Bryan Strawser

"Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit upon his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats." – H. L. Mencken

Christ has made us free

The Wall Street Journal has published their annual Christmas column:

But it came to pass for a while in divers places that the truth did set man free, although the men of darkness were offended and they tried to put out the light. The voice said, Haste ye. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you, for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth.

Along the road to Damascus the light shone brightly. But afterward Paul of Tarsus, too, was sore afraid. He feared that other Caesars, other prophets, might one day persuade men that man was nothing save a servant unto them, that men might yield up their birthright from God for pottage and walk no more in freedom.

Then might it come to pass that darkness would settle again over the lands and there would be a burning of books and men would think only of what they should eat and what they should wear, and would give heed only to new Caesars and to false prophets. Then might it come to pass that men would not look upward to see even a winter’s star in the East, and once more, there would be no light at all in the darkness.

And so Paul, the apostle of the Son of Man, spoke to his brethren, the Galatians, the words he would have us remember afterward in each of the years of his Lord:

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Even to the end…

In mid 1941, Harry Hopkins was sent to the United Kingdom by President Roosevelt to take the temperature of our future British ally. After several days in the UK, there was a large dinner the day before Hopkins was to sail back to the United States.

At the dinner, Hopkins rose to gave the toast:

“I suppose you wish to know,” he began, “what I am going to say to President Roosevelt on my return.”

“Well, I’m going to quote you one verse from that Book of Books… ‘Wither you goest, I will go; and where thou lodgeth, I will lodge. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.’”

Then, he quietly added, “Even to the end.”

Memorial Day 2012

You are not forgotten.