I am writing the following as one who has lived for several years in New
Orleans, ministering on the streets and in the community, and as one who
has family and friends in the city who have lost much.
In recent years there has been a deliberate attempt by many Christian
leaders to improve the public image of Christianity. While this is not
entirely a bad thing, at times it can go too far. An example of this is
the way that natural disasters and similar tragedies are immediately
declared to be innocent of God's handiwork by so many spokesmen for the
Christian community. In some cases I am sure that this is so; accidents
happen; God often times simply allows laws of cause and effect to take
their course. But, to say such disaster is "out of character for God" is
not only inaccurate but is not doing Christianity nor it's Author any
favors. Noah experienced a move of God in his day when the Lord wiped
out the entire population of the earth in the flood. Sodom and Gomorrah
were annihilated by fire and brimstone rained down from above. Those who
would claim that God wouldn't cause such a thing as Hurricane Katrina,
needn't dig too deep to find contradiction in their worldview. If you do
not believe the Bible, so be it, then let this be the point of our
contention, but to say that the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who has
revealed Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Scriptures,
is not capable within the bounds of His character to do such a thing is
the height of absurdity. "The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom".
It is clear to me as I have traveled extensively all over this nation
doing ministry on the streets, that the city of New Orleans is the most
depraved in all our society. The city epitomizes the pomp, pride, and
hedonistic godlessness that is becoming the character of our nation.
Biloxi and Gulfport, on the Mississippi coast, are modeling their cities
after much of New Orleans. Their gambling casinos, associated with
organized crime, prostitution and exploitation bring an estimated
$500,000 in taxes each day for the state! Those casinos do not exist
today.
Bourbon Street , the most famous street in New Orleans , full of bars
and strip clubs, is a dirty and disgusting cesspool which engulfs its
inhabitants in the foulest odors of stale beer and urine. It attracts
people from all over the world, culminating in the Mardi Gras
celebration, a week of drunkenness and revelry. One of the highlights of
Mardi Gras is the exchanging of plastic beads for girls to expose their
breasts. A very common scene on Bourbon Street, not just during Mardi
Gras, but any night of the week, is a crowd of drunk men surrounding a
woman chanting "show your tits" until the girl exposes her breasts to
the crowd. Over a million people come into New Orleans for Mardi Gras
every year, many of whom are college students who take these obscene
practices back to their own cities and towns. Like a cancer New Orleans
has spread her disease to much of our nation .
"Girls Gone Wild", as well as a host of similar offshoots, has its
origins in New Orleans .
Southern Decadence, one of the largest and most vulgar "gay"
celebrations in the world, finds its home in New Orleans every Labor Day
weekend (interestingly enough, Katrina made landfall just 2 days before
Decadence was scheduled to begin) , as the city rolls out the red carpet
to prostitute itself for the revenue generated by such depravity. In
fact, a huge percentage of the city's income stems from its "parties" in
the French Quarter every week.
The city's political system has been well known to be one of the most
corrupt in the nation for years; this has been well documented with
numerous city and state officials currently behind bars.
New Orleans has been the nation's murder capitol multiple times. Thus
far this year, they were again the nation's leader in murders. Along
with this are epidemic problems with drug addiction, crime and poverty.
Voodoo, witchcraft, and the occult are popular attractions in the city.
A major annual music concert titles itself the "Voodoo Festival".
New Orleans is a city full of crime, violence, corruption and perversion
that influences the world with its seductive allurements. It is a city
where the awful fruit of sin is keenly evident with the crime, poverty
and brokenness. Yet, they continue to suppress the truth in their
unrighteousness; unwilling to repent, unwilling to humble themselves and
turn away from these destructive things.
The damage that was created by Katrina is nothing compared to the damage
that sin in all its fullness has been creating in New Orleans and
through its influence every day, year after year. When we see a young
couple gruesomely killed by a drunk driver who thought it was ok to "get
wasted" and drive home, I see Bourbon Street and the flood waters. When
I hear of a family being ripped apart because of the sexual addiction of
an unfaithful husband who thought "a little fun" was ok, I think of the
French Quarter and the flood waters. When I see a young kid get shot to
death while "slangin" crack on his corner because poverty and crime are
all he has known, I think of New Orleans and I think of the flood
waters. When I see a teenage girl going into a clinic where a doctor is
ripping out of her womb, piece by piece a little human being created in
Gods image, thinking it is her "choice", I think of New Orleans and I
think of the flood waters. When will our nation awake? When will we hear
the cry of our Lord to "Love God with all our hearts, and to Love our
neighbor as ourselves"?
Sin has consequences. This was true yesterday, it is true today and it
will be true tomorrow. God has shown His mighty hand and His
displeasure, not just to New Orleans but to our entire nation. Will we
hear, is the great question of this hour.

Jason Storms
acalltorepentance@yahoo.com

Righteousness exalts a Nation, sin is a reproach to any people"
Prov.14:34