Ben’s Blog

2014-05-12 A product demands a producer

ACH Study Groups

Ben & Fran Gilmore – Cofounders

7659 Gingerblossom Drive

Citrus Heights, CA 95621

916-722-2501 histbuff@garlic.com

www.ACHStudyGroups.com

May 12, 2014

This is a letter to our friends –

A product demands a producer

Bryan (Christian) College in eastern Tennessee, recently added a clarification to its statement of beliefs:

“We believe that all humanity is descended from Adam and Eve, …

They are historical persons created by God in a special formative act,

and not from previously existing life forms.”

It is a sad thing, that such a move created a firestorm of controversy and several professors have chosen to resign.

The original title for this blog post was – “How big is your God?” I believe science and revelation (the Bible) come from the same source and will never be in conflict. Jerry Coyne, a well-known evolutionist professor at the University of Chicago, alleged that the school’s statement flies in the face of “science.” “As soon as you say something about the historicity of Genesis, science education is compromised.” said Coyne.

Well – la-dee-dah! Let us have a look at “historicity1” and “science.” If Professor Coyne’s views of “science education” are accepted, the inspired word of God is compromised!

Let us take anything that exists – a guitar for example. Put all the materials for that guitar into a box (wood, string, glue, lacquer, screws, etc.) and shake it for a very long time. Would we ever get a tuned guitar? Of course not. The existence of the guitar demands that there be a guitar-maker.

Further – By carefully studying the guitar we may discover much about the guitar-maker – perhaps even his name! Thus I conclude this truth from observation and reason: Every product demands and reveals its producer. Random chance (i.e. evolution which denies the hand of God) is an absurd denial of truth. Intelligent design is demanded by the superb complexity and function of every product we choose to investigate.

Which is more reasonable: The first human grew from a primordial ovum – or – a super intelligence designed and created “Adam” from the materials available. How would a fetus survive – vs. – How old did “Adam” appear moments after his creation? Thus, a virtual history was created with these events. The trees in the first garden would have tree rings, the light rays from the newly created heavens would exist at the same instant of the light source creation.

Bottom line, “How big is your God?”

1 Historicity is study of the historical actuality of persons and events … [Wikipedia]

2014-05-12 A product demands a producer Read More »

2014-05-09 Is tolerance a good thing

ACH Study Groups

Ben & Fran Gilmore – Cofounders

7659 Gingerblossom Drive

Citrus Heights, CA 95621

916-722-2501 histbuff@garlic.com

www.ACHStudyGroups.com

May 11, 2014

This is a letter to our friends –

Is tolerance a good thing?

“TOL´ERANCE, n. … The power or capacity of enduring; or the act of enduring. … [Little used. But intolerance is in common use.]” [Webster’s 1828 Dictionary]

In 1828 ‘intolerance’ was in common use. Times have changed! Now ‘tolerance’ is supposed to be virtue! Today we are told, “There are no absolutes. Nothing is asolutely right or wrong. We should be tolerant.”

Well – I choose not to tolerate bank robbers, murderers, and those who commit treason against our nation. There is a longer list of things, but you can get the idea – some things are just wrong – absolutely!

If everyone is created free to decide what is right or wrong, how can anyone be absolutely sure of anything? Just try living as though there are no absolutes. Begin by driving the wrong way on a freeway!

Next – We are given the ability to observe and reason. “Even a dumb dog don’t kiss a hot stove twice!” If an event consistently produces good or bad results, we reason it is either right or wrong. Thoughtful observation and reason shows us that there are rules of action to govern everything that exists. Staying within those rules produces growth and peace. Wandering outside those rules produces chaos.

Men are slow learners. It took God 1620 years to make a Pilgrim! In His (God’s) compassion for us, I believe He inspired individuals to write His words in the Bible. Everyone is free to make his own decisions about God and the reliability of Bible teaching. If Bible rules consistently produce good results, we may reason that the rules are right. Not to do so would be foolish.

Your choices are given to you by God. No one has the authority to demand that you choose one way or another. Your choice is your property. Granted: choices have consequences – but – your choice is yours alone! You choose what you will tolerate!

I believe God is doing everything He can to teach you how you were designed to live. That is – To love God and love others. There is, I believe, nothing more He can do without violating your liberty to choose.

