Most people have likely heard some version of the quote, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” What is it about this idea that makes this quote so memorable or, for that matter, necessary? In society today we see daily efforts to remove historical markers and rewrite the stories of our past. Why is there the effort to change history or attempt to erase it?
This above quote most likely came to be as the result of something said by writer and philosopher George Santayana. In its original form it read, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” It is unfortunate that this sage bit of wisdom is both necessary and yet frequently ignored by so many, generation after generation. It seems to be a common human failing in which an egocentric view of history is taken. Because today's views, attitudes and events are seen as morally superior, history must therefore be somehow corrected and brought into obeyance with the ‘wisdom of today.’
The darker motivation driving attempts to eliminate and/or change history, is to facilitate the take-over and/or control of a particular culture or even a complete society. One’s history is a big part of the identity and foundation of the group or culture one is part of. By attacking that history (of the target group), society can be seriously weakened and, through the resulting division and uncertainty, it can even be destroyed.
George Orwell, in his famous book, “1984,” said: “Every record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. And the process is continuing day by day and minute by minute. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.”
The following quote is by, C. McMasters Ph.D. (Political science professor and blogger). It is taken from her blog post titled, “Erase History, Control the People:”
“Marxists and Socialists must destroy the Constitution and any respect Americans still have for our founding if they want to introduce a new Marxist world to America. Consider this quote by Orwell: “The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history.”
What do you think is happening here? The more we remove our history, the more we must only look at the present. If we look only at the present we’ll never see what we used to do and where we have come from; we’ll never see how far we’ve come and how much we actually have improved and changed the world for the better. By removing our past, we remove any warnings the past might offer.”
Milan Kundera wrote:
“The first step in liquidating a people is to erase its memory. Destroy its books, its culture, its history. Then have somebody write new books, manufacture a new culture, invent a new history. Before long that nation will begin to forget what it is and what it was… The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting.” (note: Milan Kundera was a Czech and French novelist. Kundera went into exile in France in 1975, acquiring citizenship in 1981. His Czechoslovak citizenship was revoked in 1979, but he was granted Czech citizenship in 2019).
Thus far in this article, I have concentrated on the warnings to remember and protect the history of our culture and society; but what about the church? Might these admonitions and warnings be applicable there as well? It is my contention that they are both applicable and highly relevant. Further, I think many within the current Evangelical structure, and particularly those newer groups (that began around the time of the Second Great Awakening) have gradually become disconnected from their anchoring to history.
I want to start with the importance (as the church) of remembering, and how failing to do so makes us vulnerable to the snares and traps of the enemy. In “The Gospel in Words: Word of the Week: 'Remember'” we can find the following statistic: “It would be difficult to overstate the importance of the word "remember" in the standard works. Remember is used 352 times in the scriptures. When its variants are counted, that number jumps to more than 550.”
The Biblical use of the term “remember” (in Hebrew – “zakar”) means more than the simple mental exercise of recalling and regurgitating some fact or event. A call to remember is also a call to act accordingly... or, in other words, obey. In the Old Testament, to “zakar” means to employ your hands and feet and lips to engage in whatever action that remembrance requires. Thus we could say the very first failure to remember recorded in the Bible was when Eve partook of the forbidden fruit (and then Adam soon after). The text clearly indicated that Eve was able to recall the warning concerning the forbidden fruit but her action was NOT in line with the obedience that the remembrance required.
The following two verses are just a sample from many in the Bible where action is directly tied to recall:
Psalm 22:27 “All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down before him,”
and
Hebrews 13:7 “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.”
There is obviously a close tie between remembering and history in that both relate to something past. The Scriptures, in addition to instructions to remember, also have more specific direction respecting remembering history. For example Isaiah 46:9-10 says (quoting “The Message” paraphrase) “Remember your history, your long and rich history. I am God, the only God you’ve had or ever will have — incomparable, irreplaceable — From the very beginning telling you what the ending will be, all along letting you in on what is going to happen, assuring you, ‘I’m in this for the long haul, I’ll do exactly what I set out to do.’”
The following is from the article, “The Biblical Importance of Remembering History”:
“Throughout Scripture the Lord invites his people to examine their history in order to see examples of his love and power, to encourage them to continue serving Him, and to warn them away from sin and idolatry....
The Scriptures speak loudly about the importance of history. In Daniel 2:21 we find that the Lord “changes the seasons and guides history, He raises up kings and also brings them down, he provides both intelligence and discernment.” God’s divine power and wisdom ultimately control human events, but history is also the story of man’s response to God in rebellion and reconciliation. A rigorous study of history must incorporate both of these elements, keeping the divine narrative in mind while taking seriously the human actors involved.
