The Power of Moral Conviction

I find myself suddenly surrounded by brilliant Englishmen...

In the first place, I have recently replaced my morning routine of reading through the Bible in 90 Days with my third reading of Mere Christianity, by the indispensable C.S Lewis. This idea was planted in my head by a friend in my small group who brought up the subject of this transformational work, causing me to pull the volume from my bookcase once again. I seldom read literary works more than once, but there’s something about Lewis that feels fresh and new with each reading. The novelist, John Updike once said, “I read Lewis for comfort and pleasure many years ago, and a glance into this book revives my old admiration.” Does it ever!

In the second place, my son and his fiancée sent me a birthday package a couple of days ago which contained the book on the left, Churchill and Orwell, The Fight For Freedom, by the Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Thomas Ricks. I’m halfway through and depressed to be so since that means it’s halfway over. The flyleaf contains this statement...In the end, Churchill and Orwell proved to be their age’s necessary men. Taken together in Thomas Ricks’s masterful hands, their lives are a beautiful testament to the power of moral conviction, and to the courage it can take to stay true to it, through thick and thin. Reading through this wonderful book, I’ve found that half the time there’s a lump in my throat. I am overcome with admiration and gratitude that these two men existed, Churchill, a man of the right, Orwell a man of the left, who both understood that the real enemy was the totalitarian impulse, no matter it’s origin. When each man began speaking out, both became outcasts, both rejected by their natural allies, and both, oddly enough, nearly killed in the 1930’s. But, they both survived and every man, woman and child alive today is in their debt.

It has caused me to think of my own age...who are our necessary men? Are there any? Who are the indispensable men (and women) who will make the difference? Who will stand against the tide of evil and terror, brave enough to tell us the unvarnished truth about our world, even if it means rejection and repudiation? Depending on your politics, you might have someone in mind. You might even be able to rattle off several names. I see no such man or woman at the moment. Doesn’t mean that he or she doesn’t exist, but as of this writing they remain hidden from me.