The best definition I have found for ‘love’ – To unselfishly want the very best for the loved one. [see John 3:16] Observation and reason tells us that is right. Observation and reason also show us that human nature is not ‘loving’. Selfishness is wrong.

Human nature is prideful, we like for people to agree with us! Sometime we attempt to force people to agree with us. Agreement cannot be forced. Church history has three categories of understanding –

  • Either agree with us, or you are wrong.
  • We have found truth. Let us teach the truth to you.
  • No one has a monopoly on truth, come discover truth with us.

“Agree with us or you are wrong” has caused some bloody wars.

“We have found truth. Let us teach truth to you” I believe defines the “puritan” philosophy.

“No one has a monopoly on truth, come discover truth with us” I believe defines the “pilgrim” philosophy.

William Bradford’s manuscript, “The Plymouth Plantation” describes the planting of the seed of “pilgrim” philosophy in the colonial “puritan” society. That philosophy appears to have spread throughout New England. What appears to me to confuse many historians – Those who adopted the “pilgrim” philosophy retained their “puritan” name tags!

If I tolerate other religious philosophies, it would seem that I have the right not to tolerate them. Rather, every person must be left free to discover and grow his individual relationship with God. That in turn, will determine his relationship with others.

2014-05-09 Is tolerance a good thing Read More »

2014-05-04 Steve Long needs our prayers

ACH Study Groups

Ben & Fran Gilmore – Cofounders

7659 Gingerblossom Drive

Citrus Heights, CA 95621

916-722-2501 histbuff@garlic.com

www.ACHStudyGroups.com

May 11, 2014

This is a letter to our friends –

Steve Long needs our prayers

A long-time friend, Steve Long (& wife Vicky – sons Peter& John) with roots in YWAM, is in need of our prayers. Dr. Long leads “International Student Christian Outreach” (ISCO) on the Stanford campus. Steve also leads the “Champions Education Association” ministry in Taiwan. Over there, his ministry is a very big deal for the Lord.

Vicky writes –

Dear Family and Friends,

Shalom, God’s abundant life’s blessings to you today.

It is early morning. I want to update you while I have internet access and before we have a busy day of meetings. I have more info now. Steve had a massive heart attack during the night or early morning of May 1. He was in a friend’s apartment by himself so we still have to wait for Steve to be able to tell us what happened. He did not show up for his university class in the morning. James, his interpreter immediately tried to call him – no answer. So he called another Champions staff, Victor, who lives close to the apartment. Victor immediately went to the apartment. He knocked on the door and Steve was able to come and open it and fall onto the floor asking for 911. Here in Taiwan that is 119. He was unconscious with a trail of vomit from the bedroom to the front door. The ambulance came asap.

The doctors had to defibrillate him 7 times. His heart stopped 3 times during their attempts to revive him. They had to do bi-pass surgery. 7 hours surgery.

I arrived at Taiwan airport at 11pm. His surgery had ended at 9:30pm. I was taken immediately to the ICU to see him and pray for him with several of our Taiwan Champions family, Shirley Wong and Elizabeth. KC was already there. We prayed and then had to go. He has limited visiting.

The doctor said the most critical time has passed. Now he has to stabilize. The problem now is the blood thinners he has been taking for his heart. This is causing him to bleed more. He has tubes in his nose and his mouth and those are very uncomfortable. His leg hurts where they took the vein for the bi-pass. He has sleeping medicine through IV to keep him peaceful and pain medicine too.

It was recommended that I attend our meetings and give the speeches and messages because, I cannot see him. He gets too emotional when he sees visitors and it disrupts his peaceful time of resting and healing. So we have staff who are keeping close watch while he sleeps. I am doing the meetings – a full schedule.

Please pray with us for Steve’s complete healing asap.

Please pray for me to have the ability to do all the meetings and have a very inspiring message from God for everyone.

Peter and John are doing very well at Becky’s home. I am able to skype and talk with them. Please pray for them to be at peace and be able to focus on getting their end of year school testing done well.

Thank you again for your prayer support. It is greatly appreciated.

God is good all the time. He has a purpose and plan for everything. There is a time and a season for all things. We pray that you are in a good season with God Your loving heavenly Father.

Blessings

Vicky

Vicky’s e-dress is vicky.lynn.long@gmail.com I will send updates. Please join us in prayer.

