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Reflections on Europe
To better see where Europe is headed, consider its
past.
by Melvin Rhodes
"Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms
rise and wane, but the church of Jesus constant will remain." Remember the words
of "Onward Christian Soldiers"? They come home to you when you travel in Central
Europe. I had an opportunity to do just that in early September, accompanying my
parents on tours of three citiesñPrague, Budapest and Viennañwith other stops en
route.
We joined 32 other people on our bus, all from the north of England, where I grew
up and where my parents live. I found it fascinating to hear their comments on the
emerging European Union.
Understanding Continental History
People from the Anglo-Saxon countries (including Americans) find it difficult to
grasp history and Bible prophecy. The reason is quite simply that our nations have
been around so long.
The United States, for example, although only about 220 years old, has enjoyed more
than 130 years of peace and stability, with a continuous political system within
the same stable borders since the end of the Civil War. England has done even better,
with almost 300 years of stability under the present royal house, a substantiality
that nations like Australia and Canada have shared in through their ties to the throne.
This means that anybody living in any of these countries is not as old as the country
itself. Our memories are of stability, so we find it difficult to understand the
turmoil of other nations during our lifetimes. It is no exaggeration to say that
many European nations are younger than most of you reading this magazine.
The Czech Republic and Slovakia, for example, two of the countries I recently visited,
are barely five years old (even when united, their history began only in 1918). The
former Czechoslovakia was created out of the northern end of the Austro-
Hungarian Empire after the First World War. Today's Hungary itself is less than 10
years old.
The Austrian Republic, as it is now configured, did not come into existence until
1955. The Federal Republic of Germany did not exist until 1949ñand, with its present
borders, it is only seven years old. Even France's Fifth Republic is celebrating
only its 40th anniversary.
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