William F. Buckley, Jr. [27 February]

William F. Buckley, Jr.
Lieutenant, US Army, WWII, Journalist & Apologist
[27 February 2008]

Almighty God, we yield unto thee most high praise and hearty thanks for the wonderful grace and virtue declared in William F. Buckley, Jr. and all thy saints, who have been the choice vessels of thy grace and the lights of the world in their several generations. May we have grace to direct our lives after their good examples, that this life ended, we may be made partakers with them of the glorious resurrection, and the life everlasting; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

This I believe: that it is intellectually easier to credit a divine intelligence
than to submit dumbly to felicitous congeries about nature.

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William F Buckley was commissioned a Lieutenant in 1943 but did not see combat. He was part of the honor guard for President Roosevelt near the end of the war. After the war, he graduated from Yale University where he found a state of apostasy in a school formed on the basis of Christian belief, and wrote his first book, God & Man at Yale

After a brief stint with the Central Intelligence Agency he turned to journalism. A few years later he founded the National Review as a conservative journal. He hosted the television show "Firing Line" from 1966 to 1999.

Buckley was a light in his generation and a prophetic voice against the threat of atheistic communism. His influence through his activities and by providing a forum for conservative thought had a significant impact on many who are credited with the fall of Communism. He was recognized for his contributions with America's highest award for a civilian, the Presidential Medal of Freedom

Let us hear his own voice now.

"I will not cede more power to the state. I will not willingly cede more power to anyone... I will hoard my power like a miser, resisting every effort to drain it away from me. I will then use my power, as I see fit. I mean to live my life an obedient man, but obedient to God, subservient to the wisdom of my ancestors; never to the authority of political truths arrived at yesterday at the voting booth."
[ William F. Buckley Jr., in Up From Liberalism]

The quotation above embodies that which we hold sacred: to Fear God and do what is right. May William rest in peace, and may his example encourage Christians to stand firm in defense of the faith, truth, and right.

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I highly encourage the reader to listen to Buckley and read his apology for belief in God in: How is it possible to believe in God?
an interview on NPR in 2005 This I Believe


and from a Christian leader and friend on Buckley:

"What a loss this is. Conservatives owe a tremendous debt to this brilliant man, full of grace and possessing a great sense of humor in addition to his keen insight. He was a true patriot and an American hero. His faith was foremost in his life and it showed. May God's light perpetually shine upon him. Grace and peace in Christ to his family and friends.

[Bettylee Payne of Kentucky on Stand Firm Blog, 2008]