Ben & Fran

2014-05-04 Steve Long needs our prayers Read More »

2014-05-03 Property

ACH Study Groups

Ben & Fran Gilmore – Cofounders

7659 Gingerblossom Drive

Citrus Heights, CA 95621

916-722-2501 histbuff@garlic.com

www.ACHStudyGroups.com

May 2, 2014

This is a letter to our friends –

Property

“4. The exclusive right of possessing, enjoying and disposing of a thing; ownership. In the beginning of the world, the Creator gave to man dominion over the earth, over the fish of the sea and the fowls of the air, and over every living thing. This is the foundation of man’s property in the earth and in all its productions. …” [Webster’s 1828 Dictionary emphasis is mine]

So, according to Webster – God turned the earth over to man. As if to say, “There, Adam. Everything you need is right there. You and your family are to take care of it, and make a living off of it. Begin by naming all the animals.”

If, as Adam’s kids, we have common ownership of the earth, then why can’t we all get along and do our job? Take for example our mountain cabin a short walk from a beautiful clear brook. That water is free to anyone with thirst. We all hold it in common.

Now, suppose I take a bucket down to the brook and fill it. Then I carry it back to the kitchen counter. The water in the bucket and the water in the brook are the same – chemically – but, there is something mixed into that bucket of water that makes it my “exclusive right of possessing, enjoying, and disposing” – my labor. No one can drink water from the bucket without also drinking my labor.

Who can deny that my labor is my property? I can “rent” my labor to someone in exchange for a pay check. Or I can go into the woods and find an apple tree. The apples are nourishing. Like the brook water, they belong to all of us in common. Must I get everyone’s permission before I use the apples to nourish myself? Not very practical! How then, do I make the apple exclusively mine so that it can nourish my body?

John Locke points out that the apple becomes my property, when I remove from the state in which nature left it. Until I do that, the apple cannot nourish my body. Now suppose I were to gather up all the apples, put them in baskets and store them in my cellar. Kind of selfish, but OK – if I eat all of them. On the other hand, if they rot in my possession, I have violated the rights of others. (I have violated commons.)

I know what I’ll do, I’ll take the apples I don’t eat to the market and exchange them for walnuts that have a longer shelf life! OK – but – What happens when the walnuts begin going bad in my cellar? I will have violated commons.

Back to market with the walnuts while they are still good. This time, I exchange the nuts for little yellow rocks (gold). They have unlimited shelf life. I can take the gold to market and exchange it for whatever I need.

That, my friend, is how wealth is created and you have finished the first lesson in Economics 101! (All built upon a bucket of water!)

There is more.

You have God-given rights to life and liberty. Just as you have God-given rights to your property, you have property in your rights!

What other property have you the “exclusive right of possessing, enjoying and disposing”? Things you cannot remove from the state in which nature left it? Something you, yourself, create from scratch. Like God created the Heavens and the earth – sort of!

How about your thoughts, your desires, your plans, – – your choices! They are your very own creations. Like the rotting apples – If your choices, produce rotten fruit, you are responsible. The consequence your choice produces is “your property”. “When you choose an action, you choose a consequence!” [Harry Conn]

Every person begins life with a conscience. It is his property. He has the “exclusive right of possessing, enjoying and disposing” of his conscience. James Madison, “Father of the Constitution” pointed out that “Conscience is the most sacred of all property.” I would add this admonition, – Guard your conscience with your life! Once you lose your conscience you’re in a world of hurt!

Lastly – Without the principle of private property and the responsibility that goes with it, the tenth Commandment makes no sense. – Don’t covet your neighbor’s community property?

2014-05-03 Property Read More »

2014-04-28 Flash Notice – Herb Titus

ACH Study Groups

Ben & Fran Gilmore – Cofounders

7659 Gingerblossom Drive

Citrus Heights, CA 95621

916-722-2501 histbuff@garlic.com

www.ACHStudyGroups.com

April 28, 2014

This is a letter to our friends –

Herb Titus to teach at FACE

Foundation for American Christian Education (FACE) is the “grandmother” of many American Christian history and government groups such as ours. Many home school families know FACE as the publishers of the big red books.

FACE is offering an exciting free course, “Lessons in Liberty” live at the Hall-Slater Library in Virginia and also online.

