2:73, #377: The Alamo

Since today is the anniversary of the final attack on The Alamo in 1836 (the left hand public domain picture), I thought I'd comment on it a bit. This is a little piece from Chapter 3 of God Caused the Civil War, my contribution to the 70,000 plus manuscripts on the War of Northern Aggression:
The most famous mission church on American soil stands in San Antonio, Texas....the Alamo [pic from Wikipedia], was originally part of the Spanish colonization effort in the 18th century of south western North America. The Spanish explorers used religion to Christianize the numerous Native Americans of the Southwest much in the same way Northern Europeans did in the Eastern portion of the continent when they arrived. The intent was to introduce them to Christianity, which some...perceived to be the true religion. It was also designed to alter Native American ways of life so that they were more amenable to the Spaniard's rule. This form of pacification was used until warfare became necessary. All the peoples of history who have been conquered by culturally different nations have seen this happen. The Alamo and its four sister missions would later be secularized by the Mexican government at the time Mexico became a nation separated from the Spanish Empire.
Apparently, if the Mexicans followed most rebellious peoples’ example, they had called upon the Almighty to help them gain their independence from Spanish oppression, but they decided to set aside His services at least until the next national crisis made them think that some Divine outside help might be useful....

The Alamo was a silent testimony in 1836, as churches of all denominations were during the Civil War, to God’s handwriting on the wall for judgment. It holds the same message today. The Spanish in their turn, as well as Texans and Tennesseans in theirs, were using God and his representative building in a manipulative fashion to get His stamp of approval on their already determined actions. When they no longer needed Him, His house became a broken down shrine to independence and to a concept of freedom vague enough to include Anglos and some Tejanos, but not Negroes or Native Americans. Coincidentally, after Lincoln was elected, the Alamo became the site for a Texas-style debate between pro-unionists and secessionists in November of 1860. “The secessionist speech was inflammatory and rabble-rousing...the pro-Union one given by Charles Anderson, brother of Major Robert Anderson of Fort Sumter fame...was just as intemperate and insulting...he had to be protected from the crowd by the Knights [of the Golden Circle]. Anderson later said that the night would certainly have ended in bloodshed, except that the unionists, who were in the majority, were unarmed, whereas, the Knights and secessionists all had guns.”(2) The handwriting on the wall was “WAR!” and in yet another twist of history, Texans led by future Confederate General Ben McCullough surrounded the Alamo on February 16, 1861 to demand its surrender–one week short of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Santa Anna’s siege during the War of Texas Independence.(3) This time, the men inside the Alamo surrendered and survived.

So what's my point? Let me use my Epilogue to illustrate. "The United States stands at a time in its history as controversial and pivotal as the middle of the nineteenth century. If Evangelicals in America do not more actively live out their expressed beliefs, then 'the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?'(1 Peter 4:17) As Abraham Lincoln said at Gettysburg, Americans of every description have a great task before us. May God cause us to walk by His light, since the handwriting is on the wall."

The right hand picture at the top of the post is part of the aftermath of the bloodiest day in American history...The Battle of Antietam, September 17, 1862...the bodies are outside the Dunker Church, symbolic of the similar judgment awaiting us as we approach the 150th anniversary of the Civil War if Christians don't change our nation.
Got motivation?

Sources:

2) Phillip Rutherford, "Texas Leaves The Union." Civil War Times Illustrated, June 1981, p. 15.
3) Ibid., p. 19.