19 Oct My Favourite Stories #240
Atheism vs The Bible Society. (A story to make you smile.)
I wouldn’t want to be an atheist; they don’t have any holidays! They have to piggyback on all the Christian ones.
The establishment of Bible societies can be traced back to the late 18th and early 19th centuries when a movement to distribute the Bible more widely and make it accessible to people gained momentum. One of the key figures in this movement was Thomas Charles, a Welsh clergyman, who founded the British and Foreign Bible Society (BFBS) in 1804 after having been inspired by Welsh teenager, Mary Jones’ 5 year saving plan and a walk of 42 kms to buy one.
The primary goal of the BFBS was to provide Bibles to people in their native languages, especially to those who couldn’t afford them. This initiative was part of a broader movement called the Bible Society Movement, which aimed to make the Bible available to as many people as possible, regardless of their social or economic status.
Following the French revolution of the late 18th century we see a rise of Atheism. A number of atheists predicted the disappearance of Christianity. During the Enlightenment period in the 18th century, there were several prominent philosophers and thinkers who critiqued Christianity and expressed scepticism about its future. One such figure was Voltaire, a French Enlightenment writer and philosopher, who was critical of organized religion, including both forms of Christianity. He famously said, “If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him,” reflecting his view on religion as a social construct.
In the 19th century, Karl Marx, the German philosopher, economist, and political theorist, expressed strong criticism of religion, referring to it as the “opium of the people.” Marx believed that religion was a tool used by the ruling class to keep the working class subdued. He argued that as society progressed and people gained a better understanding of the world through scientific means, religion would lose its significance. As we know, his writings became the foundation of Communism.
Providence makes me smile on occasion and this is one of those incidents. The residence of Voltaire, known as the Château de Ferney, eventually became associated with the Bible Society in the 19th century. After Voltaire’s death in 1778, the property changed hands several times. In the 19th century, a group of English evangelical Christians, inspired by the Bible Society movement and the desire to spread Christianity, purchased the Château de Ferney.
In 1864, the property was acquired by the Geneva Bible Society, an organization dedicated to translating and distributing the Bible. The society used the château as a distribution centre for Bibles and religious literature. This historical irony, where Voltaire’s former residence became associated with a Bible society, reflects the changing cultural and religious landscape over time. It also flies in the face of his prediction.
As we all know, the atheistic and Communist regimes of the 20th century became very brutal, exterminating 10s of millions of its detractors. However, communism is all but gone, or has evolved into capitalistic regimes as we see in Russia and China.
In contrast, the Bible society has served 4 billion people with Bibles in their own language. They currently have 400 translation projects underway. Jesus said, “this gospel of the kingdom must go to all the world, and then the end will come.” What a tool is the Bible Society in the hands of God for the grand climax of history?
The establishment of Bible societies was driven by the belief that the Bible contained important moral and spiritual teachings that could benefit society as a whole. The founders of these societies believed that widespread access to the Bible would promote literacy, education, and moral values among people.
One of the distinctive features of the Bible Society Movement was its interdenominational nature. Bible societies were typically founded by individuals from different Christian denominations, and they worked together to achieve their common goal of distributing Bibles. This collaborative effort was instrumental in the rapid spread of Bible societies not only in Britain but also in other parts of the world.
Over the years, the Bible Society Movement expanded globally, with the formation of numerous Bible societies in different countries. These societies played a significant role in translating the Bible into various languages, making it accessible to diverse cultural and linguistic groups.
THe last word on the spread of the gospel: “And I saw another angel flying in midheaven with an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation, tribe, language, and people; 7 and he said with a loud voice, “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; worship Him who made the heaven and the earth, and sea and springs of waters.” Revelation 14:6-7
Stamford Bridge.
I was reading Ephesians and noted Paul uses the expression “Put on the full armor of God” twice. (Eph 6:11 and 13). This reminded me of a story from year 8 History.
The death of King Edward the Confessor of England in January 1066 had triggered a succession struggle in which a variety of contenders from across north-western Europe fought for the English throne. These claimants included the King of Norway, Harald Hardrada. He assembled a fleet of 300 ships to invade England. They landed and advanced on York and on the 20th of September defeated a northern English army, at the Battle of Fulford, outside York. Following this victory, they received the surrender of York. Having briefly occupied the city and taken hostages and supplies from the city they returned towards their ships on the coast.
At this time King Harold was in Southern England, anticipating an invasion from France by William, Duke of Normandy, another contender for the English throne. Learning of the Norwegian invasion he headed north at great speed with his army, travelling day and night. He made the journey from London to Yorkshire, about 298 km, in only four days, enabling him to take the Norwegians completely by surprise.
When he arrived at Stamford bridge where he had learned the Norwegians were camped, he founded them divided on both sides of the Derwent river, lazing about in the sun. Between them was Stamford Bridge – thus the name for the battle that occurred on Sept 25. The Vikings on the Southern side of the Bridge, without armor, shields and any preparation were decimated. Many fled back across the Bridge where a shield wall was being formed. The Vikings still did not have time to adorn armor.
