Child Mortality Rates Increasing

The United Nations has revealed that ten African countries have halved their poverty rates over the last 20 years. That’s the good news. The not so good news is that, over the same time period, child mortality rates have increased in six of the sub-Saharan nations. These are the only regions in the world registering an increase in the under age 5 mortality rate, Thirty-four of the world's 36 countries with child mortality rates above 100 per 1,000 births are in sub-Saharan Africa.

The numbers have varied greatly. In Ghana, hunger levels were cut 75 percent between 1990 and 2004. But in the Democratic Republic of Congo, hunger levels more than doubled to 76 percent during the same period. Before the start of the World Cup the U.N. tried to underscore some of the vast differences between participating countries by comparing, for example, that life expectancy in Nigeria is 48 years compared with 75 years in Argentina. They noted that women in Ivory Coast are eight times more likely to die in childbirth than the women in Brazil.

The child mortality rate in Africa, and in some other select spots in the world like Afghanistan and Myanmar, is tragic and heartbreaking. Many of these precious souls have no literal chance to survive apart from outside intervention. For these, pain and death is a way of life and something that is beyond their ability to control or fix. Theirs is a life absent of hope.

It requires no special research to know that the opposite of suffering in Africa exists in America – even considering the recently struggling economy. But there is a growing form of poverty in the U.S., and one that exists on an entirely different level. It is not related to the physical or material, and for the most part, it is unnecessary and even voluntary!

For many years now, evangelical church leaders and theologians have claimed that America is fast becoming a post-Christian nation. Some feel the line has already been crossed and the results abound and are easily seen. It is not secret that the ways, word, and will of the God of the Bible have been gradually squeezed from the consciousness of the nation that was built on these very principles. Again, the evidence is fairly obvious in nearly every sphere of culture.

No, God is not dead in America. His remnant, the true church, still exists. But He is certainly ignored by the many millions who remain outside of His faith family and typically by choice. It can even be argued that that the present economic situation in the country stems, at least partly, from the nation’s leadership ignoring God and the principles spelled out in His word.

The ‘spiritual mortality rate’ in the U.S. is simply sobering. More and more older citizens die every day without Christ and growing numbers of the young never even learn who He is – something even the most basic Bible knowledge exam would quickly reveal. This is a challenge to the true believers since one key aspect of their salvation is to share Christ with those who are spiritually starving to death and already dead in sin according to Scripture. (Colossians 2:13) And again, this all remains sadly unnecessary in a nation with rich spiritual foundation and unlimited access to the claims of Christ.

The Bible’s most famous verse, John 3:16, makes it as clear as it can be. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Amazingly, scores of the younger generation have no concept of this eternally life-changing truth!

But there is the good news, however, in the midst of the bad! The good news is that a loving God of mercy has blessed America both materially and spiritually. There are those who name the name of Christ and have accepted Him Savior and the Lord of their lives. And it is the responsibility of God’s redeemed people to attempt to help those less fortunate (Galatians 6:10) The seriousness of helping the poor, when possible, is revealed in rather strong terms especially in Proverbs 28:27. “He who gives to the poor will not lack, but he who hides his eyes will have many curses.”

The Christian’s greatest purpose and privilege is to consistently offer the only solution that can end the spiritual poverty that brings eventual devastating eternal consequences. This mandate is abundantly clear in Paul’s second letter to the fledgling church at Corinth.

“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

Bill Breckenridge