A Sermon to serve America
On January 1st, 1942 a moment of history occurred at Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia that offers a lesson for Americans today. The rector of the church, Reverend Edward R. Welles, gave a sermon with President Franklin Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill in attendance. Just three weeks earlier the Japanese Navy had bombed Pearl Harbor. Reverend Welles’ sermon served as a rallying cry while also taking America to task for past “national sins”. In doing so, Welles gave an honest appraisal of our goodness as a nation without glossing over our flaws. We should examine Welles’ words as a guide for the present to navigate domestic and international challenges.
In the sermon Welles said that “all nations have black spots on the record”. Certainly slavery and segregation stain American history, and Welles also mentions “our treatment of Indians and Yankee imperialism abroad”. These darker moments in our country’s past should remind us that freedom and equality for all hasn’t always been the reality. We must acknowledge these wrongs to ensure our democratic way of life for the future.
Reverend Welles’ sermon also touches on why America offers hope despite some of our historical evils. We must remember that when the sermon was given on New Year’s Day, 1942 the international situation looked bleak. Nazi Germany and militaristic Japan were on a rampage, bringing death and destruction to millions of people. Although America couldn’t claim to always uphold freedom, the Nazis and Japan didn’t even entertain the idea of freedom. As Welles put it: “imperfect though we are, it is important to discern the vast difference between our aims and those of the Nazis; the democratic way of life does encourage freedom and honesty, the Nazis scorn freedom and honesty”.
What relevance do Welles’ words have today? Considering Russia’s war in Ukraine and China’s rise, his sermon offers a way for America to engage these two challengers. We can acknowledge our prior faults and still defend democracy abroad. Russia’s war and China’s treatment of its own citizens should be a stark warning to those who think a weaker America would make the world more free. The international system with Russia or China at the helm would not be a rosy utopia. Welles said that “Jesus Christ endured his cross and we nationally must accept our cross too”. What is our “national cross”? It is our international responsibility to champion freedom for all peoples while being honest about our own denials of freedom in the past. We are a flawed nation, but at least we discuss those flaws and debate ways of improving freedom and equality.
Source: Alexandria Gazette on microfilm, January 1, 1942; Alexandria Library Local History/Special Collections