Decisive Events of History—Did One Just Occur?

History is somewhat like biology and geology.  All three try to explain present conditions based on interplay between two types of causes: (a) uniform processes occurring over long periods of time, and (b) major or cataclysmic events that interrupt the long periods of uniformity.  Uniform processes involving the soil, water, and air include natural selection, erosion, and sedimentation, while cataclysmic processes include pandemics, hurricanes, and volcanic eruptions.  Thus, both uniform and cataclysmic processes are responsible for the current state of both animal and plant populations and of whole landscapes as they exist today.  

Likewise, historians explain the current state of nations and cultures as the effects of uniform events that fill most of the pages of history and major “decisive events” that rise above the usual.  For example, I consider the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg, and the invention of the microscope by Anton van Leeuwenhoek, as decisive events that have had major impacts on science, health, and technology. 

Do we recognize “decisive events” when they happen today?  I believe one such event has just occurred, but it has received little coverage.  Before we consider this decisive event, let’s consider another event of a similar nature that occurred in a Roman stadium just over 1,600 years ago.

A Decisive Event in a Roman Stadium
A popular pastime in the Roman Empire was for tens of thousands of spectators in a stadium to watch the bloody gladiator duels which usually ended with the slaying of the weaker combatant.  According to an article by Lawrence W. Reed, Senior Fellow at Foundation for Economic Education, “Gladiators entertained the increasingly morbid sentiments of a public thirsty for blood.  Most were free men.  A small number were women.  Professional gladiators were a privileged class in ancient Rome, even endorsing products as idolized athletes.”

But on January 14, 404 AD, with the Roman Empire sliding ever deeper into moral and political decay, a decisive event abruptly ended the tradition of the Roman gladiator duels—forever!  As John Huffman describes the events on this particular January day in Discerning History, “a lone figure interrupted the proceedings.  Without warning, a rough and weather-beaten man jumped over the wall and into the arena.  Shouts of excitement over the combat gave way to a profound silence, as all eyes turned from the gladiators to look at the lone figure.”

“He was covered with a mantle.  He had come all the way from Asia to Rome.  He was a Christian.  He had heard about these barbaric entertainments, and, by the grace of God, he intended to stop them…  He advanced to the two gladiators who were engaged in mortal combat.  Interposing himself between the combatants, he faced the crowd.  Fearlessly, this hero raised his voice.  In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, I command these wicked games to cease.  Do not requite God’s mercy by shedding innocent blood.”

“A shout of defiance met the voice of our hero.  Pieces of fruit, stones, daggers, and other missiles were hurled down from the stands.  One of the gladiators, expecting the applause of the crowd, stepped forward and rammed his battle axe into the skull of the man who had dared interfere with Rome’s favorite entertainment.  As the hero sunk lifeless to the ground, the angry cries of the crowd died away into a profound silence in the arena.  As the life’s blood of this new martyr joined the blood of the thousands who had bled there before him, the crowd suddenly faced a courage that was greater than the strongest gladiator. The work of this Christian was accomplished.  His name was Telemachus (Discerning History).”

According to John Foxe, in Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, “From the day Telemachus fell dead in the Coliseum, no other fight of gladiators was ever held there.” John Huffman adds, “Such was the legacy of a man who dared to jump over a wall and declare that an aspect of popular cultural entertainment was ungodly and unlawful.”

Telemachus’s bold decision to act upon his faith apparently helped him to fulfill his purpose as God’s instrument.  His bold protest and martyrdom in 404 AD became one of the decisive events in the history of Western civilization.  According to Codex Theodosianus 15-12, gladiatorial games were officially banned by Constantine in 325 AD on the grounds that they were inappropriate “in a time of civil and domestic peace.”  Amazingly, a one-man protest conducted by a foreigner who was not even a citizen of Rome caused leaders of an authoritarian government to outlaw a very popular but brutal custom.  But protests in the years since Telemachus have also been considered decisive events in history.

A Decisive Event in Montgomery, AL

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, an African American seamstress, seated herself in the white section of a Montgomery City bus.  When the bus driver asked her to vacate her seat for a white man, Rosa “refused to leave her seat on the grounds of fairness, freedom and equality. As a result, she was arrested and convicted of violating the laws of segregation, known as the "Jim Crow" laws.  She appealed her conviction and formally challenged the legality of segregation (See Rosa Parks Day, Ben Franklin Transit).”  

