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Much ado has been made with respect to Pat Buchanan's theories concerning US involvement in the second world war. I, unfortunately, have not read his book yet (I can't afford hardcover), but I gather that Pat thinks that the US should not have entered the war when it did, at least from the standpoint that the events in Europe at that time were not "vital interests" to this country. I also understand (media spin notwithstanding) that he believes that our presence there was an honorable thing, and that the sacrifices made by American men and women were noble indeed. Critics claim that the book bolsters their charge that he is anti-Semitic, but his thesis, as I understand it, has little to do with the plight of the Jews, limiting itself mainly to the question of international affairs and the scope and mission of American military might abroad.

It is the aim of this publication neither to defend nor to criticize Buchanan's book. As editor of Preach The Word Magazine, I am of the opinion that what Buchanan says deserves fair treatment as far as it is an attempt to analyze history. Sadly (predictably?), this will not be the case, for the liberal media and others that stand to gain by vilifying him will doubtless continue to ignore any valid opinions that might exist in his book and continue to cry "Nazi!" as ever they must. A certain wise man once said that if a man has facts, then he ought to argue from facts, and if he has law, then he ought to argue from law; but if he has neither, then all that remains him is to attack the person.

The public will continue to play its role as well, preferring sound byte over substance, never thinking to read the book and see for itself. Truly, the only people that will actually read A Republic, Not An Empire are the sincere conservatives, plus the odd intellectually honest academician.

Since the subject of American involvement in WWII has come into public focus again, I too would like to share my thoughts regarding the matter. My take on the issue has been voiced before (and oft ignored) in Washington and from behind various pulpits, but as a minister of the gospel I feel compelled to speak what I know to be the truth.

A Brief Look At History

Central to Biblical (as opposed to systematic) theology is the concept of missions. The West has carried the light of the gospel to the rest of the world now for over 500 years. Prior to this current dispensation was a 1000-year period known as the dark ages, when the good news had all but disappeared from the earth. Rome had gained control of the church bought with the precious blood of Christ and strangled it nearly to death. Accounts of persecution of true believers under Roman Catholic rule can be read in Foxe's Book of Martyrs.

The Reformation ushered in the present age of evangelism and missions, fueled by the doctrine of justification by faith. The Word of God was freely preached once again, and those who would believe it were free to do so with their conscience, no longer forced by Rome to confess the Roman Catholic Church and in doing so deny their lord, Jesus Christ. Missions efforts sprung up overnight, as it were, with the goal of bringing the gospel to a lost and dying world. Jesus' words were taken to heart, and Africans, Orientals, Native Americans of both continents, Catholics, Moslems, Buddhists, etc. were all viewed as precious in God's sight and in need of salvation. Missionaries, teachers, evangelists, pastors, medical personnel --- these ambassadors of Christ went to the foreign field out of genuine, God-given love for the native peoples that they ministered to.

Not a few Western countries contributed to the missions effort throughout the centuries, and for a long time Britain held the distinction of being the largest sender of missionaries overseas. The United States quickly took the lead in exporting missions activity almost as soon as the last shot was fired in the American Revolution. Sadly, Britain is no longer a major player in missionary circles, having succumbed to Moslem efforts at evangelism, and is now home to the fastest-growing national community of Islamic adherents.

Hitler And The Work Of The Antichrist

Adolph Hitler is generally regarded as one of the most evil men of the 20th century. His efforts to stamp out the Jewish people were not only criminal in the eyes of the international community, but also the work of the Antichrist (a pawn of the Devil) in the eyes of God. Ever since Cain slew his brother Abel, Satan has been worked behind the scenes to kill the seed of the woman, the Messiah promised in Scripture. One can see the Devil's attempts to derail God's plan throughout the Old Testament historical record. As another example, Moses escaped the slaughter decreed by Pharaoh, as recorded in the first chapters of the book of Exodus. This satanic modus operandi was used again when Herod ordered all Jewish infants under 2 years old to be killed after learning that Christ had been born in Bethlehem (Matthew chapter 2).

It is important to note that the Jews have been hounded by Satan ever since. Revelation chapter 12 gives us an overview of the plan of God with regards to the Children of Israel. Jews has been universally despised ever since the advent of Christ, and the motive force behind this animosity is the rage of Satan against God, directed at the agent that He used to bring his Son into the world. Anti-semitic thoughts and actions are instigated by Satan himself in an effort to injure the Lord by harrassing His chosen people, the Jews.

Killing Christ, while being a lofty goal if one is to attempt the overthrow of God's kingdom here on earth, was not the brightest thing that Satan has ever come up with. Paul revealed to us in 1 Corinthians that if Satan had known that Jesus' death by crucifixion would result in the taking away of the sin of mankind and the opening up of the way of Life to whosoever would believe the gospel, he would never have incited the Pharisees and Sadducees to have him executed in the first place (1 Corinthians 2:6-8).

Having failed to keep God Almighty from bringing salvation to mankind, the Devil then set about to keep men from hearing the Good News. One very effective way of doing that has been to support evil dictators that have it in their hearts to take over the world, thus hindering the work of missionaries. The reader may laugh at such an idea, but the fact is that we as believers are in a battle for the souls of men. Paul said in Romans chapter 10 that unless the lost hear the preaching of the gospel, they cannot be saved. Jesus told his disciples (that includes believers today) to pray to the Father, asking Him to raise up laborers to go to the farthest corners of the world to preach so as to gather in the harvest of souls. Anything that Satan can come up with to hinder the work of the evangelist as he labors to win souls is an effective tool in hell's arsenal.

The Axis powers' bid to take over the world in WWII was indeed an effort by Satan to halt the preaching of the gospel. Germany, with the help of Italy and Japan, came very close to accomplishing what it set out to do. Had it not been for the entrance of the United States into the war in 1941, Europe and the East, along with Africa and much of South and Central America, would most certainly have been lost. All missionary activity would have stopped as a result, had America not stepped in and aided the Allies. Held in the grip of Nazism and Japanese imperialism, no one would have been able to travel to the foreign field, much less conduct evangelistic activities there.

When one realizes that the Germans and the Japanese were fought in such out-of-the-way places as the Amazon Basin in Brazil and the jungles of what was then known as Dutch New Guinea, one begins to grasp how much was at stake during WWII. Explorers today are yet discovering stone-age tribes (such as the 79-member Liawep tribe in New Guinea that was discovered in 1993) that have never seen a civilized man before. Missionaries to this day are scrambling to get to countless forgotten valleys in scores of countries in an effort to bring the gospel to every living human being before the Rapture and the Second Coming of the Lord. As it happens, I know several people personally that have traveled to Peru and ministered to native Indian tribes that have not yet mastered the art of wearing clothes.

A Final Note...

Much has been said concerning the so-called "10-40 Window", but it is important to realize that ministry to this region or any other would not be possible today had it not been for the Allied victory in 1945 and the integral part America played (and continues to play) in global affairs.