Two Examples of Great Resolve

On this final day of October, we have at least two historic events we can celebrate, and both of them feature people who showed great resolve. One is Martin Luther's public posting of his Ninety-five Theses. The other is the end of the Battle of Britain, which features the resolve of Winston Churchill and the British people.

Martin Luther had long been troubled by the apparent discrepancies between what he read in the Bible and what he saw being taught by and practiced in the Roman Catholic Church, in which he was a monk. He had long struggled to reconcile in his mind and spirit what the Church was teaching. He was especially concerned about the sale of indulgences.

To draw attention to the contradictions and encourage public and academic discussion, Luther on October 31, 1517, nailed a copy of his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg. Historian Harold J. Grimm called that church door "the official bulletin board of the university." The theses respectfully suggested that many of the teachings and practices of the Church actually ran counter to Scripture. They questioned many of them and especially criticized the pope "for not granting indulgences gratis, if he really had the power."

Martin Luther posting his Ninety-five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg

The theses were not so much statements of Luther's determined and settled beliefs as much as an admission that he was questioning the validity of many of the Church's teachings and practices. And he was continually seeking to determine if those teachings and practices were actually scriptural.

Luther's theses were soon translated into German, printed, and widely disseminated across Germany and the rest of Europe. After this, there was for him no turning back. He was called to appear before the Diet of Worms and encouraged to recant his views and writings. He refused, stating, "Here I stand. I cannot do otherwise. God help me."

Martin Luther

Reformation historian J. H. Merle d'Aubigne declared, "Such was the commencement of the work. The germs of the Reformation were contained in these propositions of Luther's."

Luther had resolve.

The second event of note on this date was the end of the Battle of Britain on October 31, 1940. It had begun 16 weeks earlier, on July 10, 1940. The whole purpose of the bombing had been Hitler's effort to destroy the Royal Air Force to pave the way for the launching of Operation Sea Lion, his invasion of the British homeland. His air chief, Hermann Goering, had assured Hitler that the Luftwaffe could gain total air superiority, achieving victory over Britain's Fight Command in four days and total destruction of the RAF in four weeks.

German Heinkel bombers over Britain

The Luftwaffe focused its attacks first on hitting British air fields and RAF bases. When that failed, they shifted their focus to terror bombing of cities and civilian targets, further revealing the diabolical and inhumane character of the Nazi regime.

RAF pilots scramble to oppose a German air raid.

During the subsequentBattle of Britain, Germany lost an estimated 2,585 air crewmen killed or missing, 925 captured, and 1,977 planes lost. It was not a cost-free contest for Britain either, although the British losses were proportionally less than those suffered by Germany. The Brits lost approximately 1,542 air crewmen killed, 422 wounded, and 1,744 planes lost. The civilian losses, however, were far higher, with more than 23,000 civilian deaths, tens of thousands more wounded, and more than a million homes, business, and industrial facilities damaged or destroyed.

Civilian volunteer of the Observation Corps keeps a watchful eye for German bombers.

But British pluck (resolve) and skillful use of planes and pilots, aided by early radar and an efficient Observer Corps, which was composed of primarily civilian volunteers, won the battle. The Germans decided that their attempt to conquer Britain was too costly, so Hitler cancelled Operation Sea Lion and turned his armies against what he thought would be an easier target--the Soviet Union. He thereby removed himself from the frying pan and jumped into the fire.

Later, Allied bombing of German cities and industrial sites inflicted even more losses on the Germans.

British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill

When Hitler finally gave up his bombing of the British, Prime Minister Winston Churchill thanked and praised the men of the RAF in words that will live forever: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

In both events--Luther's planting of the seeds of religious reformation and the steadfast courage exhibited by the British--conflict brought out the best efforts of those intimately involved. Their actions deserve to be remembered, revered, and replicated in our own conflicts, both personal and national.