Gunpowder, treason and plot - The gruesome story of Guy Fawkes

An anonymous 17th century writer wrote the following:

Remember, remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,
‘Twas his intent
To blow up the King and Parliament,
Three score barrels of powder below
Poor old England to overthrow.
By God’s providence he was catched
With a dark lantern and burning match.


In 1605, towards the end of the year, a group of men (some would call idealistic) started to put their plans into effect. Their extreme objective was to blow up Parliament, killing the then King James in the process. In so doing they believed that they would then be able to lead a rebellion resulting in the restoration of a Roman Catholic state. History tells us that they did not succeed. But what was it that led these people to such a desperate plan?

Written by Clive Anderson, this book sets out the answer. I am not a historian but even I could grasp the subject matter. Originally I thought that it would tell me the “Guy Fawkes” story filling in the gaps in my general knowledge – so giving me the information I need for the young people’s talk I was doing.

In simple terms, the author does do this – but he puts it in the correct context. We will only fully understand this episode in our history if we are made aware of the general events happening during the preceeding 150 years. In effect, this story starts with Henry 8th and his resolve to divorce his wife, Catharine of Aragon. He created the Church of England in 1534 to enable him to do this.

As a result Protestant views started to emerge in this country and were at odds with Roman Catholic teaching. Henry’s son Edward was protestant. He introduced the common prayer book. The next in line was Mary, who tried to restore Roman Catholicism. She married Phillip of Spain and she persecuted the protestants. Her sister, Elizabeth, did not continue in her footsteps. She was protestant. In 1588 the Spanish launched the Armada. Bad weather stopped the potential invasion but the England was still in a state of war with Spain. In 1603 James 6th of Scotland became James 1st of England and the long war with Spain came to an end in 1604.

This historical perspective illuminates the events leading up to the plot in 1605, and it gives understanding to the tension that was around in our country over that time. Mr Anderson then focuses on the events immediately prior to November, the reason for the failure of the plot and the aftermath.

However, no matter how interesting the history lesson, we need to remember, as the author puts it, that “Underlying the plot was the question that has vexed people down the centuries: What is a Christian?”

As far as the author is concerned, the Gunpowder Plot is not a “story from England’s history; rather, it was a serious attempt to pervert the truth and blind people to the only way to God”.

As with so many traditional dates in our calendar, the danger is that we focus in on the event itself and forget what it is all about. Mr Anderson’s book is a timely reminder of what 5th November is all about. Not only is it well written, it is also relatively short so it should be an easy read, and well worth it, to boot!

How can we be good without God?

As part of her critique of the film the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the writer Polly Toynbee said:

“No one is watching, no one is guiding, no one is judging and there is no other place yet to come…. There is no one here but ourselves to suffer for our sins, no one to redeem us but ourselves… We need no holy guide books, only a very human compass”

The author John Blanchard uses this direct statement to set the scene for the content of this useful booklet. He says: “Polly Toynbee’s main point is that in the absence of God we are perfectly capable not only of redeeming ourselves from the harmful effects of evil, but of drawing a clear distinction between evil and good in the first place…. All we need is ‘a very human compass’ “.

He goes on to ask two questions. These are – unless God exists, can we even discuss whether anything is good or evil. (Unless we have something to judge by, how can we know?) and – do these words have any real meaning unless God is central to our world view?

That, in a nutshell is the theme for the well-written booklet. It is only 40 pages long, and it is only marginally heavier than the last booklet I reviewed but at £1.50 it’s a bargain. If you want to be prepared to contend for our faith – or understand the opposition’s, then read it.

Polly Toynbee’s agenda is quite clear. Her world view is that of an atheist. The “concept” of God is to be denied quite strongly. This obviously influences how she thinks and acts. This is true of anyone of us. Our actions and thoughts are influenced by our world view. Our sense of ethics and morality is affected by our world view.

John Blanchard sets out to look at the implications of this. He does this by outlining the three broad categories that the various world views can be allocated to:

There are those who assume a world without God

There are those tied to one of the countless religious systems that man has invented

There is the one which sees the God who reveals Himself in the Bible – who calls us into a living relationship with himself.

Mr. Blanchard then starts to review and comment on the statements of various philosophers’s who have totally different views to our own. He sets out to explain what they are saying and highlights the weaknesses in their arguments – on many occasions he does this by reference to other philosopher’s who come from the same school of thought.

The trouble with several of theories that are promoted is that the more deeply the philosopher thinks the more it is recognized that there is a consideration that they are trying to overlook. But ultimately they have to recognize that mankind and morality go together and how do they explain that?

