Two seemingly unrelated court cases made headlines this week, yet both reveal a deeper crisis in our society.
In Louisiana, anti-Christian groups — including Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the Freedom From Religion Foundation — sought to block the display of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms. Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, New York, prosecutors unsealed a 16-count indictment against Michael Jeffries, the former CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, along with his male partner and a third man. The indictment details allegations that they lured young men into drug-laced, coercive sex parties with promises of modeling opportunities for the brand’s highly sexualized advertisements.
Even the Associated Press warned readers about the graphic nature of the indictment.
These kinds of revelations have become disturbingly routine. Change the names, locations, and industries, and the story is the same. Today, it’s Michael Jeffries; yesterday, it was entertainment mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. Before him, billionaire Jeffrey Epstein and disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein.
What ties these cases together? Wealthy, powerful men — unchecked by morality — preying on those seeking fame and fortune in a culture that celebrates sexual excess.
Should we really be surprised? Jeffries’s departure from Abercrombie marked a shift in the retailer’s branding, but the damage had already been done. While I don’t follow Sean Combs’s music, even a quick glance at his lyrics reveals a worldview that makes the allegations against him unsurprising.
The fallout from Weinstein’s behavior sparked the #MeToo movement, unleashing widespread moral outrage. But outrage alone cannot change anything unless we also change the moral foundations of our culture.
Which brings us back to those two courtrooms. If we want to stop producing predators — and prevent young people from becoming prey — we must restore morality in America. And that journey starts with the moral truths represented by the Ten Commandments. Yet in Louisiana, even those basic moral principles are being contested.
Here is the reality of the courtroom revelations: Morality cannot stand without religion. Our first president, George Washington, warned about this in his 1796 Farewell Address:
“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.”
Washington continued, “Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion.”
C.S. Lewis echoed this sentiment in “The Abolition of Man,” observing: “In a sort of ghastly simplicity, we remove the organ and demand the function. We make men without chests and expect of them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst.”
The opponents of the Ten Commandments lean on the familiar argument of “separation of church and state.” Yet this concept was never intended to build a wall between government and God. Thomas Jefferson’s intent was to prevent the establishment of a state-sponsored religion — not to drive the Christian faith and the morality that springs from it out of the public sphere.
The upcoming elections provide a clear choice: Will we embrace a public space that welcomes vibrant personal faith, or will we continue down the path of hostility toward religion in public life?
The choice is ours.