One of the Norwegians (possibly armed with a Dane Axe) blocked the narrow crossing and single-handedly held up the entire English army. The story is that this Viking alone cut down up to 40 Englishmen and was defeated only when an English soldier floated under the bridge and thrust his spear through the planks in the bridge, mortally wounding the warrior.
Harold’s army poured across the bridge, forming a line just short of the Norse army, locked shields and charged. The battle went far beyond the bridge itself, and although it raged for hours, the Norse army’s decision to leave their armor behind left them at a distinct disadvantage. Eventually, the Norse army began to fragment and fracture, allowing the English troops to force their way in and break up the Scandinavians’ shield wall. Completely outflanked, and with Hardrada killed with an arrow to his windpipe the Norwegian army disintegrated and was virtually annihilated.
So many died in an area so small that the field was said to have been still whitened with bleached bones 50 years after the battle.
Unfortunately, Harold’s victory was short-lived. Three days after the battle, on 28 September, a second invasion army led by William, Duke of Normandy, landed in Pevensey Bay, Sussex, on the south coast of England. Harold had to immediately turn his troops around and force-march them southwards to intercept the Norman army. Less than three weeks after Stamford Bridge, on 14 October 1066, the English army was decisively defeated and King Harold II fell in action at the Battle of Hastings, beginning the Norman conquest of England.
In the chapter of Ephesians, I referred to at the beginning, Paul had used the metaphor of a Christian army and the need to be always ready. Written during the three years his first imprisonment in AD 62, Paul was chained night and day to a Roman soldier. It was probably this that gave him the inspiration for this passage. Ephesians 6:10-18 outlines the Christian disciplines we all need in this spiritual battle as we stand against “the schemes of the devil.”
Stamford Bridge.
I was reading Ephesians and noted Paul uses the expression “Put on the full armor of God” twice. (Eph 6:11 and 13). This reminded me of a story from year 8 History.
The death of King Edward the Confessor of England in January 1066 had triggered a succession struggle in which a variety of contenders from across north-western Europe fought for the English throne. These claimants included the King of Norway, Harald Hardrada. He assembled a fleet of 300 ships to invade England. They landed and advanced on York and on the 20th of September defeated a northern English army, at the Battle of Fulford, outside York. Following this victory, they received the surrender of York. Having briefly occupied the city and taken hostages and supplies from the city they returned towards their ships on the coast.
At this time King Harold was in Southern England, anticipating an invasion from France by William, Duke of Normandy, another contender for the English throne. Learning of the Norwegian invasion he headed north at great speed with his army, travelling day and night. He made the journey from London to Yorkshire, about 298 km, in only four days, enabling him to take the Norwegians completely by surprise.
When he arrived at Stamford bridge where he had learned the Norwegians were camped, he founded them divided on both sides of the Derwent river, lazing about in the sun. Between them was Stamford Bridge – thus the name for the battle that occurred on Sept 25. The Vikings on the Southern side of the Bridge, without armor, shields and any preparation were decimated. Many fled back across the Bridge where a shield wall was being formed. The Vikings still did not have time to adorn armor.
One of the Norwegians (possibly armed with a Dane Axe) blocked the narrow crossing and single-handedly held up the entire English army. The story is that this Viking alone cut down up to 40 Englishmen and was defeated only when an English soldier floated under the bridge and thrust his spear through the planks in the bridge, mortally wounding the warrior.
Harold’s army poured across the bridge, forming a line just short of the Norse army, locked shields and charged. The battle went far beyond the bridge itself, and although it raged for hours, the Norse army’s decision to leave their armor behind left them at a distinct disadvantage. Eventually, the Norse army began to fragment and fracture, allowing the English troops to force their way in and break up the Scandinavians’ shield wall. Completely outflanked, and with Hardrada killed with an arrow to his windpipe the Norwegian army disintegrated and was virtually annihilated.
So many died in an area so small that the field was said to have been still whitened with bleached bones 50 years after the battle.
Unfortunately, Harold’s victory was short-lived. Three days after the battle, on 28 September, a second invasion army led by William, Duke of Normandy, landed in Pevensey Bay, Sussex, on the south coast of England. Harold had to immediately turn his troops around and force-march them southwards to intercept the Norman army. Less than three weeks after Stamford Bridge, on 14 October 1066, the English army was decisively defeated and King Harold II fell in action at the Battle of Hastings, beginning the Norman conquest of England.
In the chapter of Ephesians, I referred to at the beginning, Paul had used the metaphor of a Christian army and the need to be always ready. Written during the three years his first imprisonment in AD 62, Paul was chained night and day to a Roman soldier. It was probably this that gave him the inspiration for this passage. Ephesians 6:10-18 outlines the Christian disciplines we all need in this spiritual battle as we stand against “the schemes of the devil.”
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