Conversations with Strangers: Oliver Cromwell

 Over two consecutive days I walked the ten miles or so between my house and Wakefield city centre along the canalside. Each time I passed 'Oliver Cromwell', not the freedom fighter/terrorist of yore, but a canal boat! Thankfully, on my second day I was able to meet the owner and have a conversation with him about a favourite historical subject of mine.

To be honest, it was less of a dialogue and more of a monologue. My poor 'victim' could barely get a word in edgeways! He was very gracious, patient, and to be honest, clearly enjoyed my history lesson!

Dave, as he's called, admitted he didn't know much about the man Oliver Cromwell. He bought the boat with the name. He said he gets conflicting opinions from passers by: some declare him a hero; others a villain.

I shared the apocryphal story that Cromwell said he wanted to be painted 'warts and all'. Whether or not he actually said that historically is debatable, but it's not out of keeping with his character (or the portraits we have of him!). 

Contrast Cromwell with the vanity of his nemesis King Charles (Ist!), who vainly and prodigally spent much taxpayers money on portraits of himself by top artists. Of course, vanity alone doesn't warrant someone getting their head chopped off as Cromwell did to Charles, but to be fair to Cromwell, Charles had declared war against his own people by raising his royal banner in Nottingham and kick starting the civil war. 

Charles was executed for treason against his own people. He was a man of blood who because of his stubborn greed wouldn't listen to his weary people. Cromwell could be argued to be the hero who liberated his people from their oppressor, although as history chronicles, he was no angel himself.

Dave and I speculated as to whether we need a new Cromwell. Nowadays, the English are openly debating whether we're going to have a new civil war, or even whether we're in the embryonic stages. Practicing Muslims want to turn the UK into an Islamic State. Patriotic English people are starting to wake up to the danger and to agitate against such a death slide.

Let me just pause there. I'd like to clarify that I'm not racist. I'm not against all migration. Many refugees in the UK are Christians fleeing Islamic persecution. I am however against Islam as a philosophy of wannabe world domination. I'm not even against Muslims. I want them to repent and come to faith in Christ crucified for their salvation. 

However, let me also clarify that I don't necessarily think that we as Christians should apologise for the Crusades. For a start, the Crusades were Roman Catholic, not Protestant. Even so, if it wasn't for the Crusades, Europe would already be an Islamic State. Muslims don't apologise for jihad (their (un)'holy war'), so why should we apologise for our attempts to defend ourselves against Islamic imperialism?

Anyway, my priority as a Christian isn't to pontificate about politics. If civil war breaks out in my lifetime, I don't want to go around executing mujahedeen (Islamic fighters). I want to preach the gospel to Muslims and irreligious natives alike. 

The good news is that whether we're Matthew the tax collector or Simon the Zealot, we can be forgiven of our sins through faith in Christ crucified. The gospel is for all who will believe, whatever our political persuasion. It can spiritually unite people who have opposite beliefs politically.

What really matters isn't so much where we stand politically, as to whether we're following the Lord Jesus Christ. Sadly, there were Christians on both sides of the civil wars in Britain hundreds of years ago.

Amazingly, a man who fought on Cromwell's side in the English Civil War eventually became a Christian and a member of a church whose pastor had been a royalist officer for the King's army. That just goes to show the power of the gospel to turn enemies into brethren and fellow ministers of the gospel.

The Cromwellian was John Bunyan, a humble tinker, who King Charles (IInd!) imprisoned for preaching without state sponsorship (they were politically correct and spiritually oppressive in those days too).

Whilst in prison, Bunyan had a dream that has historically become the most popular book in English apart from the Bible: Pilgrim's Progress. It's an allegory of the Bible's message of Christian's pilgrimage from the City of Destruction to the Heavenly City via the cross of Christ. It's a journey we must all embark on to receive eternal life, even if war, famine, plague or old age get us before Christ returns...