CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A recent poll revealed a tragic truth about the American people — depression is at an all-time high. The rate of Americans who report they were depressed at some point in their lives hit 29% this year, according to Gallup. The trend in depression was directly linked to the COVID-19 pandemic, with researchers noticing a sizable spike from 2019 to 2021. The report also revealed that women are more likely to suffer from lifetime depression (36% compared to men’s 20%) and the highest rate of current depression in an age group is 24% for adults aged 18 to 29.
Judge Phil Ginn, president of Southern Evangelical Seminary (SES, www.staging.ses.edu), joined the throng of concerned Americans worried about the future of America after such a bleak report. The solution, according to Ginn, is not government meddling or mass counseling, but a return to Christ.
Ginn commented, “Fox News reported on the results of a poll this past week that revealed something that we already intuitively knew as a nation: the levels of lifetime and current depression are at an all-time high for Americans this year. Not only that, but no one should be surprised that these levels of depression show a clear spike since the malaise of the pandemic and the ruinous measures utilized by our government to deal with the fallout from its onslaught. Sadly, we also confirmed that the highest rate of depression in any age group is experienced by young adults aged 18-29 and lifetime depression is particularly pronounced in the female population.
“Obviously, there are myriad reasons why individuals or segments of a culture may become negatively oriented in their feelings. Perhaps there could be guilt arising from prior actions or addictions. Even current circumstances may look at least temporarily bleak. However, the most devastating, pessimistic emotional state comes from an individual’s loss of hope for their future well-being.
“At this point in our nation, we just need to face facts,” Ginn continued. “Americans are in the process of losing hope in our future as a people. The sad reality is that our culture and even our present government are complicit in this downward spiral. Should it come as a surprise to anyone to find that women are more despondent about their circumstances when even the highest levels of government can’t even bring themselves to confirm the concept of womanhood? Not only that, but men are being told not to be real men. Because of this bumbling confusion, the heart of a woman cannot find where it longs to be, and men have lost their sense of being an integral part of God’s nuclear family. Moreover, the moronic handling of the pandemic at all levels of government divided all of us into tribes of distrust unlike anything seen since the Civil War. Added to this is the directly intentional removal of the very anchor on which our society was built with the blatant attempt to erase God from the marketplace.
“At Southern Evangelical Seminary, we know from our understanding of natural law and our strong belief in God’s Word that the peace that our nation and world seek can only come through the acceptance of the grace of God. Those of us who are in Christ know that though our circumstances may be difficult, we are no longer set alone against those circumstances. Because of God’s grace, we know the patience of hope that comes with being a child of God. The truth is that God accepts us despite what we are not because of who we are. Because of His love, He wants us to become more than what we are. That can only be accomplished through, and in, Christ. There is a real peace that will never be found in the chair of a psychiatrist nor through any government decree or handout. No, the peace that passes understanding can only be delivered supernaturally through a relationship with the One who loved us so much that He took the brunt of our judgment for us on the cross. The heart of Southern Evangelical Seminary longs for our nation and her people to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to allow it to penetrate not only our culture, but the hearts of each man, woman, and child. The only firm ground upon which we can stand is at the foot of the Cross and that is the only hope for our once great nation.”