There are several occasions in Scripture when the Lord tells his people to remember specific events and people from their past. In Micah 6:5 God commands, “My people, remember what King Balak of Moab planned to do to you and how Balaam son of Beor answered him…Remember these things and you will realize what I did to save you.” By appealing to Israel’s collective memory of how (He) rescued them, the Lord calls their attention back to himself.”
History and the Church:
Having established the importance of history and the related concept of “zakar” (remembering), let me now return to the concern that underlies this essay. It is my contention that because of both Biblical and historical illiteracy, many under the current Evangelical umbrella have become untethered and are drifting. When one becomes untethered from the historical anchor of established, long standing Christian orthadoxy and is largely Biblically illerate, they have a very poor foundation and are open to being easily deceived. I believe this to be most unfortunate because it has resulted in all sorts of division and in some cases, strange and unbiblical doctrines.
In Matthew 7:26, Jesus spoke of the foolish man who built his house upon the sand and because of such a poor foundation, it fell with a great crash when sorely tested by the elements. (History and the previously known wisdom would have informed him this was a foolish place to build). While the story is about a wise man and a foolish man, I believe it can also be applied corporately to a group or church. Wisdom would suggest the importance of paying attention to the lessons, teachings and experiences of the past. With that thought in mind, my concern is that many in the churches today are in the same place (as the foolish man) and therefore can expect the same results.
There seems to be an attitude held by many in today's church, which interprets the norms of Christianity by what is going on in “our church” - after all we’re “normal.” A number of Evangelicals seem to have very little understanding or regard for the church throughout history and very little appreciation for the great music, or the struggles and theology of our past. The fact that Jesus, through His followers, established the church over two thousand years ago, should be more than just a fact to be remembered – I believe it should be something to be studied, celebrated, and remembered with the idea of zakar!
I believe there is a significantly large segment within the current evangelical congregations who would benefit from a study of the rich history of the church about which Jesus said even the gates of Hell would not withstand. Some evangelicals seem to operate as if the church didn’t actually begin in earnest until their own particular denomination or group came to be. Before there was a Methodist or Pentecostal or Adventist or Baptist or _______ (fill in the blank), there was the church of which Jesus spoke. No doubt some could use a gentle reminder that the church is over two thousand years old and not just a couple hundred (as their own particular brand might be).
The Bible we read, the doctrines we hold dear, the awe and reverence the church once had (as we were reminded about whose presence we were in) all have a history. The corporate worship, study and prayer all came from someplace. It seems a shame to think so many are becoming separated from so much of our history. In its place what is becoming more and more popular is something that is being held out as church but sometimes comes off as nothing more than shallow entertainment. Such gatherings seem to produce fruit the substance of which is about a mile wide and only about an inch deep.
To be clear, when I speak about the church in history, I am not simply referring to that box like structure that one could often find sitting on a street corner close to the centre of town. Also, I am not speaking about the gatherings which still occur within those buildings on a weekly basis. Activities which are practised or services and teachings which religious folk attend for an hour or two each week are only a small part of what I am talking about. I believe it can be shown that throughout history, since the time of Jesus, the church has had (and is meant to have) an influence on culture (for both truth and the good of all humanity).
From the time Jesus began his earthly ministry, he preached repentance and preparation, “for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” As he prepared his followers for their mission in the world, most of his teachings and parables were about the Kingdom of God. As he was looking forward to the end of his mission on earth, he gave his followers, what has come to be called, “The Great Commission.” This (Matthew 28:19 & 20) is where he directed his followers to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Clearly he was commanding them (us) to go into and engage the world. We are to be salt and light while spreading the good news of the Kingdom. He also made it very clear that ALL authority in Heaven and on Earth had been given to him, so that he could give such a command.
Further more, in his first reference to his church, while he was at Caesarea Philippi, in Matthew 16:18 Jesus said, “...on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Of this passage, Bible scholar Dr. Michael Heiser Ph.D. had this to say:
“We often presume that the phrase “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” describes a Church taking on the onslaught of evil. But the word “against” is not present in the Greek. Translating the phrase without it gives it a completely different connotation: “the gates of hell will not withstand it.”
It is the Church that Jesus sees as the aggressor. He was declaring war on evil and death. Jesus would build His Church atop the gates of hell—He would bury them.” (Taken from, “What Did Jesus Mean by “Gates of Hell”?” By Michael Heiser.
