worth of interest for the whole deficit. What kind of message is that?

The Foundation Is Integrity

One of the primary reasons for the strength and success of the American economy has been its consistency and absolute commitment to contract law. We may have far too many laws, but at least they were what we could count on to be upheld. The world knew that doing business in America was safe because our justice system stood behind a contract. Overnight, this trust was shattered worldwide when our government started changing the rules by arbitrarily throwing out agreements and contracts seemingly at its whim. That was a risk we might expect in some of the most unstable countries in the world, but never in America. This has had a chilling effect worldwide on how American business is now viewed and will have a negative long-term effect if not corrected quickly.

Government is supposed to be the referee that keeps business on a level and fair playing field. Some regulation is needed or no one could play the game. Regulation should be applied evenly, fairly, and consistently. A good referee should be as unobtrusive as possible to let the players play the game, but ready to step in when there are violations. What would happen if a referee started changing the rules of the game arbitrarily and did not even tell the players about it until after the fact? That would shut down the game because the players would not know how to play. This is the recent effect of our government when many of the rules were changed arbitrarily. Then, if anything could possibly be worse, they started making them retroactive! That is the equivalent of having a score on the board for a long time, then having the referee take it off and give it to the other team at his whim. This actually happened to our banking industry. It is no wonder why banks are still frozen and afraid to step out and make loans or do almost any kind of business.

Think about how the game would degenerate even further if a referee not only arbitrarily changed the rules, but started to jump in and play the game? That would surely shut the game down or make it so confusing no one would want to play. That is what our government has done over the last six months, and then they seem to be dumbfounded as to why the economy is continuing to shut down, rather than get back in gear.

Enterprise takes a huge amount of faith, and the actions of our government over the last six months probably could not have been more devastating to the kind of faith that it takes for enterprise and initiative to be successful. This should be shocking to every American, but when they started changing the rules and then making them retroactive, that smells of totalitarianism. Then the government decided they were going to play the game themselves, and since they had all the power to make the rules, we better like it.

The U.S. Government, which has proven to be the most inept at management of possibly any entity on the planet, given the resources we have had and the way they were squandered, is now taking over the most powerful aspects of the rest of the economy, including banking, the auto industry, and health care. If the nationalization of health care is accomplished, it is unlikely that in our present weakened state that our economy, and even our whole political system, could survive long. We may think this could never happen in America, but it is happening here, now.

A Workable Alternative

First, providing quality, affordable health care for everyone is a noble goal. It is also achievable. The plans presently being proposed will likely destroy quality health care in America and make any health care far harder to attain. However, there is another way that will work quicker and much better than any scenario yet presented.

Tort reform corrects health care, fast. Tort reform would also provide a quick injection of trillions of dollars into the economy without any more deficits. Currently, anywhere from 30 to 50 percent of the cost of major products, and a large and increasing percentage of the cost of every product in America, goes to liability insurance because of unrestrained lawsuits. Placing reasonable caps on lawsuits would be one of the biggest boosts to our economy that possibly could be made. Why don’t our politicians even talk about this? Because most of them are lawyers, the only ones who are benefiting from the present warped state of affairs, which is far outside the boundaries found in any other nation on earth.

The fact that our present health care is as good and inexpensive as it is, is the result of the genius of the free enterprise system, as well as great professionals in health care who do care and who have done this in spite of almost impossible conditions allowed and promoted by the government. The last thing we should ever want to do is give more authority to the government over health care when we do not have one good example of them managing anything well.

Presently, many doctors have had to stop practicing because they can no longer afford malpractice insurance. Tort reform could cut 30 percent or more off of health care costs immediately. Tort reform could also lead to relieving burdens for a mountain of unnecessary regulation that would save possibly as much on health care costs. This would not only free a huge amount of the time of health care workers, but it would also free them to use the most powerful medicine of all—hope, which they cannot use now for fear of a lawsuit if expectations are not met. Tort reform would also free doctors to actually report problems so that others could learn from them without having to make the same ones, probably saving multitudes of lives. They cannot do this now for fear of lawsuits.

Why can’t the Administration or Congress see something like this that is so obvious? They would see it if they truly had our interests in mind. When the primary objective of everyone who gets elected is to get re-elected, then there is an immediate blindness that comes over them. Our democracy was never intended to become the domain of professional politicians. Our representatives were supposed to be citizens who served as a duty, part-time, and the rest of the time live in the real world with the rest of us so they, too, would have to live with the laws they passed.

