This week's Christian View Symposium question has been asked:

1. Is there a lack of leadership in this Country?
2. How can we as Christians fill this void if it exists?
3. Is America being destroyed from within?
4. If we are, how can we as Christians help stop this destruction?

1. Is there a lack of leadership in this Country?

Yes. To lead, one must provide guidance or direction. Most of the politicians in this country, who should be leading, are much more interested in the next election and obtaining power. Ronald Reagan is the last true leader that this country has experienced.

Now I don't know about all the local offices and even governorships, but speaking for North Carolina, there is little to no leadership. None of the people who are elected are interested in providing guidance -- most are interested in telling other people what to do and in spending money to force people to do things.

How can we as Christians fill this void if it exists?

More and more I am starting to think we are beyond recovery in this country. If I were to run for election and tell people that I wasn't going to "give" them things taken from someone else, what chance would I have? We can try and run for office, but unless people are willing to accept responsibility for their own actions, one will not get far.

When people blame the President for not feeding them, clearly people take absolutely no responsibility for their own actions. Instead they are wanting someone else to be responsible for them -- this used to be called slavery. Now it's called government dependence. Either way it's wrong, and a real leader would see that and would oppose this new slavery.

Is America being destroyed from within?

Yes. I alluded to this point above. The people still, at least within many boundaries, can elect their representatives. A shockingly large number, indeed a vast majority, continue to elect those who are more than willing to steal from one person to give to another.

This is not compassion, this is theft. If we had good leadership, a leader would stop this before it completely destroys the entire country. Once there are more people living off government largess than forcibly contributing to it, the country collapses upon itself. We are certainly on the path to that self-destruction.

If we are, how can we as Christians help stop this destruction?

Stop participating. The only real hope I see these days is The Free State Project. This is a group of people who are trying to join together to promote freedom and destroy the oppressive government that currently reins in America -- via peaceful, democratic methods.

The only other way is to convince others how bad punitive government has become. And most people today simply do not care or will not listen.