Latest / Voices Of Life / Did You Know? - October 16: Freedom, Power, and Moral Responsibility Across History

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Did You Know? - October 16: Freedom, Power, and Moral Responsibility Across History · Voices Of Life

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There are stories we remember, and there are
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stories we forget. There are moments that changed
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a nation, changed a church, changed a generation.
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And sometimes, the most fascinating stories are
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the ones we never learned. Welcome to Voices
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of Life. Did you know series? A journey through
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history, where remarkable people, extraordinary
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events, faith, freedom, courage, sacrifice, and
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even the unexpected, come together. From the
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pages of American history. to the story of the
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church, from famous names to people whose names
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have nearly been forgotten. Every episode asks
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a simple question. Did you know? Your host, Pastor
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David. Welcome to the Voices of Life Did You
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Know series. I'm Pastor David. Today we look
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back at October 16th through the years of freedom,
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power, and moral responsibility. Did you know?
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that october 16th has witnessed moments that
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shaped how humanity understands freedom leadership
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and more responsibility from fiery abolitionist
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stands in 1859 to the brink of nuclear war in
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1962 to a polish priest's rise to global influence
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in 1978 each story asks how conviction and conscience
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guides those who hold power So on October 16,
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1859, John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry was
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a significant time prior to the Civil War. So
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on that date, a small band of men led by a fiery
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abolitionist named John Brown launched one of
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the most daring and divisive acts in American
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history. Their mission was to strike at the heart
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of slavery itself. Let's talk about the man behind
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the raid. John Brown was born in Connecticut
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in 1800. raised in a deeply religious family
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that believed slavery was a sin against God.
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He was not a politician nor a soldier. He was
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a man of conviction. Brown's faith shaped his
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life, but his experiences in the violent struggle
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over slavery in Kansas hardened his belief that
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peaceful protest was no longer enough. He came
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to see himself as an instrument of divine justice,
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a man chosen to break the chains of bondage,
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by force if necessary. To Brown, the words of
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Proverbs 31 verses 8 through 9 speak up for those
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who cannot speak for themselves. Where not just
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scripture, they were a call to action. But I
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still want to comment here where Proverbs talk
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about speaking up. That's still peaceful. Speaking
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up does not include violence and it does not
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condone violence. So I want to make that very
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clear. Now let's talk about his followers. At
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a rented farmhouse in Maryland, Brown gathered
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a small group of followers, 21 men in all. They
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were a mix of white and black abolitionists,
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including several of Brown's own sons. Among
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them were John Henry Caggy, a teacher, a writer,
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and also Dangerfield Newby, a freed black man
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hoping to rescue his enslaved wife, and finally
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Louis Leary. a free black man from ohio they
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were idealists dreamers and believers in freedom
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but also men prepared to die for it their weapons
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were few their numbers were small yet their purpose
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was immense to seize the federal arsenal at harper's
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ferry arm enslaved people and ignite a revolution
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that would sweep across the south previous to
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this there had been some violence here and there
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There was some really big violence that occurred
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in South Carolina back decades before. And that
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ended in disaster for both the freed slaves and
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the actually innocent population. So it didn't
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go over well. So violence is never the answer.
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I mean, I have to just say that. That's my job
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as your pastor. I'm going to tell you, violence
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is never the answer. But here we go. The night
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of the raid, on the evening of October 16th,
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Brown and his men crossed the Potomac River under
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the cover of darkness. They captured the armory,
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the rifle works, and took hostages, including
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prominent citizens. But the uprising Brown hoped
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for never came. The slaves of the region were
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fearful of brutal retaliation, and they didn't
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join the rebellion. So by dawn, the local militia
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surrounded the town. Two days later, U .S. Marines
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under Colonel Robert E. Lee. U .S. Marines under
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Colonel Robert E. Lee. Yes, Robert E. Lee served
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the United States in several wars and peacetime
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events, and he served well. So everyone always
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remembers him as the general for the Confederacy,
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but there was a lot more to Robert E. Lee, and
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we're going to do a special on him at one point.
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But in the meantime, the U .S. Marines under
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Colonel Robert E. Lee stormed the building where
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Brown and his remaining men were barricaded.
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The fight was brief and it was bloody. Ten of
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Brown's followers were killed, including two
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of his sons. Brown himself was wounded and captured.
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So what was the trial and legacy of John Brown?
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Well, John Brown was tried in Virginia, convicted
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of treason, conspiracy and murder, and sentenced
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to death. He was hanged on December 2nd, 1859.
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But his final words still echo through history.
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I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the
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crimes of this guilty land will never be purged
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but with blood. Those were his final words. But
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look at the time, December 2nd, 1859. There was
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no Civil War at this time. Everybody was under
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the United States. His actions were treasonous.