The first class, “The First Amendment and Freedom of Religion

is to be taught by Dr. Herb Titus. Dear reader – Any opportunity you have to sit under Herb Titus is an opportunity you will tell your grand-children about! It is not to be missed!

http://www.principleapproach.tv/Email/FAC14_Lessons_in_Liberty/FAC14-7032-Lessons-in-Liberty-Herb-Titus.html

2014-04-28 Flash Notice – Herb Titus Read More »

2014-04-21 Plymouth – A special event

ACH Study Groups

Ben & Fran Gilmore – Cofounders

7659 Gingerblossom Drive

Citrus Heights, CA 95621

916-722-2501 histbuff@garlic.com

www.ACHStudyGroups.com

April 21, 2014

This is a letter to our friends –

Please to to www.plymrock.org

This is something special!

We often speak of our “founding fathers”. Few may know of the nation’s largest granite statue in their honor. It is crammed full of the seeds of our nation’s foundation. Please go to the link referenced above and view the short video there.

Imagine gathering with other patriotic families to celebrate what is great and good in America. Picture extraordinary actors (men, women, children), dressed appropriately for their early American roles.

As they stroll among the families they are pleased to chat about their lives and answer questions. These are not ordinary actors, these are folks who have made serious study of their character and the life and times of that period.

Ask them about their view of President Reagan and they will not know what you are talking about. Ask them about William Bradford, or their trip on the Mayflower, or perhaps about their difficult winters, and they will speak from firsthand knowledge!

This is truly an historic vacation opportunity. I encourage everyone who is able, to take advantage of it.

2014-04-21 Plymouth – A special event Read More »

2014-04-01 Meet Paul Washer

ACH Study Groups

Ben & Fran Gilmore – Cofounders

7659 Gingerblossom Drive

Citrus Heights, CA 95621

916-722-2501 histbuff@garlic.com

www.ACHStudyGroups.com

April 1, 2014

This is a letter to our friends –

Meet Paul Washer

Mat 7:11 – 27 “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

“Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

“Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.”

http://youtu.be/cncEhCvrVgQ

Please cut and paste this URL into your browser.

People we meet fit into three groups: careless; convicted; converted. After viewing Paul’s message, I suspect many will have shifted groups.

The careless need your concern.

The convicted need your challenge.

The converted need your encouragement.

2014-04-01 Meet Paul Washer Read More »

2014-03-30 Husbands Man-up

ACH Study Groups

Ben & Fran Gilmore – Cofounders

7659 Gingerblossom Drive

Citrus Heights, CA 95621

916-722-2501 histbuff@garlic.com

www.ACHStudyGroups.com

March 30, 2014

This is a letter to our friends –

Husbands, Man-Up!

What do you do when a thought keeps returning? For me – I take it as a prompting to pray over it. Then, if it persists, I usually write it (like this). The last thing – before I post it – I print out a copy and ask my wife, Frances, for her opinion.

This column is written by an 85 year old American, fortunate in being married to his closest friend for 60 years! That, I believe, gives me the platform to write – “Husbands, Man-Up”.

As I look at modern American culture, I see marriages and pseudo-marriages of all sorts. I can observe the external, but have no way of knowing the true (i.e. internal) quality. Thus – I’ll add, “If the shoe fits – wear it!”

Men – Here is one simple thing I have found that you MUST deal with – God exists.

I’m not suggesting you do anything, other than sit down with yourself and get this clearly understood. I don’t mean, “Go to church,” or, “Perform some sort of ritual.” Just decide to admit what you know is true.

American society is degrading because we need stronger families. I suggest YOU do this –

Make a regular time each day, to sit with your wife and kids. (I can guarantee it will be “inconvenient” at the beginning.) Just make it happen! Take out a Bible and you read something out loud.

There are books with the Bible broken into 365 selections, one for each day in a year. We have worn out several of them. Another idea – if you have kids. There are 31 chapters in Proverbs. Before sending the kids off to bed, everyone takes a turn reading a proverb from the chapter that matches the day of the month. My son always seemed to get, “Spare the rod and spoil the child,” and my wife seemed to get the one about nagging on the housetop! If we had visitors, when the kids were ready for bed, we just included the guests in the circle!

Caveats come to mind –

· “My wife is the ‘spiritual’ one in the family.” Odds are, that is by default! Man-up hubby! Take your place. She may buck a little, but in the end, she’ll be proud.

· “We come from different faiths, it causes discord.” Friend, God doesn’t belong to a denomination. He isn’t even “religious”!

· “I’m embarrassed. I don’t know anything about God, or the Bible.” Well – That is a problem. Do you suppose daily reading of words God inspired men to write might solve that?