If we’re tempted to think that the business of government is just too complicated and requires full-time representatives now, I would counter if they only passed 10 to 20 percent of the laws that were actually necessary, written in plain English, they would only need to attend a fraction of the time that they’re in session now. The citizen representatives are the only way a democracy can last long without falling to corruption, waste, and inefficiency that we now have in our government.

The system is out of control and far from what it was intended to be—it cannot last as it is for much longer. We are in a crisis so severe that our whole system is in jeopardy. We are at a place of emergency where this must be done, and it has fallen to us to do it. It is not a matter of whether we can do this, but whether we will do it. The only thing that we are lacking is the leadership and the management that it will take to get it done.

In Scripture, good leadership is one of the greatest blessings a nation can have, and poor leadership is one of the worst curses it can be under. Curses can be removed by repentance.

The Deeper Root of Evil

Correcting the economic problems in America is important, and if they are not addressed in a way that will correct them soon, we could be in far worse shape than during the Great Depression. During the Depression most people were farmers who could at least feed themselves. This is not so today. For this reason, an economic meltdown could be far more serious. However, we have another, possibly even more dangerous crisis.

America has now crossed the line into the depth of depravity that we are told in Isaiah and other Scriptures will lead to the doom of a nation—when evil is called good and good is called evil, where the honorable man is dishonored and the dishonorable are honored. Currently in America, morality is scorned and even persecuted, while immorality is flaunted and honored. This is the last state of a nation before destruction. Without a true revival in America, correcting the economy may not help.

In some basic ways, the lines between good and evil have never been more clear since America has been a nation. We have two extremely different roads before us now. If we continue in the direction we have been turning for the last half century, our time will soon be up. If there is an awakening among those who have been given the knowledge of righteousness and justice, and a resolve among those awakened to boldly stand for the truth they have been entrusted with, America’s best times can be ahead of us.

A Veil of Darkness

The troubles we are now facing are beyond human remedy. The economic problems we are currently facing are far worse than we are being told, and many, if not all, of the top people in Washington do not understand them. Most of our leaders and elected officials are not economists— they are lawyers and bureaucrats, and it is obvious they really do not know what is happening. Even some of the most educated economists are also obviously far out of touch with what is happening or they would not be as wrong as they have been. We are actually in the time when it seems the wisdom of “the wise” is foolishness, or they would not be falling so deeply into Einstein’s definition of insanity—doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

That there is a possibility of a second stimulus bill along the lines of the first is considered evidence that those now in control do not know what they’re doing. You do not have to know what you’re doing to get elected in this country, and you do not even have to be a good leader or manager—you just have to talk a good game. That is what must be changed, and the body of Christ can help bring about this change. How?

See the Light, Be the Light

There is right and wrong, good and evil. We are in desperate need of leadership who have moral clarity on every level. This is not a special domain of the right or left politically, but morality as defined by God, in His Word. We cannot expect unbelievers to accept this, and cannot force them to, but if Christians did, it would overwhelmingly turn the tide. Regardless of how we are persecuted for it, if we deny the Lord, He will deny us—if we stand for Him, He will stand for us. Having the favor of God is far better than all of the votes in the world.

We must also consider that by His definition, many who we think of as being on the “left” may actually care more about what He cares for. Taking care of the poor, the afflicted, and the oppressed in our midst is called “justice” by Him. Why conservative Christians were not on the forefront of such things as the Civil Rights Movement in America is a major failure of the conservative Christians in America. Racism is also one of the ultimate evils of the human heart, built upon the ultimate strongholds of pride and/ or fear, and how “the Party of Lincoln” abandoned the slaves after freeing them is one of the great tragedies in American politics.

No Christian should ever compromise the clear Word of God. The first fall was caused by the serpent getting our first parents to start doubting what God had said and then doubting His intentions. Even so, the same Scriptures that condemn immorality and homosexuality declare that God loves all and desires for them to be saved. Therefore, Christians should stand against the mistreatment of any people, including homosexuals. This is a much more in-depth subject than we can cover here, but Christians should never be perceived to be, or actually be, against anyone. It is true that some have become basic enemies by demanding that we not force our morality on others, but also demanding that we allow them to force their immorality on us and our children. Even so, we are commanded to “love our enemies” (see Matthew 5:44), so how do we do that and still stand without compromise for the truth?

