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The wreckage of Col. Jimmy Doolittle's Plane |
Sigh.
Sadly, even some Christians think that there are similarities between communism and early Christianity as described in Acts 2. But there is a FUNDAMENTAL difference between Christianity and communism. The latter is a form of government that requires dictators to force the masses to do things against their will "for the common good" of the country. Of course, the "common good" is always defined by the dictator or governmental leaders, and disobedience leads first to loss of personal liberties, and if eventual uniform conformity is not achieved, then individual deaths. Communist dictators have killed over 150,000,000 people worldwide for non-conformity.
The Christians in Acts 2 shared all things in common voluntarily (Acts 2:44-48). Demands of uniformity and conformity by government coercion, regardless of the intended or stated societal good, always means the loss of individual liberty and safety.
Death follows communism like thunder follows lightning.
In Part 1 of this series I introduced you to John Morrison Birch (1918-1945), the American Christian missionary to China (1940-1945) who was murdered by Chinese communist government soldiers (CPC) on August 25, 1945, 10 days after the end of World War II. John Birch's death has been called “the first casualty in the Third World War between Communists and the ever-shrinking Free World.”
I would like for my follower of Jesus friends to see that Kingdom people like John Birch will sometimes make a choice to defend liberty for the sake of the health and safety of a nation, believing that this defense is a call from God Himself for the protection of others from physical suffering and death.
Missionary to China John Morrison Birch |
An aunt who recognized the intellectual acumen of John offered to pay for his high school education at a the school in Gore, Georgia so that John could be afforded a better education than the one room church school in the woods near Birchwood Farm. John graduated with honors from high school and then enrolled at Mercer University in the fall of 1935. After graduation from Mercer with honors, and a year of training in Fort Worth, Texas, John Birtc went to China.
John Birch in the rice paddy fields of China |
A Chinese officer came inside and spotted the missionary, striking up a conversation in the hope of practicing his English. The officer commented that there were several Americans on the general’s boat tied up below. Birch protested that he must be mistaken, prompting the officer to point out the policeman in a black uniform standing guard on deck. Birch decided he had to check it out for himself.“Have you any Americans on this boat?” the missionary demanded of the guard.“No,” the policeman answered in Chinese.“Are there any Americans in there?” Birch repeated, this time shouting.Doolittle and his men crouched inside the cabin, listening to the exchange. “Well, Jesus Christ,” Paul Leonard blurted out.“That’s an awfully good name,” Birch answered. “But I am not he.”The door sprang open, and Birch spotted several bearded faces inside. “Come in here!” came the chorus. Birch climbed inside the cabin and came face-to-face with Doolittle and his men. The aviators were thrilled to meet Birch, whose language skills and knowledge of the area would be assets. Doolittle briefed the young missionary on the operation and asked whether he would travel with them and help interpret. “Of course, I was glad to,” Birch later said. “The first time I’d associated with celebrities.”Birch traveled with Doolittle to Lanchi, relating stories of the Japanese atrocities. The missionary confessed to Doolittle that he wanted to help American forces. Doolittle bade farewell to Birch, assuring him that he would recommend him up the ladder and asking him to remain ready to help other raiders.Scott, James M.. Target Tokyo: Jimmy Doolittle and the Raid That Avenged Pearl Harbor (pp. 276-277). W. W. Norton & Company. Kindle Edition.
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Order of Merit |