· “Thanks, but I can lead my family without God’s help.” Man-to-man, you know better!

There it is- I have it off my chest. Do you want a stronger family? Do you want to save your family? Do you want your kids to be secure in a dark world?

Then man-up!

Take your place as a real man.

No man is tall among men until he is humble before God.

2014-03-30 Husbands Man-up Read More »

2014-03-29 Let’s play hardball

ACH Study Groups

Ben & Fran Gilmore – Cofounders

7659 Gingerblossom Drive

Citrus Heights, CA 95621

916-722-2501 histbuff@garlic.com

www.ACHStudyGroups.com

March 29, 2014

This is a letter to our friends –

Let’s play hardball !

Our enemies are playing hardball and we are being “nicer than Jesus,” to quote my friend Dennis Peacocke.

Our enemies are free to lie, cheat, and steal, while we are obliged to be truthful, just, and forthright. That makes the hardball game appear to favor the enemy – until – you add that we are also obliged to be steadfast and courageous, while our enemy is cowardly, and bluff and bluster (a paper tiger).

What does it say about your “faith” when you are in awe of the problem? Why not be in awe of the solution? If you accept intimidation, you have accepted defeat. We may truly end up in concentration camps as have many in other nations. – It can happen here.

Congressman Tom McClintock, over the years, has been the “gold standard” of conservative politicians in California. Ungodly Republicans and Democrats oppose his re-election. His district is traditionally Republican. He should be safe. – BUT – The liberals are playing hardball. They persuaded all the potential Democrat opponents not to run. Then, at the last minute, entered an unknown candidate – as a Republican. The result – Leading into the November race, it will appear there is a civil war within the Republican ranks. The liberal Republicans and the Democrats will join in trying to persuade uninformed Republicans to stay home, or even support McClintock’s opponent!

Good people will be unaware, or over confident, and we could lose a proven good guy!

I write about this because it is typical of the deceptive, methods that have become common in politics. Such tactics are only possible because good people choose to be uninformed. Our enemies have NOT overwhelmed us. We have forfeited the game! Participation is out of our comfort zone! “Christians are duped to believe that the ‘forces without’ are mightier and inevitable; thus they isolate themselves, calling it separation, only to breed more cowards after their own kind.” [Kathy Dang, page 10, “A Guide To American Christian Education”]

Show me the men and women who will compare their church mailing list to the voter registration list at the county Registrar’s desk and ask their members why their names are missing.

Show me the church that will send an open letter to any candidate wishing the votes of their congregation, “Introduce yourself to an usher at any Sunday worship service. At the close of the service, you may speak for two minutes and ask for their support – after answering a few questions.

Show me the church that organizes a candidates’ forum for its members – and their friends, informing candidates they will be present, else represented by an empty chair with their name on it!

Show me a candidate who will state that our nation has drifted from its Godly roots and deserves the just wrath of the God of the Bible. Who will state that without God’s grace and support, our nation is doomed. A candidate who will publically admit, as did Pope Francis the other day, that we are all sinners in need of Christ’s grace and salvation. A candidate who will boldly call Americans to stand with Christ for liberty under law.

“We are like sheep without a shepherd.

Dear Lord, raise up courageous shepherds.

That what YOU have invested in America not be lost.”

[That is my psalm – Ben Gilmore]

2014-03-29 Let’s play hardball Read More »

2014-03-27 Valley of the shadow of death

ACH Study Groups

Ben & Fran Gilmore – Cofounders

7659 Gingerblossom Drive

Citrus Heights, CA 95621

916-722-2501 histbuff@garlic.com

www.ACHStudyGroups.com

March 27, 2014

This is a letter to our friends –

Valley of the shadow of death

Peter Hammond, has rendered an important service to modern Christians. When we know and understand true history, we have a context into which to place current events, As Dr. Hammond resides within the British commonwealth, this paper is further proof of his courageous dedication to truth.

INTO THE VALLEY OF DEATH RODE THE SIX HUNDRED

By Dr. Peter Hammonnd

Crimea is much in the news today. Many people may have trouble finding Crimea on the map. Some say that they have never heard of Crimea before this current crisis. However, that is probably not true. Most of us are aware of the Crimean War or at least of Florence Nightingale, who launched the modern nursing movement, caring for wounded and sick British soldiers during the Crimean War.

