America’s most recognizable cities are unraveling, and the hosts of the “Unashamed with the Robertson Family” podcast argue the cause runs deeper than policy failures or economic strain. They say the collapse is spiritual, the inevitable result of abandoning God’s order, rejecting Christ as truth and surrendering moral authority to darkness disguised as freedom.
From open drug use to lawlessness and fear-filled streets, the Robertsons frame citywide decay as the visible consequence of losing biblical foundations.
The hosts of the podcast, Jase and Al Robertson and Zach Dasher attributed this to one thing: “This is what happens when something other than God is in charge.”
When Light Is Rejected, Reality Is Lost
A central theme of the episode is the biblical contrast between light and darkness, drawn from Genesis, John and First John. The Robertsons argue darkness is not merely immoral behavior, but the inability, or refusal, to see reality as God defines it.
Dasher explained that Christ is not simply a moral guide but the source of true understanding.
“With Christ, you can see everything,” Dasher said. “It’s through Christ that we can actually see reality.”
Jase Robertson reinforced the point, emphasizing that darkness becomes frightening not because danger is always present, but because people cannot see clearly. When truth is removed, confusion and fear fill the gap, both personally and culturally.
Blindness Disguised as Progress
The podcast repeatedly warns that the greatest danger is not blindness itself, but claiming to see while blind, echoing Jesus’ words in John 9.
Al Robertson applied that warning directly to modern leadership, arguing many city officials deny reality even as conditions deteriorate.
“They’ll clean up a small area and say, ‘Everything’s fine,’” Robertson said. “That’s whistling through the graveyard.”
The hosts argue moral blindness allows decay to deepen while leaders insist nothing is wrong.
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From Garden to Ruin
Using Genesis 1:28 as a foundation, the Robertsons describe humanity’s calling as one of stewardship and dominion under God. Cities, they argue, should reflect order, creativity and beauty, echoes of the original garden.
When that mandate is reversed, collapse follows.
“When you worship and serve the creation rather than cultivate it,” Dasher said, “the result is always death.”
Robertson pointed to Seattle as a real-world example, describing how a once-beautiful city became increasingly unsafe and unlivable as restraint disappeared and chaos was tolerated.
Idolatry Repackaged as Freedom
A major argument in the episode is that modern idolatry rarely looks religious. Instead, it elevates desire, impulse and autonomy above God.
“Idolatry is giving dominion over to creation instead of exercising dominion over it,” Dasher explained.
The hosts redefine sin not as arbitrary rule-breaking, but as missing the mark, failing to be what humans were designed to be. When societies normalize that failure, moral structure collapses.
Cities Reflect the Soul
Throughout the discussion, the Robertsons stress that cities mirror the spiritual condition of those who lead and inhabit them.
“When you take away God’s light and God’s order, this is what you get,” Al Robertson said. “You can watch it happen in real time.”
They contrasted God’s design, a cultivated and expanding garden, with cities that shrink into disorder and fear.
Jesus Is the Only Real Cure
The hosts reject surface-level fixes, arguing renewal begins with returning to Christ.
“If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,” Dasher said, citing First John.
Al added that cultural restoration begins with the individual.
“Studying Scripture, praying, having Jesus conversations, those simple things ignite faith,” he said.
The message was urgent and unmistakable. Cities cannot be healed while rejecting the One who defines truth, order and life.
“Jesus doesn’t just forgive,” Robertson said. “He turns the lights on.”
Until America is willing to see again, the Robertsons warned, the decay will continue, no matter how loudly leaders insist otherwise.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine.
