America’s new reckoning with racist features of its past has provoked calls to remove from public property those monuments and statues dedicated to figures in U.S. history who promoted the oppression and slaughter of native tribes, who owned slaves, and who in various ways facilitated notions of white supremacy. In some cases, protesters haven’t waited for legal permission to remove these memorials which many now find offensive.
Our purpose here is not to invite onto this website the debate over which historical characters from American history deserve, or do not deserve, public honor. Rather, the purpose of this article is to invite consideration as to how this controversy reflects on the manner in which human beings—Christians in particular—come to terms both personally and collectively with moral flaws both past and present.
The late U.S. presidential historian Theodore White notes in passing the practice by which students of the past award the respective monikers of heroism and notoriety to various historical notables. Speaking of historians, he states:
They are the ones who award the badges of merit or infamy to dead heroes and past villains. Good Queen Bess and Saint Louis, Honest Abe and Henry the Navigator glisten as figurines carved by historians to instruct the young. Bad King John, Louis the Fat, Ivan the Terrible, Adolf Hitler teach what decent men should not be or do [1].
Those with an in-depth knowledge of the first group of characters listed above will quickly remind us that these individuals had their faults too, though few if any would compare their shortcomings to those of an Ivan the Terrible or an Adolf Hitler. None, moreover, would deny that American history likewise offers characters from both of the categories listed by Theodore White.
The question as to who deserves a pedestal on public property—whose flaws of character or ideology are truly eclipsed in the historical record by positive contributions to the American experiment, as distinct from those whose philosophy or misdeeds eclipse anything positive they might have said or done—may be less difficult to divine than many assume. While no historical personage can be cited as completely fault-free, the available record of the past is not incapable of distinguishing persons with a generally positive legacy from those whose negatives outweigh the positive.
For the Christian, the Bible and the Sacred Record in general offer clues as to how the heroic and the villainous may be sorted out so far as instructive examples are concerned.
Bible Characters of All Kinds
As we all know, the Bible story includes all types of characters, from the very good to the very bad as well as all points in between. The Bible is clear, of course, that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). But a very few characters of the many mentioned in Scripture have no sin recorded of them, such as Enoch, Joseph, and Daniel. Others have very few sins recorded against them, such as Moses, Elijah, and the apostle Peter. Others have attained heroic status in the Biblical narrative though having committed grievous sins. Such individuals as David, Solomon, and the apostle Paul come to mind in this regard. What makes each of the latter characters especially outstanding is the fact that they repented of their sins and stand out as examples of how men and women, through God’s grace, can be forgiven and rescued even from the most egregious transgressions.
But most Bible students would place in a very different category such characters as Achan, Gehazi, Ahab, Jezebel, Herod Antipas, Judas Iscariot, and Pontius Pilate. Whatever good qualities existed in any of their lives are totally overshadowed by the evil for which they are remembered. Even someone like Jehu, who was used by God to destroy Ahab’s wicked dynasty, emerges from the Sacred Record as decidedly flawed both by excessive zeal and the fact that, despite his abolition of Baal worship (II Kings 10:28), he refused to rid his kingdom of the golden calf worship of Jeroboam (verses 29-31). At best, Jehu is remembered as Israel’s “half-way reformer.” At worst, he is likely the one most responsible for the continuation of northern Israel’s idolatry and thus its eventual captivity, dismemberment, and disappearance into the mists of antiquity.
The Case of Martin Luther
The great founder of Protestantism is rightly remembered for spiritual courage rarely seen in the lives of professed Christians. His affirmation of the supreme authority of Scripture and embrace of the truth of justification by faith in Jesus apart from man-made rituals and surface piety, will forever be cherished by those who honor the Bible and the heritage of the striving faithful. But Martin Luther was also a virulent anti-Semite, whose hatred of Jews and desire for Germany to be rid of them would later be celebrated by the Nazis [2]. Considering both his anti-Semitism and the various theological errors he held (e.g. original sin, predestination), Luther would likely be unwelcome as a speaker at any contemporary Adventist venue imaginable, from the most theologically liberal to the most theologically conservative.
One Perfect Example
The big difference between secular and spiritual heroes is that the latter category includes one unblemished, spotlessly perfect, sinless example—that of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. When choosing which secular personages to whom public honor is accorded while reviewing the sweep of American history, one would be hard pressed to find anyone who could be described as totally flawless, even if the record of certain notable figures reveals more virtue than vice. But for the Christian, one Character reveals nothing but virtue. And it is that Character that we are summoned, by the grace of God, to reproduce in our lives.
The apostle Peter declares that “Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we should follow in His steps. Who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth” (I Peter 2:21-22). The apostle Paul writes in the book of Romans:
For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit (Rom. 8:3-4).
The absence of sin and guile in our Lord’s earthly experience (Isa. 53:9; I Peter 2:21-22) is promised to history’s final generation of believers:
The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies, neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid (Zeph. 3:13).
And in their mouth was found no guile, for they are without fault before the throne of God (Rev. 14:5).
Pedestals and Paradise
Here the debate over monuments to national heroes (legitimate or otherwise) and the preparation for eternal life involving in the perfecting of Christian character, parts into two very different categories. Whatever level of imperfection we are prepared to tolerate in notable figures that have shaped our national experience, the journey toward heaven is quite another matter.