The Charge of the Light Brigade

Many have surely heard of The Charge of the Light Brigade. That took place during the Crimean War. Lord Alfred Tennyson wrote the poem, The Charge of the Light Brigade poem in 1854:

"Half a league, half a league, half a league onward,

All in the valley of Death rode the six hundred.

Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns! he said.

Into the valley of Death rode the six hundred.

"Forward, the Light Brigade! Was there a man dismayed?

Not though the soldier knew someone had blundered.

Theirs not to make reply, theirs not to reason why,

Theirs but to do and die.

Into the valley of Death rode the six hundred.

"Cannon to right of them, cannon to left of them,

Cannon in front of them volleyed and thundered;

Stormed at with shot and shell, boldly they rode and well,

into the jaws of Death.

Into the mouth of hell rode the six hundred.

"Flashed all their sabres bare, flashed as they turned in air

sabring the gunners there, charging an army,

while all the world wondered.

Plunged in the battery-smoke, right through the line they broke;

Cossack and Russian reeled from the sabre stroke, shattered and sundered.

Then they rode back, but not the six hundred.

"Cannon to right of them, cannon to left of them,

cannon behind them volleyed and thundered;

Stormed at with shot and shell, while horse and hero fell.

They that had fought so well, came through the jaws of Death,

Back from the mouth of hell.

All that was left of them, left of six hundred.

"When can their glory fade? O the wild charge they made!

All the world wondered.

Honour the charge they made!

Honour the Light Brigade, noble six hundred!"

Courage Despite Confusion

Alfred Tennyson’s poem was published 9 December 1854 in The Examiner. Inspired by the term in Psalm 23 of the Valley of the shadow of death, it highlights one of the most famous events of the long and costly Crimean War. The Light Brigade had been ordered into a nearly hopeless situation, due to command confusion and incompetence. Yet incredibly they succeeded in reaching the Russian artillery at the end of a valley lined with artillery on both sides, and they actually succeeded in fighting their way out of a Russian trap. Most of the men made it back to their own lines.

Actually there were 666 men, who charged in the Light Brigade that day. There have been a number of films made on that event.

However, for most people that would be the full extent of their knowledge of Crimea.

The First Modern War

The Crimean War was called one of the first modern wars because it saw the first to use major technology, such as railways and telegraphs. It was also one of the first wars to be documented extensively in photographs and written reports. The Crimean War exposed horrendous logistical failures in both the British and Russian armies.

Military Reforms

The reports of War correspondents led to widespread demands for sweeping reforms in the military. The sale of commissions in the British Army came under scrutiny and was eventually abolished as a result of exposes of incompetence in the field. The war also led to the establishment of the Victoria Cross as the British Army’s first universal award for Valour.

Emancipation

The Crimean War was also a contributing factor in Russia abolishing Serfdom in 1861. Czar Alexander II saw the military defeat of the Russian serf army by free troops from Britain and France as proof of the need for emancipating the Serfs. The Russian government also began a major modernisation of its forces as it had seen its technical inferiority in military practices as well as weapons. Russian military medicine saw dramatic progress through the Crimean War as N.I. Pirogov, known as the Father of Russian Field Surgery, developed the use of anaesthetics, plaster casts, enhanced amputation methods and five-stage triage.

Alaska

The debts that Russia incurred from the Crimean War led Alexander II to decide to sell Alaska to the United States to help pay their war debts.

Unasked Reason Why

However, as interesting as all of these developments were, the most important question is seldom asked: Why?

Why were British and French forces fighting the Russians in Crimea in the first place?

The Last Crusade

From the Western media at the time, one would have received the impression that the issue was to protect "poor little Turkey" from the predatory aggressions of imperial Russia. However, the Russians saw it very differently. Some Russians called the war: The Last Crusade.

The Turkish Threat

From the 15th century, the dominant Muslim power was the Ottoman Turkish Empire, which oppressed millions of Christians including Armenians, Greeks and many Slavs. With the fall of the greatest city in the world at that time, Constantinople, in 1453, and the massacre of the entire city by Muslim Turks, the Byzantine Empire which has stood for over 1,000 years fell.