So when we take the declaration Jesus made as to his church overcoming the very “Gates of Hell,” and couple that with the “Great Commission” he gave his followers, it becomes very clear to me that the church was to engage the cultures of the world. It seems to me the church was called to be pushing back the darkness and deception while spreading the light and good news of the Kingdom. Nowhere in scripture could I find anything to suggest his church was to become an institution that would meet in little cloistered groups once a week. I could not find anything saying the church was to permit its reach and purpose to be limited by worldly powers. Nothing in Christ’s directive instructed the church to confine our focus only to matters considered spiritual and to stay out of the business of the state (politics). I believe that in all seven spheres of society (family, economy, government, religion, media, education, and celebration) there is not one where it can be said the church should stay uninvolved.
Indeed, anyone familiar with a little bit of history will know, when the church was most fully engaged within culture, civilizations made their greatest gains. The following list is used as an example and is taken from the article, “15 Ways Christianity Changed History and Society” by Jason Pierce. The rationale for each statement is in the article and will not be reproduced here in this essay:
“Here are 15 powerful (and surprising) ways Christianity changed world history and today’s society at large:
1. Christianity gave us the concept of holidays.
2. Christianity gave us hospitals as we know them today.
3. Christianity gave us adoption and foster care systems.
4. Christianity (effectively) gave us the middle-class workforce.
5. Christianity gave us a higher view of sexuality and marriage.
6. Christianity gave women greater dignity and freedom.
7. Christianity gave children a higher status and importance.
8. Christianity gave history its most significant artwork and artists.
9. Christianity gave history its most excellent music and musicians.
10. Christianity gave history its most excellent works of literature.
11. Christianity created the foundation for America.
12. Christianity created the foundation for our education systems.
13. Christianity created the foundation for science.
14. Christianity is the most powerful force in abolishing slavery.
15. Christianity is the most powerful force in charity work.
Jesus of Nazareth is the most influential person in the entire narrative of human history, regarded by Christians and non-Christians alike. Our systems of social organization, literature, the arts and music, architecture, education, and sciences, as well as the ceremonies of marriage and death, have all been shaped by Jesus.
No person before him and no one since has ever caused such a prodigious surge of influence, supremacy, authority, or mastery over his initiatives. The Jesus movement makes up over a third of the world’s population, rendering him the most significant influencer and leader ever to live.”
I strongly suspect that things began to turn around and began to grow darker as the church began to give up it’s influence in some of those seven spheres mentioned earlier. In some areas of culture, it’s almost as if the church retreated altogether from some areas and began turning more and more inward. Many Christians (fortunately not all) gave over the cultural roles of education, health care, economy, government, entertainment and media. They incorrectly assumed these were not places the church should be engaged in and were areas for state concern or political issues. Of course any Biblical world views that were initially present in these domains were gradually diminished generation after generation and a far more secular world view expanded to fill that void. Many within the church, because they accepted a false worldly gospel of a constitutional separation of church and state, gradually allowed the state to push them out of the public square and into those unique looking buildings called churches. The state has attempted to keep more and more of all those “religious” practices confined to those buildings and away from the rest of society using that “separation” concept. And now (since the days of Covid) the state has begun to demand access and control of the messaging and what goes on within those churches. If the last four years are any indication, it seems the majority capitulated with those demands as well. The state have been quite successful in replacing the idea of “freedom of religion” with “freedom from religion” and this is not because they are right or more brilliant with their argument but because the church failed to stand when it was called to do so.
There is a spiritual battle going on which has been in play since the first garden. Ever since the church came into existence, it has been in the cross-hairs of the enemy and is in the midst of this ongoing battle. It is my view that the history and identity of the church is under attack – and with the same goal in mind as that which is used to attack our culture and nation. The strategy is as has been noted by Milan Kundera:
“The first step in liquidating a people is to erase its memory. Destroy its books, its culture, its history. Then have somebody write new books, manufacture a new culture, invent a new history. Before long that nation will begin to forget what it is and what it was… The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting.”
The enemy Satan is waging this battle knowing that where history has been neglected (either never learned or forgotten) and when there is an accompanying Biblical illiteracy, his job is much easier. When there is such a poor foundation – or no foundation at all, deception is much easier. Substituting a carnal and material world view for a grounded Biblical world view becomes easier. Replacing scriptural morals and values with worldly values is the resulting outcome.
Finally, I’d like to end with two passages from scripture:
Ecclesiastes 1:9, “What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”
and Job 8:7-10, “And though your beginning was small, your latter days will be very great. “For inquire, please, of bygone ages, and consider what the fathers have searched out. For we are but of yesterday and know nothing, for our days on earth are a shadow. Will they not teach you and tell you and utter words out of their understanding?”
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