Christian Civilization – Part 1

07. Dec, 2011 Comments Off on Christian Civilization – Part 1

Be on the lookout for a new series … THE PATRIOT … COMING JANUARY 2nd!

Winston Churchill is one of my heroes. He inspires me. Below is Part 1 of an article I penned in 2000. It examines the idea of Christian civilization.

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“…I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization. …”

With these words, delivered to the British House of Commons and broadcast over the BBC on June 18, 1940, Sir Winston Spencer Churchill, Prime Minister of Great Britain, prophesied the coming dark months of Nazi air raids on London, later called “The Battle of Britain.”

Churchill continued his speech:

“Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this Island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the light of perverted science.”

Hundreds of thousands of men lost their lives defending what Churchill called “Christian civilization” in World War II. But no one—not President Roosevelt, nor Generals Montgomery, Eisenhower, Patton or MacArthur, nor any officer or soldier on the field-grasped the historical gravity of that moment as did Sir Winston Spencer Churchill.

What is most intriguing about Churchill’s speech is his sacrificial vision. He recognized that a German conquest of Britain would have meant defeat not only for his homeland but for all of the Christianized western world for generations to come. During his service as Prime Minister, he nearly guaranteed victory by the sheer force of his words alone! Here are just a few.

“… Victory – victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be; for without victory there is no survival.^1. Arm yourselves, and be ye men of valour,^2. We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields, and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender!^3. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that if the British Empire and Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, This was their finest hour.^4. We are still masters of our fate. We are still captain of our souls.^5. Never give in—never, never, never, never, … Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.^6.“

Churchill’s words did more than inspire his countrymen. They changed the course of world history, galvanizing a nation to stand against staggering odds and turn back the onslaught of Nazi tyranny.

Such words could only come from one with vision. What did Churchill see?

Churchill’s bold stance sprung from his vision of Christian civilization. Since Martin Luther’s statement at Wittenburg, Christian principles, thoughts and ideas gradually overcame monarchs and sovereigns in the western world. From the Reformation forward, the rule of law slowly supplanted the rule of kings.

From these step-by-step refittings of human society, often accompanied by martyrs’ blood, a new civilization emerged, framed in human dignity, devoted to freedom and held together by a commitment to basic decency and respect for all humanity. All of these values issued forth from the life and teachings of Jesus, the Old Testament and the writings of the apostles—the Bible.

It was this society, this Christian civilization, that Churchill so feared losing.

Part 2 on Friday …

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