Many Americans look at our country today and wonder what has gone wrong. Everywhere we turn, there seems to be growing confusion, division, and unrest. Decades ago, in his inaugural address, John F. Kennedy quoted a Renaissance philosopher who said, “Man has created all of his problems, so too can he solve them.” That statement reflects a deeply rooted belief in our culture. But is it true? If humanity believes it can solve all of its problems, how exactly can it do so?

The prevailing view in our society is that human beings possess the ability to overcome every challenge. As a result, we tend to place our hope in three major institutions: education, government, and science.

First, many people believe that education can put us on the right moral path. In the United States, students have access to outstanding educational opportunities, and our nation spends more per child on education than almost any other country in the world. Yet, despite these investments, our society continues to struggle with violence, broken relationships, and moral decline. While modern education excels at imparting knowledge and developing skills, it has not succeeded in transforming character or cultivating moral virtue.

In an effort to avoid controversy, modern education often adopts a position of moral neutrality. Values such as tolerance and political correctness frequently replace discussions about objective moral truth. As a result, education, valuable as it is, cannot ultimately provide the moral transformation our society needs.

The second institution many people look to for solutions is government. I recently read the following observation:

“With the tremendous rise in teenage suicide, sociologists are looking to congressionally created national prevention programs for solutions. As Allen Carlson of the Rockford Institute has stated, ‘They believe government research rather than a return to religion and traditional family life is the answer.”‘

History demonstrates that governments can pass laws, enforce regulations, and spend enormous sums of money. However, they cannot change the human heart or the choices people make. They cannot teach compassion, restore broken families, or transform the way people treat one another.

Another statement I found especially insightful says:

“It appears that virtually the entire nation believes government can solve our country’s drug problem. If we hire enough law enforcement officials and permanently incarcerate those who sell drugs, at some point we will have a drug-free society. Our government officials have failed to realize that kids leading meaningless, empty lives will try anything to fill the void. Even if drugs were completely eliminated from the streets, these same kids would sniff glue, steal prescription drugs, or turn to alcohol.”

Perhaps the deeper issue is not drugs themselves but the emptiness that so many people experience. If that is true, then government, despite its important role, is powerless to address the root cause.

The third institution in which many place their hope is science. Scientific discovery has unquestionably improved human life in countless ways, leading many to believe that science will eventually solve humanity’s greatest problems.

For example, scientists have identified a hormone called oxytocin. Studies have shown that increasing oxytocin levels in animals can produce more nurturing and affectionate behavior. Some researchers believe that increasing oxytocin in humans could also promote greater feelings of love and connection.

Others go even further, arguing that love is merely a chemical reaction and nothing more than the interaction of atoms and molecules. According to this view, human beings have no ultimate purpose beyond biological processes.

These ideas bear striking similarities to Aldous Huxley’s classic novel Brave New World. In the story, people are kept content through a drug called “soma,” which suppresses discomfort and maintains social order. Huxley imagined a society that attempted to eliminate human problems through chemistry rather than by addressing the deeper needs of the soul.

Today, with the development of countless psychiatric medications, one might expect depression and despair to be declining dramatically. Yet the World Health Organization reported in 2017 that depression had become one of the most widespread illnesses in the world, and rates have continued to increase.

This may help explain the continued rise in suicide. In the United States, suicide remains one of the leading causes of death, and for every suicide, many more attempts are made. Mental health challenges continue to increase despite remarkable advances in medicine and technology. It raises an important question: Why have our greatest scientific achievements not brought lasting healing?

Education, government, and science all play valuable roles in society. They can inform us, protect us, and improve our quality of life. But none of them can ultimately solve humanity’s deepest problem because none of them can transform the human heart.

Jesus addressed this issue directly. In Matthew 15:19, He said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander.” Scripture teaches that the heart is the source of humanity’s deepest problems, and therefore true change must begin there. The Apostle Paul likewise reminds us that our only lasting hope is found in Christ, who alone can transform the heart from within.

If the deepest problem is spiritual rather than merely educational, political, or scientific, then the deepest solution must also be spiritual. Our greatest need is not simply more knowledge, better policies, or greater technological advances. Our greatest need is a changed heart-and that is the work that only Christ can accomplish.

Richard E Simmons III is the founder and Executive Director of The Center for Executive Leadership and a best-selling author.