Non-Violent Demonstrations
In response to the Rosa Parks incident, civil rights activists, including Martin Luther King Jr., led a boycott of the Montgomery bus system.  Rev. Dr. King, leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), insisted on the principle of non-violent demonstrations based on his Christian faith.  
The most decisive demonstration led by Dr. King was the August, 1963 March on Washington.  There, King delivered his momentous “I Have a Dream” message, again grounded in biblical Christianity as well as the principles embodied in great documents of American history including the Declaration of Independence, Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the United States Constitution.  Rev. King described a world in which people of every ethnic group could work together, be educated together, and worship together. He repeatedly mentioned "God's children" in his message and expressed his hope and dream that “the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together (Isaiah 40: 5)."

The non-violent civil rights movement under Dr. King moved a step closer to his “dream” coming true when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed by the U.S. Congress with bipartisan support.  Less than four years later, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, and his death further immortalized his leadership in bringing about an end to discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

Freedom of Expression Today

There is no doubt that America has made great progress in securing minority rights in the past 75 years.  However, if Dr. King were alive, I believe he would be opposed to the violent protests currently occurring on American streets.   He would oppose the manner in which tragic events such as the murder of George Floyd have been used by radical groups to stir violent demonstrations, vandalism, and destruction out of hate and greed rather than to promote necessary reforms and the love of our neighbor regardless of ethnicity.  In fact, one need only listen to Dr. King’s niece, Evangelist Alveda King, to hear the same heart of love and reason which she learned from her father and her uncle.  She emphasizes the importance of “pairing social justice with righteousness” when confronting issues plaguing America today (See Black History 1: Correct History Brings Light).

Social justice that is not coupled to God’s righteousness and love for neighbor becomes trapped in pride, covetousness, greed, and resentment others.  Instead of non-violent demonstrations so effective in bringing social reform under Dr. King, many of today’s protesters shout with loud voices and even violent threats against government authorities.  Aided by major media outlets that are biased in favor of extreme left-wing and socialist philosophies, these voices are becoming intimidating toward mainstream Americans.

Americans are guaranteed certain rights, inalienable rights which are ultimately from God, including the freedom of expression under the U.S. Constitution.  For over two centuries, each citizen of the U.S. has been given the right to cast one vote on each issue and candidate put forth during elections.  At election time, regardless of wealth, popularity, political opinion, physical health, or gender; all citizens have an equal influence when voting their consciences.  However, with the crumbling of law enforcement and the rise of threatening voices of the hateful and the violent, many who want to express their opinion and eventually cast their votes are increasingly afraid to speak up.  A recent Cato Institute Summer 2020 National Survey reveals that Americans with increasingly conservative political views are less and less comfortable in sharing their opinions (See adjacent chart of results.).

A Decisive Event in Milwaukee?
My concern for the protection of our freedom of expression has recently been increased by the news of the brutal murder of a Black American.  I am not referring to George Floyd, as tragic as that is; nor am I referring to the dozens of Black Americans being murdered in our major cities every week due to lawlessness.  Instead, I am referring to the murder of a Milwaukee man, Bernel Trammell in broad daylight outside his business where he publishes eXpressions Journal, a small periodical that focuses on political and spiritual news.  At the time of this writing, the murderer and the motive behind Trammell’s death on July 23 is not known. 

“Everybody has a voice. Everybody’s voice has power,” Trammell was fond of saying, according to a friend.  Tragically, the voice of Trammell and votes this simple man would have cast have been stopped by someone more powerful—possibly someone who hated Bernel Trammell’s bold Christian witness and/or his vocal support for Donald Trump.

With America so deeply divided,  I believe our only hope is that God will respond to the prayers of many of us for a spiritual reawakening (See How Firm Is Our Foundation?)  Returning to our notion of “decisive events,” is it possible that the murder of Bernel Trammell could trigger a major change in the direction of history?  The Christian, non-violent intercessions against injustice by Telemachus and Martin Luther King, Jr. each caused decisive outcomes in their respective cultures.  Is it possible that we Americans might respond like the Roman spectators on that January 14, 404 AD when they became sickened at the brutal murder of Telemachus?  Could the innocent death of Bernel Trammell, a Black American known only as a kind, outspoken man in Milwaukee who loved God and Donald Trump, cause us all to stop and say, “Enough!”

How Do You Respond?
I have described how several tragic events became decisive events in world history.  If the tragic murder of a Bernel Trammell is not enough to cause American’s to say, “Enough!” then what will it take to bring an awakening to our country? 

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