Christians should have been leading the environmental movement because it is something so close to God’s heart that we are told in Revelation that God will “destroy those who destroy the earth” (see Revelation 11:18). Caring for the environment was one of the first responsibilities given to man in the Garden, and nowhere in Scripture have we been relieved of that responsibility. If those who have the truth and light do not do this, then the vacuum will be filled by those who have other motives. We must not continue to surrender the high ground we have been given.

An increasing number of conservatives do care about some of these ultimate issues, but they just don’t think the government can do any of this effectively, or efficiently, and of course, they have a case here that it is hard to argue with. However, there is no reason why the government cannot be led by those who will do these things effectively and efficiently, being the good referee that government is supposed to be, for all interests. How can we help it get there? We can raise the bar by having the light and shining it so that all can see. That is what we are called to be—the light for the world to see by.

The pulpits of America can and should be the most powerful source of truth there is in the country. In Isaiah 5:13, the Lord says, “My people go into exile for their lack of knowledge.” Most of the American people claim to be Christians, but Christians can also be in bondage in areas of which they do not have knowledge. Every Christian, who is called to be a light in the world and the salt of the earth, should not only have knowledge, but a sophisticated knowledge of the important issues of our times. Every believer, even those with little or no official education in a subject, can have more insight into that subject than all of the professionals, all of the politicians, and all of the pundits. Jesus made this clear in Matthew 11:25-26:

“I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants.

“Yes, Father, for this way it was well-pleasing in Your sight.”

We have come to the time when the “wisdom of the wise,” and “the wisdom of this world,” are being made foolishness. Without the Spirit of Truth, we can increase in knowledge and foolishness at the same time. This is why the proposed answers for our increasing crises are looking increasingly outrageous. If you followed what was said by some of the world leaders at the recent G-8 Summit, it was hard to believe they were not joking, but they were not. In many ways, Europe is in worse shape than the U.S. economically, and their answer to the crises was to wonder if they should just start printing money like the U.S. The best and the brightest in the world have been reduced to asking those kinds of questions.

Every Christian has access to a Source of Knowledge far beyond what any of these have— we have been given the Spirit of Truth, Who created all things, and knows better than anyone how all things work. This does not mean that we do not need to study economics to understand economics, but the Spirit of Truth will give us insight and wisdom far beyond the wisdom of the world if we will seek truth through Him. All of the technology and knowledge in the world will never compare to the Holy Spirit that we have been given.

The Spirit of Truth is also called “the Helper” because it is His nature to help. The church is called to be the light in the world, which means we should have the answers to the world’s ultimate problems. If we really have the Helper, then we should always be ready to help those who are in crisis, and the whole world is falling into increasing crisis. This is our time!

If the church in America becomes the light that she is called to be in these times, which she has the potential and the resources to be, then the world will be beating a path to the doors of the church for the answers to all of its problems. Sound outrageous? It is a biblical prophecy that will surely come to pass, as we read in Isaiah 60:1-5:

“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

“For behold, darkness will cover the earth, and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you, and His glory will appear upon you.

“And nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

“Lift up your eyes round about, and see; they all gather together, they come

to you. Your sons will come from afar, and your daughters will be carried in the arms.

“Then you will see and be radiant, and your heart will thrill and rejoice; because the abundance of the sea will be turned to you, the wealth of the nations will come to you.”

There will be a church that walks in this. Why not us? Why not now? Are we going to let the meltdown happen on our watch? We may protest that we speak but no one hears us. That is usually the case, at least for a while, as it was for Wilberforce, and later for Winston Churchill. Sir Winston began his warnings about Nazi Germany years before anyone would listen to him, and though he was ridiculed and ostracized, he never quit. Then one day all of Britain realized that Churchill had been right. Within days, he went from being the one no one believed or took seriously, or wanted to associate with, to the one everyone believed and everyone wanted to associate with. He went from having virtually no authority to the highest office in the land.

If we speak the truth clearly, resolutely, and without compromise, we too are likely to be ridiculed and disbelieved for a time, and maybe even throughout our lifetimes as has often been the case with most prophets. It is not our job to be accepted—it is our job to be faithful with the message we’ve been given. If we are faithful and refuse to compromise, one day we will surely be believed. By God’s grace, may it be while there is still time to save the ship.

