September 6th, 2024
by Matt Davis
by Matt Davis
This isn't an article on church leadership, philosophy, or ministry per se, but it is an important pushback on a creeping danger on the right side of the political spectrum, which will eventually impact theologically conservative Christians in some way.
Last week a very popular host on Twitter posted a long interview with a pop historian. This is not significant except for the fact that this host has wide influence in conservative political circles, and even among some Christians. He has recently addressed some issues in a concerning way under the, "just asking questions" approach. But this approach has led him to question whether a certain authoritarian leader is really that bad, and then this week to have a guest assert, without pushback, that it was Churchill who is the bad guy in WWII and that Hitler killed so many people because he wasn't ready for the amount of civilians he would have to deal with in the war. This is a troubling whitewashing of history.
In this article Dr. Mohler pushes back on this absurd thinking. It's not that we can't ever question history as we know it (we should), but we should ask why this is happening? Is it a push for the truth, or a recasting of the truth to fit an agenda?
Dr. Mohler points out isn't that Churchill was without flaws or that he even was mistake free in WWII - Churchill is certainly not a "Christian hero". But he was a hero in that he was clear-eyed about evil and willing to do whatever it took to defeat it. What Dr. Mohler doesn't say is that lurking under the surface of this recasting of WWII heroes and villains is a resurgent anti-semitism in certain sectors of the American right (which is also in full view for different reasons in sectors of the progressive left).
And THAT is an important issue for the church to be aware of. I have seen anti-semitism on the far left and far right of the political conversation and it is important for us to be on alert, ready to defend against a weakening of the imago dei and hatred against God's first covenant people, ethnic Israel.
*By the way, if you've never seen the recent movie "Darkest Hour" on Churchill's ascension to the office of Prime Minister in WWII, it is well worth the watch.
Last week a very popular host on Twitter posted a long interview with a pop historian. This is not significant except for the fact that this host has wide influence in conservative political circles, and even among some Christians. He has recently addressed some issues in a concerning way under the, "just asking questions" approach. But this approach has led him to question whether a certain authoritarian leader is really that bad, and then this week to have a guest assert, without pushback, that it was Churchill who is the bad guy in WWII and that Hitler killed so many people because he wasn't ready for the amount of civilians he would have to deal with in the war. This is a troubling whitewashing of history.
In this article Dr. Mohler pushes back on this absurd thinking. It's not that we can't ever question history as we know it (we should), but we should ask why this is happening? Is it a push for the truth, or a recasting of the truth to fit an agenda?
Dr. Mohler points out isn't that Churchill was without flaws or that he even was mistake free in WWII - Churchill is certainly not a "Christian hero". But he was a hero in that he was clear-eyed about evil and willing to do whatever it took to defeat it. What Dr. Mohler doesn't say is that lurking under the surface of this recasting of WWII heroes and villains is a resurgent anti-semitism in certain sectors of the American right (which is also in full view for different reasons in sectors of the progressive left).
And THAT is an important issue for the church to be aware of. I have seen anti-semitism on the far left and far right of the political conversation and it is important for us to be on alert, ready to defend against a weakening of the imago dei and hatred against God's first covenant people, ethnic Israel.
*By the way, if you've never seen the recent movie "Darkest Hour" on Churchill's ascension to the office of Prime Minister in WWII, it is well worth the watch.
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