WWII-75

This article, highlighting the dangers of pacifism, was originally published in Christianity and Crisis on November 16th, 1942. Editor Henry Sloane Coffin…

This essay, written by Lynn Harold Hough for Christianity and Crisis on October 19, 1942, praises the quiet strength and steely courage of the British people throughout World War Two.

The U.S. Defense Department contains an inventory of roughly 7,100 nuclear warheads. About 4,760 are active, while approximately 2,340 warheads are retired, but still intact. The retired warheads are in storage and await dismantlement. Here is what you should know about nuclear weapons:

This article, delineating the two kinds of freedom found in the tradition of Western civilization, was originally published in Christianity and Crisis on October 19th, 1942. Editor Henry P. Van Dusen clarifies the two strands of freedom that have developed in European thought. One comes from the Protestant Reformation, a freedom that comes as a result of being created in God’s image and the rights that entail; the other comes from the Enlightenment, a freedom that is intrinsic to man’s nature and “self-evident,” something that is somehow apparent to all.

This article about the contrasting attitudes of the Church during World War I and II was originally published in Christianity…

This article, which might be described as a call to action for the church, was originally published in Christianity and Crisis on September 21, 1942. John C. Bennett challenges the church to avoid an indifferent neutrality in the face of clear evil and human suffering. The Christian conscience must be attuned to the realities of the world, aware that sin inhabits all hearts but that that cannot be used to reject any action.

Shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack, a joint American and Filipino army desperately defended the Philippines against a Japanese invasion while fighting on both the Bataan Peninsula and Corregidor Island. Despite dim prospects for outside help, the garrison seriously delayed the Japanese timetable for conquest in the Pacific.

This article about the tools necessary to defeat Nazi Germany and the Axis Powers was originally published in Christianity and Crisis on August 10, 1942.  Examining the relationship between ideals and power throughout history, editor Reinhold Niebuhr argues the importance of discerning and then actualizing, the Allied Powers’ potential power. Conversely, he advocates against succumbing to the belief that Nazi defeat is inevitable.

Seventy-five years after the Battle of Midway, it is a good time to reflect on the momentous events of that season, and on how quickly the course of history can turn.