The plan is simple, but not easy. The difficulties are the multitude of special and selfish interests who are like cancers that grow without regard to the rest of the body, and therefore are killing the body. Hitler achieved what he did by unifying Germany. True, he ultimately used this unity, and the power that came from it for evil, but the power of unity does not have to be used for evil—it can be used for good.

Unity is coming. The nations, which do not align themselves with the Lord and with good, will be unified under an ultimate evil of which Hitler was just a prophetic type. The same forces that gained access to Germany in the 1930s have been seeking access and control of the United States. If the church does not arise now, what ultimately happens in the U.S. will be worse than what happened in Germany.

The First Step

We have had a huge response from Christians when we address current events and issues, such as the economy. There has been a loud cry for more and to go deeper. I am certainly not the only one doing this, and would never claim to be the best one doing it, but the obvious hunger for more and deeper understanding by Christians is a source of great hope that change really can come, and it can be the right change. You have to be hungry to eat, or thirsty to drink, and the rising hunger and thirst for knowledge by Christians signifies that there does not have to be a destruction of our nation, but that all of the things outlined at the beginning of this Bulletin are possible.

Obama won the Presidency with a very shallow, undefined message of hope. Hope has that kind of power. However, a defined message with depth and content can have that much more power. We need to be clear about our understanding of where we are, and the gospel of the kingdom that we must proclaim before the end of this age can come as “good news,” not bad news of doom. Christians have been given the greatest hope, and our message of hope is the greatest the world has ever heard. Our message must be hope, but a true hope, one that does not disappoint, and one that is an anchor for the soul.

Before a map is useful, we must know where we are and where we’re going. Our starting point in the U.S. is that our government and economy are the best in the world, but they have just been poorly managed. The U.S. Government has been insolvent for a long time, which is unconscionable because that just pushes off the greatest problems for the children to deal with. Now we are the children who must deal with them. We are at the point where this is no longer an option, and the Day of Judgment is here. However, if we rightly respond now, the judgment can be a good one.

A Call to Mobilization

There may have never been such a desire for unity as we are witnessing in the body of Christ in America at this time. We hosted a summit of Christian leaders with national influence at Heritage at the end of April. About 300 came who together represented as many as 200,000 churches and millions of believers. This gathering has been called historic, with some saying that there may have never been a gathering like it before, especially considering the great diversity of movements and denominations present, and the level of interchange and unity displayed. No doubt it was a remarkable event and the momentum has continued.

Even though many perceive this to be the beginning of another conservative political movement, that was not the reason for this gathering or the main vision for the organization being formed from it. Our devotion is to wake up the sleeping church in America to seek the kingdom first, and God’s righteousness, believing that when this happens we will become the salt and light we are called to be. By this we will have the impact that we should in government and every one of the seven realms of power and influence over man.

With a mandate from the first summit, several of us have met to do the incorporating work for an umbrella organization that can help mobilize and support the many other efforts being led by Christians to face and overcome the major crises and strongholds of our times. On August 20-22, 2009, we will gather again at Heritage to ratify the Articles of Incorporation, by-laws, elect officers, and begin to implement a plan for a grassroots mobilization of Christians across the nation.

Attendance at this summit is by invitation only, but if you are a Christian leader, and you feel called to attend this organizational meeting, please email us a brief statement of your credentials as a leader (type of church, or ministry, and a description of these, who you were ordained by, etc.), and we will send you an official invitation and information about the meetings, lodging, transportation, and so on. You can send this to: mpiorders@MorningStarMinistries.org. We recommend that you send it as soon as possible since we have limited space available.

If you are invited and plan to attend this summit, please come ready to go to work. There will be time for input, feedback, and some brief presentations, and all who attend will be considered organizers who have a vote on the major issues and action plans. We also ask all to come and be open for serving in a present or future official position.

We also have room for small displays about your ministry which can be rented for a nominal price. The time during meals and the breaks between meetings have proven strategic in developing and building relationships with others of shared purpose and vision. The first summit has resulted in some of these that are already making a major impact.

We already have the resources to communicate quickly to millions of Christians across the spectrum of the body of Christ. We want to use this to wake up, build up, and strengthen the body of Christ in every way we can. If you are a part of this initiative, you will have a part in this, and you may have a big part. However, our goal is to gather those who have a bigger vision than just promoting their own ministry or church, but whether they have a big or small part, they are here to do the will of the Lord and to see His name elevated. This is the time when a new breed of leadership must arise.