There is one alternative to the many “ism’s” that are spoken about today – one basis on which moral judgments can be made and several things must be true about it. It must be transcendent, perfect, unchanging and personal. The God revealed in the Bible meets all four of these requirements. As the atheist Richard Taylor freely admits “The concept of moral obligations (is) unintelligible apart from the idea of God.”

Accepting the involvement of God, Mr. Blanchard poses the question: Can we be good without God? He uses two cases studies from scripture to provide an answer to this question.

The first is from Luke 18:10 to 14. Here he contrasts the thoughts of the two men who to come to the temple to pray – one was a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. Who was confident in his own righteousness and who was not? Their respective prayers were different and illustrate the truth in Matthew 23:12 – “whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbled himself will be exalted.”

The second case study comes from the story of the highly educated and zealous Saul. He looked on when Stephen, the first Christian martyr, was executed (Acts 8:1). He later became known as Paul – the missionary Apostle. Amongst his subsequent writings: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. So no one can be good enough for God in and of themselves.

After analyzing the case studies with more detail than I have, Mr. Blanchard turns his discussion towards the question as to how God can punish sin (as He must) yet also declare a sinner free from guilt and its consequences? The answer lies in the work and ministry God the Son – Jesus. Mr. Blanchard highlights the blessings that can be ours if we recognize what Jesus has done and seek to have a living relationship with Him – where we can “draw upon his wisdom, grace and power day by day.”

Do we trust in the worthless idols (ideas) promoted by the likes of Polly Toynbee? Or do we turn from this barren world view to trust Jesus Christ as our Saviour and take him as Lord?

Christian Books, Dunstable

Okay, okay - so I'm slightly off track today. It's not a book review, but I make no apologies for including reference to the book shop that is attached to my church. We have just celebrated 25 years in Dunstable. The pastor / author John Benton visited and spoke at the anniversary meeting that we held.

Those who are interested might want to check out the shops website: www.christianbooks.uk.com Mail order facilities are available. The link is also shown in the link index opposite - so have a look for yourself.

The Kingdom of God – a primer on the Christian life.

“At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the church faces an identity crisis unparalleled in its history. There is much confusion among many Christians on issues such as, what is a Christian, how does one become a Christian, and what does the future hold for the Christian. The church’s unwitting capitulation to powerful cultural forces has caused it to lose its prophetic, other-worldly voice.”

These words are close to the beginning of this valuable booklet, written by W. Tullian Tchividjian, and produced in a Banner of Truth series. It only costs about £2, and in my opinion this is the best investment I have made over recent months.

In the course of 43 short pages, we are reminded that in order for the church to re-establish its voice in our time, we must know who we are. Our citizenship is in heaven. When we gather each week we do so not to escape from the real world, but to remind ourselves that this present world is passing by and is not all there is.

We are the citizens of the Kingdom of God, not of the kingdom of this world. It follows that we need to remind ourselves as to what the Kingdom is in biblical terms. The theme of God’s kingdom runs though out the Old and New Testaments – so clearly it is important that we have an overview as to God’s plan for the world in the past, present and future.

The booklet outlines the development of the Kingdom as it took place in the Old and New Testaments. There is a section on the (unique) characteristics that mark the citizens of the Kingdom. We are reminded that the Beatitudes “paint a picture of what human life and community begins to look like when people come under the reign and rule of God.” We are reminded that some Christians believe that – to reach the world, we must be like the world – so they copy its ways (style, way of talking, fashions and trends). In doing this, what message is conveyed? The watching world gets the idea that the world’s kingdom is more exciting with more to offer, and is more significant than God. We are called out of the world. We’ve been given a different heart, mind and destiny. We should not be looking at the world’s standards for any form of guidance. We are called to be salt and light – so we can make a difference, and we can’t do this unless we are different.

Other sections discuss the challenges (opposition) we face. The material looks at the temptations of the “broad” road and the difficulty of the “narrow” road. The latter involves us in resisting enemies who will try to lure us off the road. Some of these enemies will come from within the church and we are called to be on guard. There is a section on false prophets – who they are, what they teach, and how to identify them. The main themes proposed by the false teacher are that Jesus is not the only way to God (If you think this is truth refer back to John 14:6); and the denial of suffering in the life of a believer. We are told that the best way to detect false ideas about God, and the Christian life is to know what is revealed to us in God’s Word (the Bible) and to know it well.

I have already said that I believe that a £2 investment in this booklet is well worth it (even if I’m wrong and it is really £3); so I would urge each on of you to get a copy of your own and read it as soon as you can. The booklet title states on the cover that it is a “primer on the Christian life”, so let’s use it as such. This subject deserves our interest.