Columbia Ping
Posted on 12/21/2009 3:11:38 PM PST by CondoleezzaProtege
Columbia was, he declared, “a citadel of the mind swaying in the vertigo of a civilization changing (without admitting it) the basis of its faith from a two thousand-year-old Christian culture to the new secular and scientific culture.” Whereas the Christian culture “placed God at the center of man’s hope,” the new secular faith, which was “exclusively rational and scientific,” replaced God with Man. This was not indoctrination into communism, at least not explicitly. “No member of the Columbia faculty ever consciously guided me toward Communism,” he stated. “Columbia did not teach me Communism. It taught me despair.” That despair opened the door for the communist solution.
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"By the end of my sophomore year at Columbia, I had ceased to be a conservative. I was nothing. God, when He was not an intellectual embarrassment, was an admission or a convention that one conceded for the sake of tradition, civility, or an argument. Truth was wholly relative. Nothing was absolutely true and hence, by inference if not by direct evaluation, nothing was absolutely false. In other words, nothing was absolutely good or bad, though those other words were held to be a little naïve or uncouth, just as the word “truth” was avoided in favor of the word “fact.”
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Whittaker Chambers’s autobiography, Witness, is a classic: a revealing sociological study of a damaged home life; a political science course in why a person would want to become a communist; a nonfiction novel of poignant scenes detailing a man’s Lazarus-like rebirth into the world of free men and his agonizing decision to become an informer on those who once were his compatriots; and, perhaps above all, a prophetic voice with respect to the fate of Western Civilization.
(Excerpt) Read more at firstprinciplesjournal.com ...
Chambers posthumously received the Medal of Freedom from President Ronald Reagan in 1984.
That book sure opened my eyes.
Maybe in an intellectual sense, but Chambers had a wretched childhood, starting with his father's deserting the family and his brother's suicide.
yes but college robbed him of any hope he still had left. faith in Christ proves itself most strongly in individuals who’ve been through the worst of experiences.
“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” ~ Romans 8:18
I finally read Witness recently. I wish I had read it twenty years before.
Whittaker Chambers was a truly great person. I was introduced to “Witness” in 1955 by a history teacher, who was dying of cancer, in my freshman year of college. She could not believe we knew so little about him and Alger Hiss. His experiences that led him to realize there must be a God are remarkable. (The intricate design of the ears of his baby daughter = Designer; a field of flowers with tiny birds flitting over it = God and beauty are one.) I sent Glenn Beck a copy of Chambers’ letter to his children when he might be indicted (or murdered) and suggested Glenn write one, too. Chambers’ letter is a masterpiece which explains the thrust of Christianity magnificiently. “...you will make out three crosses, from two of which hang thieves. You will know that life is pain. That each of us hangs always upon the cross of himself. When you know this is true of every man, woman and child on earth, you will be wise.” (paraphrased) Thanks for submitting this article.
“Letter to my Children” was one of the most powerful pieces of writing I’ve EVER read. In a way, it was what made me realize life is not about having “the right politics” and voting for the right people—but about having faith, REAL faith.
I love how Chambers ended his letter by emphasizing the Cross of Christ. His faith wasn’t in the triumph of Western civilization or of America or “The Constitution” at all, but in the sole, eternal worth of God. He did not center his worldview on his newfound political or economic views, but on the Cross.
Ultimately though, I do not know the extent of his conversion—whether his belief was more in a “generic” cultural idea of “God” or whether he truly placed his faith in the exclusivity of Christ’s finished work on the Cross and resurrection—as I believe his writings seem to indicate.
Glenn Beck is Mormon. He is not a Christian. His life may have changed after his “conversion.” He may believe in a God with some Biblical stories sprinkled in—but ultimately, Mormonism has no relationship with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Conversion to a religion may indicate a temporary life change. But conversion to Christ alone is an eternal life change.
Glenn Beck said the other day that the US Constitution is a “divinely inspired” document.
Blasphemy! Only the BIBLE is.
Sola Scriptura - Scripture Alone
Sola Fide - Faith Alone
Solus Christus - In Christ Alone
Sola Gratia - by Grace Alone
Soli Deo Gloria - For the Glory of GOD Alone
I extend my prayers to Glenn Beck and to all unbelievers, who have not come to full knowledge of the Truth.
Witness is one of the best 3 books of the 20th century.
what are the other two?
I read it and was awed by Whittaker Chambers.
"A Children's Story" by James Clavell is on a top 10 list.
For teenagers "The Alliance" will help them see the danger of liberalism.
"Crime and Punishment" 19th century is incredible. If you are thinking of committing a crime read this book first. You might not.
Far too many students encounter this kind of culture in colleges and universities.
Thanks for the ping. His description does not comport with my own experience at Columbia but I find it very interesting.
I do believe that western civilization, in putting man at the center of all things, started a chain of events that may cause its own destruction into communism/fascism/socialism today, decades after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Chambers was a senior editor of Time Magazine. He loved the book review and entertainment sections. He wrote several articles on Jesus, Evil, Heaven and Hell, etc. Perhaps some research can help. He and Beck sound and act like genuine believers in Jesus Christ. A person can make a profession of faith in Jesus Christ intellectually without “faithing” that makes it genuine. Obama says he is a Christian as a political ploy, but his actions indicate he is a Muslim, albeit a secular one who also believes in communism. He is mentally disturbed and eventually will pay a price for his double-mindedness.
I think Beck meant the Holy Spirit inspired those who wrote the Constitution, not that it is a message from God like the Holy Bible.
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