In CHURCHILL: “According to Holy Writ” – Part 3: “The last word in ethics”, I focused on what Great-Grandpapa professed himself to believe when it came to the Bible. Although a belief in the truth of the Bible does not establish a person as a card-carrying person of faith, it represents the first step toward such a title. To be a Christian, one must display the character qualities of Christ. No one expects perfection, but humility, placing service above self is the most important of all the characteristics of Christ.

Until 1945 Winston Churchill was considered, like his father before him, a politician whose flame burnt out as quickly as it had initially ignited. As Chancellor of the Exchequer he was responsible for almost bankrupting Britain when he returned her to the gold standard. As First Lord of the Admiralty during the early part of the First World War, he was responsible for one of the greatest failures in naval history; Gallipoli. His unfashionable stance against Indian independence during the 1920s, and then his continual warnings of the rising threat of Hitler and the Nazis throughout the 30s, all contributed to the general feeling of dislike in both the political and social spheres he moved in.

…there was a time when he was described as the most hated man in England, Alan Moorehead wrote of Great-Grandpapa on behalf of Life Magazine in 1965. However, Winston Churchill was in-fact one of the most misunderstood individuals of our time. Written-off in his youth as a social wastrel, Great-Grandpapa dug his heels in and refused to be bowed. Few saw the potential in the brash young man who, at sixteen years old, clearly felt the weight of responsibility pressing down hard on his shoulders, as he anticipated one day leading Britain to victory in what became the most decisive war we have ever known. Unfairly labelled self-centred, a medal-seeking glory-hunter, with a selfish ambition we today would characterise in a person willing to sell their own grandmother to the highest bidder, Churchill refused to give-in, and during the five devastating years of the Second World War, he proved everyone wrong.

…you shall know them by their fruits, was how Jesus described a person of faith. Every good tree brings forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. So what fruits did Churchill bring forth?

Humility, being the first and foremost quality of Christ, must be the initial quality displayed by a person claiming a faith in God. In amongst the litany of labels many attached to Churchill, humility was sadly absent. However, throughout his leadership during the Second World War, we see that quality appear more than any other. Merriam Webster defines Humility as the quality or state of not thinking you are better than other people.

There are many examples that I can draw on to demonstrate Great-Grandpapa’s humility. However, one that speaks so clearly to me comes through a letter sent from my great-grandmother Clementine, to Great-Grandpapa during the early part of his initial premiership in 1940. Churchill had been behaving in a brash and somewhat intolerable way toward his general staff, and this was making him very unpopular at a time when he needed unquestioned support. Clementine wrote, highlighting the issues a mutual friend and colleague of Churchill’s had approached her on:

I must confess that I have noticed a deterioration in your manner; & you are not so kind as you used to be, Clementine wrote, with this terrific power you must combine urbanity, kindness and if possible Olympic calm…I cannot bear that those who serve the Country & yourself should not love you as well as admire and respect you. Great-Grandpapa’s attitude changed at once. Not an unkind word was spoken of him again in the way he dealt with those who worked for him. Churchill revealed his true colours, and proved his understanding by application of the humility Jesus demonstrated throughout his life.

At the height of the Blitz, Churchill, unlike other leaders of his time, would often be seen comforting those who had lost so much in the previous night’s raid. He saw himself as equal to those he served. When offered any honour he wanted at the end of the Second World War, Great-Grandpapa refused, claiming: It was a nation and race dwelling all-round the globe that had the lion heart. I had the luck to be called upon to give the roar.

Churchill demonstrated great humility in accepting the criticism of others and recognising the need for correction and changing. He showed humility as he walked among the people not fearing for his own life, but seeing the urgent need for those devastated by the bombs to see him as a leader of courage and humanity. He again purposed humility when at the end of the war he refused the honours being offered by grateful nations, sighting their works, not his, as the decisive actions that won the war.

…you shall know them by their fruits.

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GOD AND CHURCHILL:

THE EVIDENCE EXPOSED

November 23, 2015

CHURCHILL: “According to Holy Writ” – Part 5

Christ and the Sermon on the Mount

An in-depth analysis of exactly what Sir Winston Churchill himself professed to believe

Jonathan Sandys, a great-grandson of Britain’s wartime Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, along with former White House aide and current senior associate pastor of Houston’s Second Baptist Church, Wallace Henley, reveal compelling evidence that overturns the erroneous belief that Churchill was either an agnostic or an atheist.

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CREDITS

QUOTATIONS

‘…there was a time’ – Life Magazine, February 5, 1965 – The Last Honors, Alan Moorehead

‘…you shall know them’ – The Bible: (Updated King James Version) – Matthew 7:16-17

‘ the quality or state’ – http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/humility

‘I must confess’ – SOAMES, Mary, Speaking for Themselves, p.454

‘It was a nation’ – LANGWORTH, Richard, Churchill by Himself, p.74

IMAGES

Winston S. Churchill:

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Winston & Clementine Churchill:

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GOD & CHURCHILL, front cover, 2015 – (US-Edition)