Ellen White is clear, of course, that the condition of eternal life in every age has always been what it first was in Eden—perfect obedience to the law of God [3]. But since our loving God winks at the times of our ignorance (Acts 17:30), and says that “to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17), we must conclude that the perfect obedience God requires is in proportion to the volume of light and truth revealed. This, in fact, is the only kind of “relative perfection” Inspiration teaches—perfection relative to knowledge, not human weakness. For those who sin ignorantly, as we have seen already, God has provided a remedy, through the atonement of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary. In Ellen White’s words:
The minds of all who embrace this message are directed to the most holy place, where Jesus stands before the ark, making His final intercession for all those for whom mercy still lingers and for those who have ignorantly broken the law of God. This atonement is made for the righteous dead as well as for the righteous living. It includes all who died trusting in Christ, but who, not having received the light upon God’s commandments, had sinned ignorantly in transgressing its precepts [4].
Ellen White is clear that different generations throughout history have been accountable for less demanding levels of light and truth, in contrast with history’s final generation:
We are accountable for the privileges that we enjoy, and for the light that shines upon our pathway. Those who lived in past generations were accountable for the light which was permitted to shine upon them. Their minds were exercised in regard to different points of Scripture which tested them. But they did not understand the truths which we do. They were not responsible for the light which they did not have. They had the Bible, as we have, but the time for the unfolding of special truth in relation to the closing scenes of this earth’s history, is during the last generations that shall live upon the earth.
Special truths have been adapted to the conditions of the generations as they have existed. The present truth, which is a test to the people of this generation, was not a test to the people of generations far back. . . .
We are accountable only for the light that shines upon us [45].
But history’s final generation, which will pass through the great time of trouble following probation’s close, will have a unique experience. “In that fearful time the righteous must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor” [6]. Fully aware of the whole counsel of God—or at least that which is essential for the total conquest of sin—by His grace they will live accordingly. All ignorant sin in their lives will before that time have been revealed and conquered, for the Mediator will no longer be available to make atonement for sin—whether ignorant or otherwise. For this reason Ellen White declares that at the second coming, “the Refiner does not then sit to pursue His refining process and remove their sins and their corruption. This is all to be done in these hours of probation” [7].
Conclusion
America’s national heroes, even the best of them, are recognized by careful students of history as products of their respective times who only partially understood the liberty and justice for all inculcated in America’s founding documents. But the eternal Judge of the universe possesses an advantage enjoyed by no earthly historian, social activist, or political leader—a total knowledge of the human heart (I Kings 8:39). For those who die sinning ignorantly, God knows what they would have done had they been exposed to greater light, and how they will respond when that fuller light is revealed to them in the courts of glory. Thus He knows that while the lives of such persons failed to demonstrate the fullest revelation of light available to the last generation of believers, that they would have embraced such light had they been given the opportunity during their earthly sojourn, and that once in the bliss of heaven, they will do so.
In sum, qualifications for an earthly pedestal on public property are subject to fallible earthly judgments. Qualifications for eternal life in God’s paradise, by contrast, are subject to the infallible assessment of heaven’s eternal Sovereign. In both cases, the limitations of finite knowledge are respected. In both cases, circumstantial ignorance as to the full extent of moral ideals is allowed. In both cases we can see how growth in understanding and a deeper perception of professed ideals creates greater accountability. The difference is that in God’s reckoning relative to salvation, the reasons for such ignorance and all contingencies under which decisions relative to light and truth can and would be rendered, are fully known and understood.
Ellen White’s statements about sanctification being the work of a lifetime [8] can rightly be seen as having both an individual and a corporate application, one which can offer instructive examples to current dialogue in America regarding monuments to historical figures. The passage of time can produce more thoughtful perceptions as to the value of the contributions made by certain ones to national aspirations relative to liberty and justice. Like the Christian walk, one hopes that such perceptions will result in moral advancement. Though unlike God, earthly societies shouldn’t expect perfection from their chosen heroes, greater awareness and the advantage of years can facilitate insights and discernment not readily available in former times. In other words, like Biblical sanctification, the American experiment with freedom and equality remains a work in progress.
REFERENCES
1. Theodore H. White, Breach of Faith: The Fall of Richard Nixon (New York: Atheneum Publishers, 1975), p. 57.
2. William L. Shirer, The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1960), pp. 91,236.
3. Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 62; Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, p. 76.
4. ----Early Writings, p. 254.
5. ----Testimonies, vol. 2, pp. 692-693.
6. ----The Great Controversy, p. 614.
7. ----Testimonies, vol. 2, p. 355.
8. ----Acts of the Apostles, p. 560.
Pastor Kevin Paulson holds a Bachelor’s degree in theology from Pacific Union College, a Master of Arts in systematic theology from Loma Linda University, and a Master of Divinity from the SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University. He served the Greater New York Conference of Seventh-day Adventists for ten years as a Bible instructor, evangelist, and local pastor. He writes regularly for Liberty magazine and does script writing for various evangelistic ministries within the denomination. He continues to hold evangelistic and revival meetings throughout the North American Division and beyond, and is a sought-after seminar speaker relative to current issues in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. He presently resides in Berrien Springs, Michigan