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As the great statesman warned in his book The Gathering Storm, there is always a window of opportunity to peacefully shut down a bellicose adversary. For conservative Christians, that moment is now, but it means giving up on the misguided tactic of appeasing the radical Left and boldly engaging in the battle of ideas, values, and moral imperatives.
During the political and cultural transformation of America, conservative Christians find themselves at a crossroads. The country that so many of us grew up in seems to be gone. America appears to be on life support. We can only pray that those holding the plug are not of the Canadian medical establishment mindset, quick to offer euthanasia as an easy way out.
As we prepare for a new year, conservative Christians would do well to heed this timeless reminder from Winston Churchill on when, and why, a people must fight for all that they hold dear:
“If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory is sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.โ
This quote is found in chapter 19 of The Gathering Storm, the first volume of Winston Churchill’s six-volume work, The Second World War. This monumental account details the struggle between the Allied Powers in Europe against Germany and the Axis powers during World War II.
Told from the unique viewpoint of a British prime minister, it is also the story of one nationโs heroic role in the fight against tyranny. The book covers the Treaty of Versailles, the rise of Adolf Hitler, the capitulation of Munich, and the entry of Britain into the war.
In some ways, The Gathering Storm is a continuation of “The World Crisis,” Churchill’s history of World War I. Throughout the book, Churchill attempts to come to grips with the terrible circumstances that gave rise to Nazi Germany and a second, even more destructive world conflict.
Churchill’s substantial literary talents combine with his statesmanship and leadership to make The Gathering Storm a unique work. It includes not only Churchill’s retrospective analysis of the war but also memos, letters, orders, speeches, telegrams, and other day-by-day accounts of reactions as the drama intensifies. Churchill earned the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953, in part because of this awe-inspiring work.
This book makes clear Churchillโs feeling that the Second World War was a largely senseless but avoidable conflict.
The above lines were penned by Churchill in 1939 when he was during a period called his โWilderness Years.โ He was a Member of Parliament for Epping but held no ministerial position. The policy of appeasement pursued by Churchillโs predecessor, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlin, had failed. Chamberlin had pursued this policy in the vain hope of avoiding war by allowing Hitler to expand German territory unchecked. Chamberlain believed that the conflict with Nazi Germany could be settled to the partiesโ satisfaction without war. And yet the policy of appeasement resulted in the German invasion of Poland in September 1939, which led to the start of World War II.
In the Spring of 1939, with the dark storm clouds of war gathering over Europe and around the world, Churchill was keen on underscoring the deadly costs of indefinite appeasement and complacency.
While Churchill was commenting on the historical realities of a very real, looming, and violent war, the principles he lays out about the dangers of complacency and the need to secure peace when still possible apply to our situation today.
The fight that we face as conservative Christians is not one of physical violence or warfare but a battle against the neo-Marxist revolutionaries seeking to reshape the fabric of our society. This fight is not waged with weapons but through political efforts, including voting, recapturing institutions, challenging dominant and false narratives, living lives of godliness, building community, and more. The battlefield may not be one of physical warfare, but it is a realm of ideas, values, and moral imperatives โ a battleground where the soul of a nation hangs in the balance.
Churchill’s call finds an echo in the spiritual realm, reminding us that the battles we face are not confined to the material plane. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that โwe do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Christian conservatives are summoned to recognize the spiritual forces at play in the cultural arena, acknowledging the stakes of the struggle and the gravity of the choices before them.
Churchill reminds us that we must reject apathy, appeasement, and complacency and begin working to defend what we love and hold dear before it is too late. For conservative Christians, this quote can be seen as a call to action in 2024. The time to fight for our country is now. It is a fight to uphold the Christian values and principles that have guided us for generations. It is a fight to ensure that future generations inherit a country that respects freedom, cherishes life, and values truth.
I know that many feel weary with the unceasing onslaught of wokeness. How many times will we have to say that men canโt women? Can we really stop the radical gender ideology and horrors of โgender-affirmingโ surgeries being perpetrated on minors? Can we end abortion, in all its forms, once and for all?
Yes, I believe we can โ should the Lord will it. But we must do more than just pray, we must take action. Christians need to vote. We need to run for local office. We need to serve in government positions. We need to target institutions under attack from the Left, like churches, seminaries, and schools, and fight to save them.
As we engage in this fight, remember the words of Churchill: โIf you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshedโฆThere may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves.โ
Let it not be said that Christians, of all people, were unwilling to fight when it mattered most. To fight with the bloodless tools of the ballot box, running for office, peaceful protests, legal action, strong churches, and vibrant families so that we may avoid the bullets of war. Churchill’s admonition pierces through the complacency of those who hesitate to engage in the cultural fray. To stand idly by when victory is easily attainable is not merely an act of neglect, it is a passive surrender to a form of intellectual and moral enslavement. Christian conservatives, tasked with upholding eternal truths, must heed the call to fight for what is right, even โ especially โ when the victory seems assured without a drop of blood.
Proverbs 24:11-12 calls us to “Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?”
The Scriptures remind us that silence in the face of injustice is not a neutral stance but an implicit endorsement of oppression. Christian conservatives are called to be defenders of truth and champions of the vulnerable, standing against the cultural tides that may sweep away foundational values.
We must heed the words of the Apostle Paul in Galatians 6:9: “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.”
Churchill’s wisdom serves as both a rallying cry and a solemn warning. The time to fight is now, when the victory is not only within reach but when the principles at stake demand a steadfast defense. Let the echoes of Churchill’s call reverberate through the corridors of conviction, inspiring Christian conservatives to stand boldly, unmoved by the prevailing winds, for the sake of a society anchored in enduring truth and moral clarity that can only be found in the Word of God.
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