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taking a federal arsenal from the United States
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and then trying to arm civilians to create a
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revolution. 16 months later, of course, the Civil
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War began. Brown's raid failed militarily, but
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it succeeded in shaking the conscience of the
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nation. To the South, he was a terrorist. To
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many in the North, he was a martyr. To some people,
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he was a murderer and a person that committed
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treason. And to history, He still remains a symbol
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of terrible tension between moral conviction
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and violent action. Now, as far as us as a Christian
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reflection, John Brown's story forces us to wrestle
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with the timeless question, does a righteous
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cause justify violent means? Micah 6 verse 8
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calls us to do justice, love mercy, and walk
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humbly with God. Brown's life reminds us that
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justice pursued without mercy. becomes its own
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form of judgment. His faith was fierce, his courage
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undeniable, but his methods left the nation divided
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and bleeding. So here's my closing thought on
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John Brown. John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry
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was not the end of slavery, but it was a spark
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that lit a fuse. It reminds us that moral conviction,
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when joined together with action, can change
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history, for better or for worse. And it asks
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every generation to consider When we see injustice,
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what will we do and how far will we go? Well,
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I have to say here, peaceful protests are fine.
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There's a lot of peaceful protests now out there
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where we keep having and hearing the same words,
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free Palestine. And there is no Palestine, number
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one, and there's nothing to free. But it's a
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movement and it's a cause. But when the protesters
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get violent, when they disobey the civilian authority
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to disperse, when they're blocking roads, entrances,
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when they're starting violence themselves, that
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is not what protests and peaceful protests are
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about. Peaceful protests are, you carry signs,
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you do chants, anything you want to do, but you
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don't stop people from doing what they're supposed
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to be doing. You may not like it, you may want
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to... somehow cause more of a stir than what
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there is. But at the end of the day, once you
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cross that line, you yourself become that violent
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instrument that ends up getting arrested or worse.
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Several have been shot because they have gone
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against police officers, law enforcement officers.
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And I'm sorry to say it, you cannot try to run
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somebody down with a car. That is a deadly instrument.
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And if the law enforcement officer uses a bullet
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to stop you, they're absolutely justified. There's
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no ifs, ands, or buts about it. And I'm saying
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this as a former law enforcement officer. If
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you come at me with a vehicle and I have nowhere
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to go, I'm going to shoot you. And I'm going
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to try to stop you. I don't want to kill you,
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but if you force me to, I'll do what I have to
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do. And they do what they have to do. So I just
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want to point that out here because this is relevant
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to what's going on today with some of these protests.
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about freeing a land that doesn't even exist,
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freeing a people that don't exist. It's just
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mind -boggling to me how this goes on. Now, if
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you want to say, hey, we want the people of Gaza
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to have their own place, we want them to have
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their own government, whatever it is, that makes
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sense to me. But there is no Palestine. Please
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understand that. It is... A region from ancient
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times, but it was never a country, never a city,
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never a state. And still is not today. Moving
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on. The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962. Fast forward
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a century. On October 16, 1962, President John
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F. Kennedy learned that the Soviets put nuclear
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missiles and installing them in Cuba, just 90
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miles from Florida. That's from my home, because
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I was born in South Florida. The world stood
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on edge. of nuclear war. Kennedy faced impossible
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choices. Strike, invade, negotiate, or blockade.
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But he chose restraint. A naval quarantine and
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diplomacy. After tense days, Soviet leader Nikita
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Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles. The
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crisis reminds us that peace is not just an absence
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of war, it is a presence of wisdom. Matthew 5
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verse 9 blesses the peacemakers, and James 3
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calls godly wisdom peaceable and full of mercy.
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Kennedy's calm leadership showed that sometimes
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strength is found in restraint. We did a podcast
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a few weeks ago about the Bay of Pigs, or included
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the Bay of Pigs, and that in itself was a whole
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different scenario. You have to really read the
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story about that. And there's a museum here in
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Miami over it. You know, it was a very tragic
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time because there was a really, well, I can't
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say militarily looking at it, it was a perfect
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plan. It was probably a better place for them
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to land and where they'd take. But it was a great
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plan, you know, as far as trying to liberate
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Cuba from what was becoming communism from socialism.
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But unfortunately, the information was leaked.
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And at the last minute, the support was canceled
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by President Kennedy. And I still today don't
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understand why he did that. I think he endangered
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the entire mission by what he did. So while Kennedy
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was a Navy person, he was an excellent, probably
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one of the best presidents we ever had. In that
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particular incident, he made a terrible mistake.
