A nuanced portrait of a great historical figure considered everything from a “God-haunted man” to a “stalwart nonbeliever” What did faith mean to Winston Churchill? Churchill was far from transparent about his religious beliefs and never regularly attended church services as an adult, even considering himself “not a pillar of the church but a buttress,” in the sense that he supported it “from the outside.” But Gary Scott Smith assembles pieces of Churchill’s life and words to convey the profound sense of duty and destiny, partly inspired by his religious convictions, that undergirded his outlook. Reflecting on becoming prime minister in 1940, he wrote, “It felt as if I were walking with destiny, and that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial.” In a similarly grand fashion, he described opposing the Nazis—and later the Soviets—as a struggle between light and darkness, driven by the duty to preserve “humane, enlightened, Christian society.” Though Churchill harbored intellectual doubts about Christianity throughout his life, he nevertheless valued it greatly and drew on its resources, especially in the crucible of war. In Duty and Destiny, Smith unpacks Churchill’s paradoxical religious views and carefully analyzes the complexities of his legacy. This thorough examination of Churchill’s religious life provides a new narrative structure to make sense of one of the most important figures of the twentieth century.

Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal. – Matthew 6:20 Are you prepared to sign your name to a blank sheet of paper and then hand it over to God for Him to fill in as He pleases? If not, ask Him to make you willing and able to do this and everything else. You will never be happy until you let the Lord Jesus keep the house of your nature, closely scrutinizing every visitor and admitting only His friends. He must reign. He must have all or nothing. He must have the key of every closet, of every cupboard, and of every room. Do not try to make them fit for Him. Simply give Him the key. He will cleanse and renovate and make beautiful. Learn… How to gain victory over sin How to have a blessed life What it means to be separate from the world How to love reading your Bible How to turn monotony into purpose How to avoid the tendency to drift from Christian living

Preserving destiny is hard, reclaiming it is near impossible. Duty. Courage. Betrayal. Selflessness. Destiny. Jack Cornelis’ life is planned. Complete his tour of duty in Vietnam, intact. Return home. Marry his sweetheart and have a family. But, the powers that be have other ideas for him. Like his ancestors, Jack is a Preserver. When duty calls, he’s whisked back in time to preserve his family’s decorated military record while his thieving relatives attempt to steal the Cornelis heroism to hold as their own. Gwendoline Tebon happily marries Jack when he returns from war. But her jubilance is shattered when her twin brother is killed in action. When Gwendoline discovers her husband is a time traveler who can change history, she begs him to go back and save her brother. He refuses. The Gods forbid Preservers to alter history, they are only to preserve it. Gwendoline is so distraught, it threatens the life of their unborn child. Jack gives in. But his slight change to history causes undesirable consequences in present day. Jack scrambles to find a way to set the record straight before the new destiny takes hold and spirals completely out of control. But, can he? Is the new destiny now permanent and their idyllic life forever gone?

This unit, designed for use with intermediate and junior high school students, centers on history of India and contains literature selections, poetry, writing ideas, curriculum connections to other subjects, group projects and more. The literary works included are: Exploration into India / by Anita Ganeri -- Tusk and Stone / by Malcolm Bosse.