It Could Happen Here.
When I was growing up, there was a great concern about nuclear war between the United States and the former Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.). The threats were real. At the same time, I was reading snippets of Fox’s Book of Martyrs and stories from the tortured-for-his-faith Richard Wurmbrand. I began to read Church history, noting what Christian thinkers were saying in response to Roman persecution of Christians through the early centuries of Christendom. I became an advocate for an organization dedicated to helping persecuted Christians, “The Voice of the Martyrs.” In 2004, I gave an address as a professor at Moody Bible Institute on a Christian response to persecution. I have followed the impact of Christian persecution around the world, notably in The Black Book of Communism. My approach to knowledge is as an academic. “Fearmonger” is not my mindset. However, I believe in being prepared.
There is a difference between running around the barnyard yelling, “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” and putting a roof over your head.
Preparation never hurt anyone. I’m not thinking in terms of “Y2K” preparation. [For those unaware there was a certain hysteria among some about what would happen to computer systems not digitally ready for the change to the 21st century. Do a Bing search for background.]
No, preparation is a positive step toward holding in tension what we know about our present time, what we have studied from our past, and the possibilities of a future. Everyone who watches science fiction shows about zombies knows they are not real; but then a pandemic hits the world and . . .
Immediately in his introduction, Dreher quotes Alexandre Solzhenitsyn:
There always is this fallacious belief: “It would not be the same here; here such things are impossible.” Alas, all the evil of the twentieth century is possible everywhere on earth (ix).
Americans tend to have short attention spans and learn their history from Hollywood movies. We 
forget what one individual said, especially if that person has power and powerful friends who can hide their actions. One news important news item can be swept away soon after it is reported. Think Jeffrey Epstein and his perversions and how Epstein drew powerful people into his orbit. But those folks are no longer in the news.
Rod Dreher strikes the right tone in his book Live Not By Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents Dreher does the hard work of talking with others who have actually lived through the horrors of totalitarian rule. [When I use the word “totalitarian” I refer to any group, political party, or dictator who usurps control of a nation. Take a few moments to acquaint yourselves with names such as Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, to name just a few famous tyrrants from the 20th century.]
Dreher’s first chapter commemorates the life of Father Kolaković comparing his suffering under Communist rule in Slovakia during the Soviet despotism. Kolaković’s warning to his people prepared many for what was to come. Dreher makes the connection to our own day by focusing on “soft totalitarianism” stressing that the loss of freedom comes in many forms. Dreher’s reportage on pages 14-17 should send chills up our collective spines. Freedoms can be easily lost by neglecting what we know to be true, becoming decadent in our ease of life, or failing to speak out against lies. Czeslaw Milosz, one of my favorite poets, warns of practicing ketman: thinking that one can outwardly conform to a culture while not believing the lies. Milosz reports that such attempts at outward deception only conform the person to the governing culture of the day. Or in Paul’s words “Be not conformed” (Rom 12:1).
Memory is our first line of defense against conforming to our culture. Hearing the words of those who have lived before us reminds us of how we must remember the past to properly live in the present. I have recorded here some
important biblical statements about the importance of memory.
- Memory is essential. “Forgetfulness” in the Bible was often seen as an act of rebellion, an ethical choice to reject God (2 Pet 3:5). Self-satisfaction causes “forgetfulness” (Isa 51: 13; Hosea 13:6). It does not take long to “forget” (Ps 106:13). It takes effort to “remember” (2 Pet 1:12-15; 3:2, 8).
- Three times in Deuteronomy 8:11-20 God’s people are commanded not to ignore their Maker. Implied in the passage is the process of “forgetting God”: apathy, leads to pride, ultimately resulting in idolatry. “Being too full of oneself” begins the downward slide, disregarding the Almighty (Hosea 13:6) which seems to take very little time (Ps 106:13). Ezekiel 16:43-63 explains the outcomes of the active choice of memory deficiency, one of which is the need to fear others (Isa 51:13).
- One antidote to forgetfulness is activity. The Sabbath is a “sign” (Ezek 20:12, 20) practiced now through community celebration of Jesus’ resurrection (1 Cor 15:54-16:2). Feasts (Est 9:27-28), stones (Josh 4:7), tassels (Num 15:39-40), table tops (Num 16:36-40), and repositories for Scripture (Deut 11:18) were the premise for active reminders through monuments, holidays, and medallions of our day. We “make” history live again by singing, pledging, bowing, eating, and drinking with gratefulness to God for who He is and what He has done.
Part 2 of my review of Live Not By Lies coming later this week.