LIBRARY OF RELIGIOUS BIOGRAPHY
Mark A. Noll, Kathryn Gin Lum, and Heath W. Carter, series editors
Long overlooked by historians, religion has emerged in recent years as a key factor in understanding the past. From politics to popular culture, from social struggles to the rhythms of family life, religion shapes every story. Religious biographies open a window to the sometimes surprising influence of religion on the lives of influential people and the worlds they inhabited.
The Library of Religious Biography is a series that brings to life important figures in United States history and beyond. Grounded in careful research, these volumes link the lives of their subjects to the broader cultural contexts and religious issues that surrounded them. The authors are respected historians and recognized authorities in the historical period in which their subject lived and worked.
Marked by careful scholarship yet free of academic jargon, the books in this series are well-written narratives meant to be read and enjoyed as well as studied.
Titles include:
Sworn on the Altar of God: A Religious Biography ofThomas Jefferson
by Edwin S. Gaustad
Abraham Kuyper: Modern Calvinist, Christian Democrat
by James D. Bratt
Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President
by Allen C. Guelzo
A Christian and a Democrat: A Religious Biography ofFranklin D. Roosevelt
by John F. Woolverton with James D. Bratt
For a complete list of published volumes, see the back of this volume.
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.
4035 Park East Court SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546
www.eerdmans.com
2021 Gary Scott Smith
All rights reserved
Published 2021
Printed in the United States of America
27 26 25 24 23 22 21 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
ISBN 978-0-8028-7700-0
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Smith, Gary Scott, 1950 author.
Title: Duty and destiny : the life and faith of Winston Churchill / Gary Scott Smith.
Other titles: Life and faith of Winston Churchill
Description: Grand Rapids, Michigan : William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2020. | Series: Library of religious biography | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Summary: An analysis of Winston Churchills enigmatic religious convictions, his use of biblical and religious rhetoric, and how his beliefs helped shape his objectives and policiesProvided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020026558 | ISBN 9780802877000 (hardcover)
Subjects: LCSH: Churchill, Winston, 18741965Religion. | Prime ministersGreat BritainBiography. | Prime ministersReligious lifeGreat Britain. | Christianity and politicsGreat Britain.
Classification: LCC DA566.9.C5 S578 2020 | DDC 941.084092 [B]dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020026558
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments
Abbreviations
INTRODUCTION
1. COMPETING CONCEPTIONS OF CHURCHILLS FAITH
Not a Religious Man
Not a Conventional Christian
Guided by a Biblical Worldview
Churchills Powerful Sense of Destiny
2. SETTING THE SCENE
William Wilberforce (17591833)
Lord Shaftesbury (18011885)
William Gladstone (18091898)
Lord Salisbury (18301903)
Stanley Baldwin (18671947)
Margaret Thatcher (19252013)
Tony Blair (1953)
3. SEEDS OF SPIRITUALITY
18741894
A Neglected Child
Woomanys Spiritual Influence
The Impact of Boarding Schools
A Pastoral Calling?
4. SOLDIER AND WAR CORRESPONDENT
18931901 & 19141918
A Bout with Religious Skepticism
Debating the Value of Missions
Helbeck of Bannisdale
Savrola
Miraculous Escapes
5. POLITICAL ROLES
19011931
Churchill as a Social Reformer
Churchill as a Social Critic
Churchill and Missions
Churchill on the Great War
Resisting the Utter Fallacy of Socialism
Defeating the Bacillus of Communism
Churchill as a Prophet
What a Disappointment the Twentieth Century Has Been
Churchill the Imperialist
6. THE WILDERNESS YEARS
19311939
The Deepening and Darkening Danger of Germany
Every Prophet Has to Go into the Wilderness
Churchills Fascination with the Jews
Churchills Mixed Views of Islam
7. STATESMAN AND WARTIME PRIME MINISTER
19401945
Safeguarding Christian Civilization
A Struggle of Good versus Evil
Invoking Gods Aid
Hitler as the Devil
Lambasting Nazism and Communism
A Partnership Based on a Shared Faith
Religion in Britain, 19001950
Churchill and Christian Politicians
Churchills Prelates
8. COLD WAR WARRIOR AND PEACE-PROMOTING PRIME MINISTER
19451955
Answering for the Bomb
An Iron Curtain
Ending the Cold War
Churchills Religious Rhetoric, 19461955
The Statesman and the Evangelist
9. RETIREMENT YEARS
19551965
The Black Dog and the Meaning of Life
I Married and Lived Happily Ever Afterwards
Clementines Faith
Mary SoamesMy Religion is an Unspeakable Comfort
The Biblea Source of Inspiration, Exhortation, and Ethics
Churchills Religious Beliefs and Practices
CONCLUSION
Churchills Funerala Global Spectacle
Churchills Character
Churchills Use of Religious Rhetoric
A Final Religious Assessment
The Unrivaled Statesman of the Twentieth Century
A Note on Sources
Notes
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I n writing this religious biography of Winston Churchill, I am indebted to dozens of scholars. My book builds on many excellent studies of Churchills life, insightful analyses of various aspects of his thought and activities, penetrating articles about his religious views, perceptive monographs about religion in Britain, stimulating biographies of British Christian politicians and prelates, and informative memoirs by his contemporaries. Two of the editors of the Library of Religious Biography seriesMark A. Noll and Heath W. Carterprovided helpful comments and constructive ideas for revision. David Bratt, my editor at Eerdmans, skillfully guided this book from its inception to its conclusion. Tom Raabe did a wonderful job copyediting my book and saved me from numerous errors. I also want to thank Linda Bieze, the project manager who shepherded my biography through the editorial and production processes, and Laura Bardolph Hubers, who handled the marketing and publicity for my book. My ability to complete this book is due in large part to my mentors at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Johns Hopkins University, especially Timothy L. Smith, and to my delightful colleagues at Grove City College and friends who teach at many other institutions.
