Over the weekend we learned that the Irish voted to legalize abortion. They join other Europeans and the U.S. on the path to demographic collapse.
Just the week before, the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics announced that the 2017 U.S. fertility rate hit the lowest level in history and the number of births sank to its lowest level in 30 years. Now the fertility rate is half of what it was in 1960, before the sexual revolution and 60 million abortions, and the birth rate is falling below the population replacement rate. At the same time, the population is aging, leaving fewer young workers to meet the needs of society. The process, which is further advanced in Europe, is known as demographic collapse.
Demographic collapse, in addition to being a spiritual and human tragedy, is an economic disaster. A shrinking population means that economic growth is reversed, causing stagnation and then contraction. Economic contraction means lower tax collections and a reduction in national finances and power. Even worse, the decrease in young workers means that social welfare programs such as government funded retirement and medical benefits become unsustainable. So societies which murder their own children are actually killing their own future.
Unlike Europe, the U.S. has the opportunity to avoid demographic collapse for one simple reason: immigration. Immigrants tend to be younger and therefore productive, adding to economic growth and paying into our government welfare systems. Skilled immigrants have helped the U.S. maintain its technological edge, while unskilled immigrants form the backbone of our agriculture, construction and other industries. As far as America is concerned, increased immigration is the price we must pay to replace the 60 million babies we have aborted.
As we hope and pray for a revival of family values, we must look at America’s immigration problems from the perspective of the kingdom of God. After all, the world’s mission fields are coming to our neighborhoods, and we will have the opportunity to love them into the kingdom. Many Latin American immigrants are already Christian, with strong family values, and we should reach out to them to help them assimilate and strengthen the kingdom in America. God may have sent them to help save America.
Let us never forget God’s command to treat the aliens among us fairly and love them (Leviticus 19:33-34). This is especially true for the “dreamers,” the innocent children of illegal immigrants who have known no other home.
Let us pray that God will save America from demographic collapse, and ask for His wisdom to solve our immigration problems. {eoa}
Ron Allen is a Christian businessman, CPA and author who serves in local, national and international ministries, spreading a message of reconciliation to God, to men and between believers. He is founder of the International Star Bible Society, telling how the heavens declare the glory of God; the Emancipation Network, which helps people escape from financial bondage; and co-founder with his wife, Pat, of Corporate Prayer Resources, dedicated to helping intercessors.
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