The Last Battle for the British Empire

Apr 2, 2002
5 minutes read time

Great Britain is presently sustaining a massive assault on its Anglo-Saxon legacy of empire and culture. The current conflict is wide-ranging on several fronts and British tradition is gradually losing out.

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Dateline: London, England. As the European Union (EU) outlaws the British right to market their goods in pounds and ounces, The Daily Express headline of Feb. 19 read: "Europe Smashes 1000 Years of British Culture." Overstated? Perhaps, but once again the United Kingdom felt the heavy hand of Europe when the EU ruled that metric measurements, and not pounds and ounces, have to be shown in UK shops. Since many Britons still do their calculations in pounds and ounces (as do I, as an American expatriate married to a British citizen), it seems to make good sense to also display wares marked in traditional Anglo-Saxon measurements. But whenever there is a conflict, European Union laws now appear to reign supreme. The remnants of empire However, the EU is not the only enemy of British tradition. We oppose ourselves as well. As The Scotland on Sunday (Feb. 17, 2002) reports: "Talk is growing in Whitehall of decolonising [British spelling throughout] the dwindling remains of the British Empire." As I write, in defiance of Gibraltar's own wishes and many who reside in the United Kingdom itself, the British government continues negotiations with Spain about joint rulership. (World News and Prophecy covered the essentials of the Gibraltar dilemma in the December 2001 issue.) The official government line reflects a commitment to retain the status quo in all remaining colonies unless or until they themselves seek to end the imperial relationship. However, according to The Scotland on Sunday feature article, "In Whitehall, there are those who find the vestiges of colonial rule distasteful to the 21st century and who talk of 'micro-decolonisation.'" Questions are being asked like, if Gibraltar is subject to negotiation, why not the other colonies? What about Anguilla, Bermuda, the British Indian ocean territories, the British Virgin Islands, the Caymans, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St. Helena, South Georgia (near Argentina), the Turks and Caicos Islands and maybe even the Falklands? However, since the recent giving over of Hong Kong to China, the number of people remaining under the U.K. colonial administration has dwindled to around 125,000. Inevitably, such a limited number brings to the fore the administrative costs of maintaining colonial rule. Although these remnant small islands of imperial rule are at best only fleeting shadows of the old British Empire, those who understand the true origins of the Anglo-Saxon and Celtic peoples blanch at the very thought of losing them to strictly financial considerations, careless neglect or a cavalier attitude. Yet, according to The Scotland on Sunday feature, "If these relics would just go away of their own accord, the government would be quite happy with that." Pride in Anglo-Saxon achievement It should go without saying that racism is inherently wrong. The apostle Peter perceived that "God shows no partiality" (Acts 10:34). His salvation is freely available to members of every race and color who work righteousness (verse 35), are truly repentant and submit to being baptized into His family (Acts 2:37-39; Galatians 3:28-29). However, there is nothing amiss in respecting the legacy that our common Anglo-Saxon-Celtic culture has given to the world. Regrettably, in recent years, a strong counter-cultural movement in Britain has become so pronounced that many people have bought into a distorted view of our history. As Daily Mail columnist Simon Heffer clearly states, "As Labour stifles more British history lessons...there has been more damage done to children by 'educationists' in the past 20 or 30 years than by any other malevolent force" (Feb. 5, 2002). In his feature article, Mr. Heffer extolled the past achievements of many Britons in many fields of endeavor, comparing them to the current scene by saying: "Now by contrast, we search in vain for great achievements in art and literature. Our culture, rooted in celebrity and superficiality, is now an empty vessel." He summed up the benign effects of our Anglo-Saxon culture and legacy by writing: "It taught us about a mindset and way of life, and it instilled basic values of decency and respect for service and sacrifice that are the basis of a civilised society. Yes, it made us tolerant too." Of course, this traditional legacy was very far from perfect and the current counter-cultural movement has not been slow to point out its major flaws. There is usually another side to every story, but even obvious faults should not blind us to the beneficial gifts that the Anglo-American way of life has contributed to mankind. The needed historical perspective Without an understanding of the origins of our Anglo-Saxon and Celtic peoples and their God-given mission in this modern age, it is almost impossible to properly evaluate present national trends in Britain, America and the world in general. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the British Israel Federation sought to bring this basic message to these isles—informing as much of the U.K. populace as would listen about our biblical origins. Also during much of the last century, this same basic message was conveyed to the Anglo-American and British Commonwealth nations through the ministry of Herbert W. Armstrong (1892-1986). Though now out of print, his articles, booklets and books concerning the ancient national origins of our English-speaking peoples informed his generation. In their time, his works were read by millions. Today the United Church of God has picked up the baton and published a comprehensive 80-page, full-color brochure explaining the startling significance of the Anglo-Saxon and Celtic peoples. The title is The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy. The working manuscript was not published in haste, but many ministers and staff writers labored over the text for several years. Facts were checked and rechecked and the copy reedited many times before final publication. You can have a copy of The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy without charge. Lacking this essential background knowledge, one simply cannot comprehend the vital significance of current world news and trends, not to mention understanding the major prophecies of the Bible itself. Please request your free copy today. WNP
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John Ross Schroeder

John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.

Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.

John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.

In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.

John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world. 

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