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And by stopping what was already planned once
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it started. If he would have stopped it before
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it started, that would have been different. But
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he didn't do it that way. It was really kind
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of a tough time. So, moving on. Carol Wojtyla
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becomes Pope John Paul II. Named Carol with a
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K, by the way. On October 16, 1978, the world
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turned their eyes to Rome. The College of Cardinals
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elected Carol Wojtyla, Archbishop of Krakow,
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as Pope. That was John, as we know it, John Paul
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II, the first non -Italian pope in over 400 years.
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And I just want to say this. Having seen him,
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having listened to him, growing up in my late
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teens and early adulthood, this man was a magnificent
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statesman. He always knew the right thing to
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say. He was very diplomatic. He was straightforward.
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There were so many good things about this man.
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I think he was one of the best popes probably
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ever. But certainly in my lifetime, I have not.
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And I guess every time there's a new pope, I
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compare him right to John Paul II. And you know
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what? We've not had anyone even close, not even
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half the man. And I just have to say that. But
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he was born in Poland under the Nazi and communist
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rule. He had seen freedom crushed and faith suppressed.
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As Pope, he championed human dignity, religious
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liberty, and moral courage. His words, the truth
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will make you free, I mean, beautiful words,
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became a rallying cry for millions of living
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under oppression. John Paul II's leadership helped
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inspire movements like Solidarity, which challenged
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communist regimes across Eastern Europe. His
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life reminds us. that faith can illuminate even
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in the darkest systems of power. And again, really
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wonderful man. I mean, I'm not Catholic, but
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I have to be impressed with his words, his movements,
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and his actions. And he took a lot of actions,
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which was great. We had three moments, three
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leaders, three questions that still echo today.
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Can justice justify violence? That's a question
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we have to ask ourselves. Can peace survive fear?
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And can truth overcome tyranny? Three very important
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questions. Violence is always a last resort.
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And kind of going back, I'm going to go back
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to my law enforcement experience. They talk about
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a lot of law enforcement officers using excessive
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force, things like that. I learned early on that
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force was not the best way. The best way was
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trying to talk to people. Now, you can't always
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talk to us. Not everybody will want to talk to
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you. Someone will sucker punch you, punch you
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in the face. And that happened only one time
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to me. But I was always ready to defend myself,
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I guess is the word. I was always ready to do
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some kind of defense if I needed to. But I always
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wanted to give the opportunity to the person
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to do the right thing. And that even meant when
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somebody had a gun. It doesn't always work out
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that way. Sometimes they give you no choice.
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And you have to use physical force. And, you
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know, it's got to be used properly and in the
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name of the law, for the law, for what's going
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on, and to protect lives. That's the most important
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thing is there to protect lives from immediate
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danger. Immediate danger. Just want to say that.
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So you got to ask that question. Now, peace survive,
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you know, can peace survive fear? Fear is a strong
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emotional driver, and it sometimes drives people
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to do things they wouldn't normally do. Sometimes
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it brings out the courageous and bravery in a
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person. And last question, can truth overcome
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tyranny? Well, in a constitutional republic that
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we have, absolutely. in other places that have
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either some kind of democratic system, a fascist
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system, a socialist system, a communist system.
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You know, it's tough. Look at Cuba. Cuba is a
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perfect example. You know, it's still hanging
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on. I mean, it's sanctioned heavily, and it's
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still hanging on. The elitists there are still
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trying to keep the communist regime in hand because
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it made them rich. A lot of them have properties
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and monies overseas in Mexico and different countries.
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They've made a lot of money over the years, and
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that's what drives them. And they could care
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less about the people. They'll say, oh, yeah,
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we're for the people. No, you're not for the
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people. If you were for the people, you would
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have done the right things long ago. And it's
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a shame that it's still hanging on. But I truly
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believe we're either going to get a Democratic
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or a Republic from the ashes of the current Cuba.
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I truly believe that that will happen. Just got
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to be patient and hope that the right things
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do. But in the meantime, October 16th reminds
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us that moral conviction and leadership carry
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immense responsibility. Whether in the battlefields,
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war rooms, pulpits, the choices of conscience
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shape history. So did you know freedom, peace,
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and truth are not just historical ideals, they
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are daily callings for every believer. I hope
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that you take the information from today and
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let it... Just settle with you and think about
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what's going on across the world. This has been
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Voices of Life Did You Know series. I'm Pastor
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David. May God's blessings be upon you and your
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family. And may God bless the United States of
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America. And that concludes this edition of Voices
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of Life. Did you know? History gives us more
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than dates and names. It gives us stories. Stories
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of courage and failure. Faith and doubt. Freedom
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and sacrifice. and people who face moments that
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change the course of history. But history isn't
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just about what happened then. It's about what
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we can learn from it now. Thank you for joining
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Pastor David in Voices of Life. Until our next
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journey through history, keep asking questions,
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keep learning, and remember, you never know what
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you might discover when you simply ask. Did you
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know? This is Voices of Life. Until next time.