The Defenders of the Faith

Russia took up the mantle of the Eastern Roman Empire. Two Romes had fallen, proclaimed the Czars, the third Rome now stands! St. Petersberg and the Russian Empire saw themselves as heir to the Christian Byzantine Empire. Inspired by the vision in Daniel, generations of Russians saw their manifest destiny as liberating the Orthodox Christian world from the sons of Ishmael, whose wild hand was against every man. At the height of the Turkish wars, in the 1770s, Catherine the Great of Russia christened one of her grandsons Constantine. For centuries Russian statesmen saw their manifest destiny to defend Orthodox Christianity against Islamic Jihad and also against Roman Catholicism.

Russia’s Manifest Destiny

Systematically Russia worked at freeing Christians from Ottoman Turkish control, liberating the Balkans and forcing the Turks to respect the religious freedom of their Christian subjects. As Russia extended Christian civilisation across the whole of North Asia to the Pacific Ocean, they also were pushing southward in their civilising mission, seeking to liberate the holy places in Palestine, which were then controlled by the Muslim Turks.

Propping Up Turkey

If it had not been for the intervention of Great Britain and France, the Russians would have undoubtedly overrun the whole rotten, corrupt and crumbling edifice of the Turkish Empire, and established Orthodox Christianity throughout the Middle East.

The Scandalous Alliance

However Britain dreaded the establishment of a Russian superpower stretching from the Arctic to the Indian Ocean. So, to prevent Russia gaining ice-free ports for their Navy, Britain became the protector and guarantee of the Ottoman Empire. As leader of the opposition at that time, Gladstone declared: Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli "Is not such a Turk as I thought. What he hates is Christian liberty and reconstruction." Gladstone described the British alliance with Turkey as "The Scandalous Alliance."

The Greatest Threat

Turkey had been the greatest threat to the freedom of Europe throughout the centuries. The Turks had twice besieged Vienna in the heart of Europe. They had sacked Budapest, taking hundreds of thousands of Christians into Islamic slavery from the very heart of Europe. In 1822 the entire population of the Island of Chios, tens-of-thousands of people, were massacred, or enslaved. In 1823, 8,750 Christians were slaughtered by the Turks at Missolonghi. Thousands of Assyrian Christians were murdered in the Province of Mosul in 1850. It was such atrocities as these that led the Russians to demand the right to protect the Holy Places which were under Orthodox supervision, in the Middle East.

The New Napoleonic Empire of France

The status quo was destabilised in 1852 with the accession to power in France of Napoleon III. In order to increase his prestige, he sought to provoke an international crisis by demanding that the Turks place the Holy places in the Middle East under the power of the Roman Catholic church, rather than the Orthodox. As Napoleon III’s new French regime was completely secular, this was a cynical and manipulative diplomatic move designed to provoke war.

Extending the Life of Ottoman Oppression

So Napoleon III’s France assumed the role of Catholic crusader, effectively supporting the blood-stained, despotic and corrupt Ottoman Turkish Empire. This move led to soaking the continent in blood. Over 800,000 died in the Crimean War. Far more serious than the actual loss in lives and limbs, was that the British and French actions in the Crimean War extended the worthless existence of the Turkish tyranny, who now targeted the Christians who had previously been under the protection of Czarist Russia.

The Butcher’s Bill

In 1860, over 12,000 Christians were slaughtered by the Turks in Lebanon. In 1876, 14,700 Bulgarians were murdered by the Turks. At the town of Batao, out of 7,000 inhabitants, 5,000 were put to the sword by the Muslims. However, reports of these and other routine atrocities by the Ottoman Turks were generally supressed by British government of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, for political reasons. He saw it as more important to block Russian Naval ambitions to secure an ice-free port by promoting an alliance of convenience with Turkey.

Supporting the Enemies of Christian Civilisation

As Serge Trifkovic in The Sword of the Prophet, observed: "The great Western powers … the heirs of those who had looted Constantinople in the Crusades and refused to help when the Turks were breaking through the walls with a canon built by an Hungarian Catholic, who forced the last Emperors to forswear their Orthodox Faith at the Council of Florence as the price of Western help that never came … those same Western powers, and Great Britain in particular, actually supported the Turkish subjugation of Christian Europeans on the ground that the Muhammadan Empire was a stabilising force and a counter weight against Austria and Russia. The scandalous alliance with Turkey against Russia in the Crimean War, reflect a pernicious frame of mind that has manifested itself more recently in the overt, covert, or de-facto support of certain Western powers for the Muslim side in Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Chechnya, Cyprus, Sudan, East Timor and Kashmir."

