Coming to events nearer our own day, I was a schoolboy in the 1939-45 War, and naturally saw it in terms of good versus evil. It was the greatest physical event in my life; at the time of Dunkirk, I knew the Germans might be over in a week. I knew we survived 1940 by a hair’s breadth. Later when I read about it, I learned how right I had been. General Brooke saved the Army, by anticipating the orders he received from Headquarters by 24 hours, and ordered the Army to retreat. Time after time he anticipated his orders correctly; had he waited that 24 hours, it would have been too late, and the Army would have been marched off to a POW camp. End of War! In one instance Lieut.-General Montgomery saved the Army. The Belgian Army on his left flank surrendered out of cowardice, leaving a great hole. That night Montgomery was ordered to move his Division sideways in complete darkness to fill the gap; the most difficult manoeuvre in war, a flank march across the front of the enemy. Only his Division could have done it; its training was so good. Complacently the Germans waited till morning to attack, thinking they were going to march through a hole in the front. They were repulsed by Montgomery’s Division again, and again, and again; their attack was a complete shambles. There were many other incidents in the battle like that, by which we were saved. Montgomery regarded the battle as the worst defeat the British Army had ever suffered, and who can quarrel with that; on the beaches at Dunkirk he determined to avenge it. But I believe it was also a miracle, indeed a whole series of miracles; and I firmly believe God was determined our Army should escape, so as to carry on the struggle.
Churchill met Montgomery shortly afterwards, and they had lunch. Brimming over with self-confidence, Montgomery said, “I’ve no idea how we are going to win this war”. Churchill agreed he hadn’t either! Some of you may not agree that Dunkirk was a miracle; you may agree with those clergymen who preach that War is never an option. While it is easy to be lulled into that option when considering Iraq; one must be careful not to apply it to Nazi Germany. Not fight Hitler; to allow Europe to descend into another dark age, from which it might have taken between 800 and 1400 years to recover? To destroy the civilization of Europe, as the Germans did from 1914 to 1945, was a crime second only to crucifying Christ. True, Jesus himself had little time for society, and if the story of the Gadarene swine has any truth showed his contempt for it. I think he was unwise. Civilized society, whatever its imperfections, is a God-given gift; without it nothing is possible, not even the life of the Saviour. To destroy it was almost unforgivable. The answer is, as I know from my own modest experience, that every serious adventure must be conducted alone. Others may encourage you; but no-one is ever willing to share the responsibility with you. To the bitter end you are alone with your responsibility.
Religion Rewritten, a religious view of nature and the universe.
Essay 4 - A Vocation To Re-Interpret Christianity.