I find it important to pass certain aspects of our "family culture" to my sons. That being my point of view, I can tell you that it is very important to me that I pass down my faith, lessons from history from our world, our nation and definitely our beloved South. So, my oldest son and I are currently reading through a book together about Francis "The Swamp Fox" Marion - a professing Christian, Revolutionary War general, American Patriot and Southern legend. As we were reading about the adventures of the man that helped inspire the character known as Benjamin Martin played by Mel Gibson in the motion picture "The Patriot", we learned about the events at the "Battle of Fort Motte" and words jumped off the page at me.
And yes, yet another seemingly normal, everyday occurrence led me to an idea for an article.
Marion was well known for sipping on a mixture of vinegar and water as well as his ability to ambush much larger forces, cause chaos, delay movements of reinforcements and materiel, confuse British officers and then vanish into the swamps of South Carolina like the mist. All of this required him to be constantly thinking outside the box and to keep people around him that thought that way themselves.
Which brings us to Fort Motte. As was often the case (or else there wouldn't have been a war to begin with) the British had forced an American from her home, this time a widow named Mrs. Rebecca Motte. The Redcoats built a wall around her home made from stout American timber. The wall was so thick and stable that the small artillery piece in Marion's possession was incapable of penetrating it. So, some of the people that were serving with Marion suggested setting fire to the British headquarters inside the fort with an idea from the past. Among Marion's men was a private named Nathan Savage who had learned some archery skills from the Native Americans that lived near his home. He knew how to construct bows and arrows and, more importantly how to use them. With the widow's enthusiastic support - and a tribal bow her late husband acquired on a trip to the East Indies - Private Savage carried his archaic implements into a protective trench and set up within bow range of the headquarters, lit the fiery arrows and let them fly, landing them on the roof where the fire would be more difficult to extinguish.
As was so often the case with Marion's tactics, the British were thrown into chaos. A bucket brigade was formed and the Redcoats, in a mad panic, began trying to douse the flames. The small artillery piece that was incapable of penetrating the log walls had been repositioned to a location that enabled it to land grapeshot on the frantic bucket brigade. It didn't take much of the grapeshot to convince the British captain that this was the end of his fort and he surrendered on the spot. The men that were cheering the fire now joined the bucket brigade and helped save the widow's home.
Here is what speaks to me. The book's author, Stewart H. Holbrook, used this line: "It was perhaps as odd a battle as any during the entire war; to win it the Americans had used the 'modern' artillery and also the bow and arrow of ancient times. Major Eaton and his little brass gun and Private Savage with his long bow were its heroes".
The ancient and the modern used together simultaneously to win the battle.
I've heard something like this before:
Matthew 13:52 He said to them, "Every teacher of the law who has been taught about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house. He brings new treasures out of his storeroom as well as old ones." (New International Version)
I know that these are modern times and that we have to be persistent in finding new and creative ways to keep our method as relevant as our message. The message is always relevant but our presentations sometimes need to be updated. But I wonder if sometimes the best way to update our methods is to turn back the clock five, six, 20 maybe even 50 centuries. I wonder if we need to be modern and ancient in our method. I wonder where in our battle against the evil in this world can the fiery arrow from a primitive bow help the cannon do what it can not do alone. What did the church fathers know about presenting the Gospel to the people of the 21st century? Maybe more than we think.
This is what I want to do with this article. I don't know the answers to this question...but I want to. I want to see anyone who is willing to either make comments below to share with all of the readers here, myself included, what fiery arrows from ancient times you would you like to see used in conjunction with modern artillery to bring the message of the Gospel to this modern world. What Malay bow would you recommend? What arrows are in your closet waiting to be used by your Kingdom? Where does the ancient meet the modern in our struggle?
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