Turkish Slaughter of Christians

The Turks slaughtered over 200,000 Armenian Christians in Bayazid (1877). Other massacres followed in Alashgurd (1879), Sassun (1894), Constantinople (1896), Adana (1909), and Armenia (1895-1896). In 1915 the Turks massacred over 1.5 million Armenian Christians. In 1881 the Turks slaughtered Christians in Alexandria. In 1915-1916, over 100,000 Christians were murdered in Lebanon and Syria.

A Terrible Track Record

As Prime Minister Gladstone observed concerning the Turks: "They were upon, the whole, from the dark day when they first entered Europe, the one great anti-human specimen of humanity. Wherever they went a broad line of blood marked the track behind them. As far as their dominion reached, civilisation disappeared from view. They represented everywhere, government by force, as opposed to government by law."

The Destruction of Smyrna

Even as the Ottoman Empire crumbled and was replaced by the new Republic of Turkey under Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the ancient city of Smyrna, with its 300,000 Christian population, was destroyed. The burning of Smyrna and the massacre of its Christian population marked the end of Greek civilisation in Asia Minor. Incredibly, British, American, Italian and French warships anchored in Smyrna’s harbour were ordered to maintain neutrality and even refused the pleas of refugees swimming to their anchored ships. Even as late as 1955, Istanbul’s Christians suffered what one reporter called "the worst race riot in Europe".

An Unmitigated Cultural Disaster

It is no wonder that William Muir (1819-1905), one of the greatest orientalists of all times, concluded at the end of his long and distinguished career: "The sword of Muhammad and the Quran are the most fatal enemies of civilisation, liberty and truth which the world has yet known… an unmitigated cultural disaster parading as God’s Will…"

Counter Productive Intervention

So, 160 years ago, Western European powers interfered in the policies of Russia, invaded the Crimea, and, as a result, strengthened the hand of radical Islam. Instead of supporting civilisation and advancing freedom, the Western powers intervention in Crimea, in the 1856-1856 Crimean War, actually undermined freedom, retarded civilisation and unintentionally led to even worse massacres of Christians in the extended life granted to the tyrannical Turkish Empire.

Secular and Spiritual Concerns

Obviously Russian policies are influenced by both religious and secular motives. Russia desires ice-free, warm water naval bases. Odessa and Sevastopol are considered most strategic and essential for the Russian Federation’s security. However, there is also the strong national conviction that it is Russia’s manifest destiny to extend Orthodox Christian civilisation throughout the Middle East and its sworn duty to protect Orthodox Christians in the Middle East.

Protecting the Persecuted

That is why Russia has extended its strong arm over the secular regime in Syria, which has provided protection for the 6% of its population who are Christian. The Russian government has been one of the only European governments to speak out against Islamic persecution of Christians, Russia called for his international intervention to protect the Christians of the Middle East from persecution.

Partnership Between the Orthodox Church and The Russian State

Since the fall of the Soviet Union the Russian government has worked intimately with the Orthodox Church who have enthusiastically participated to consecrating national events. The Russian government has helped rebuild many Orthodox Cathedrals and monasteries, which have been confiscated and devastated by the Communists during the terrible 70 years of Soviet control.

Understanding the Times

One would hope that those making their assessments and decisions concerning what the United States and Europe should do during this new crisis in Crimea, would consider these historic realities. The results of the Treaty of Paris, 1856, which ended the Crimean War, included that Wallachia and Moldovia were moved from Russian rule and placed under the Muslim Turks. The boundaries of Ukraine, Moldovia, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia were all changed as a result of the Crimean War and the Treaty of Paris – inevitably leading to future disastrous wars.

Learning From History

As Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote: "If we do not know our own history, we will simply have to endure all the same mistakes, sacrifices and absurdities all over again."

"Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted… now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition…" 1 Corinthians 10:6-11

Dr. Peter Hammond

Frontline Fellowship
P.O. Box 74 Newlands 7725
Cape Town South Africa
Tel: 021-689-4480
Email: mission@frontline.org.za

Website: frontline.my-mailer.com

2014-03-27 Valley of the shadow of death Read More »

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Ben Gilmore 1929-2023

On March 30, 2023 Ben Gilmore, the co-founder of ACHStudyGroups (co-founded with his wife Fran), went to be with the Lord in Glory.

A Memorial: https://www.mykeeper.com/profile/BenGilmore/