Christopher Columbus, Explorer and Evangelizer of the Western World

A "secular feast"

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Each year, the observance of Christopher Columbus Day in America cultivates progressive outrage and indignation. The primary contention concerns Columbus’ role in the Western colonization of North America and the events that resulted therefrom. Primarily, progressive pundits are outraged at the notion that Christopher Columbus’ treatment of the Native population should be celebrated, given the devastating effects that Columbus’ arrival to the North American continent had on Native populations.

For one reason or another, I have not dabbled much in politics. I have stuck to a strictly theological platform on this blog. Yet the progressive political movement—which includes far more than the traditionally understood “progressive Left”—has sought to undermine Columbus’ legacy for decades, a devastating notion that has serious implications for Western Christendom and its vast history in the North American continent. 

From the outset, it must be noted that Columbus was most certainly flawed. He, like us, was a sinner. Yet every hero possesses a tragic flaw or two with which they must struggle in their quest for greatness. Ambitious sovereigns like King Louis XIV suffered several personal setbacks. Explorers like Lewis and Clark were set back by natural barriers and personal insufficiencies. Renowned theologians like Martin Luther were attacked on several fronts by theological opponents.

Columbus, too, was a deeply flawed man. Yet he was ambitious. He was an indefatigable explorer, motivated to further the glories of European civilization and care for his people through terrestrial exploration and territorial dominance. Columbus was self-educated and incredibly knowledgeable in geography, astronomy, and history. Through his voyages, the Western world was thrust into a period of exploration, conquest, and colonization that lasted for centuries; this brought the Americas into the European domain of influence.

Columbus was also a faithful Christian. Though he was a depraved man by virtue of original sin, this led him to recognize that he, like everyone, desperately needed the Gospel. Motivated by this personal depravity and moved by the love shown to him through the Gospel by Christ, he sought to spread this Gospel and the Christian faith to all men. 

Columbus was, therefore, a Christianizer and evangelizer. He brought the Gospel to North America and spread Christianity to foreign lands. He brought the Word of God to a people that had not previously heard it. Their resistance to Columbus' evangelism can be set aside for another discussion; what matters now is that Columbus faithfully evangelized an unchristian people—and for this alone, he is rightly and dually celebrated. 

He may not have “discovered” North America—though his landing in South America was in itself a pivotal moment in explorative and expeditionary history. He may not have even been the first European to set foot on the American continents, though various accounts differ. But none of this matters. He is rightly commemorated for his faithfulness to the Gospel and insistence that the uncolonized and unchristianized inhabitants of the North and South American continents hear and believe in the Gospel.

Columbus may not have been in any sense a theological figurehead. He was a Roman Catholic, but he did not write nor compile influential theological works that fundamentally shaped the doctrinal and theological character of the Western Church. In this sense, he certainly does not compare to saints such as Augustine and Cyprian. And, it likely was not his concern to be, in any conventional sense, a theological genius. Instead, his concern was that all repent of their sinful ways and believe in the Gospel. Though simple-minded in this sense, he fused his passion for expedition and voyaging with the evangelistic inauguration to preach and witness to the Gospel.

Indeed, America today needs another Columbus. We desperately need the excellence and courage demonstrated by the Admiral of the Ocean Sea. We need the bravery he demonstrated in charting unknown lands and colonizing an uncivilized continent. He brought the beauty, history, and philosophy of Western civilization to the American continents. And, most importantly, Columbus brought the Gospel to a Gospel-less land. He faithfully evangelized America. Without his dedicated work, Christianity may not have survived long in the religiously hostile culture that dominated the North and South American continents.

The current lack of appreciation for the expeditionary and philosophical advancements that were set in motion by Columbus’ colonization of the American continents is indicative of a deeper issue. It cannot be that the current indignation toward Columbus is merely based on his “untempered” treatment of the Native people. Behind the maligning of Columbus’ name in the 21st century is a spiteful ideology that despises the philosophical and religious prowess of Columbus and the systems of thought to which he held. 

Yes, it is indicative of a larger distaste for Christianity. Columbus’ name has been soiled for two main reasons, the first being that he “mistreated” the inhabitants of the American continents, though certainly their own destructive cultural and religious practices must have been, in any sane sense, considerably “mistreating.” The second reason is that Columbus was an avid defender and spreader of the Christian religion, that very religion that has been ridiculed, spited, and even prohibited in some circles. The American Left, though certainly also many individuals across several spheres, viciously attacks and disdainfully hates Christianity. 

The postmodern hatred of Christianity fuels, motivates, and furthers the attacks on Columbus, his legacy, and innumerable expeditionary, evangelistic, and explorative accomplishments. This has influenced America’s educational, political, and socioeconomic institutions. Many children will today be taught that instead of Christopher Columbus Day, we ought to celebrate “Indigenous People’s Day.” Many politicians will stand on their shallow soapboxes to defame Columbus’ name and defraud his legacy. Many American phones are programmed to show that today is “Indigenous People’s Day,” while some make no mention of Columbus’ name.

As for the Church, she must celebrate Columbus for his myriad accomplishments. There is no current liturgical celebration of Christopher Columbus, and there need not be. Yet he is rightfully celebrated by Christians apart from the liturgical church calendar. His courage, ambition, and tenacity ought to inspire men, young and old alike, to aspire to be the men that God created them to be. Columbus’ love for his country and his people ought to serve as an example to a country whose identity is currently being confused and its boundaries attacked. Above all, his faith and trust in God must serve as an example that, no matter what temporal ills or circumstances may befall you, the Gospel is the chief cornerstone in the Christian life.

May Columbus’ name be honored among us, and his legacy revered by all Western civilization. For his example is the example we need to defend, preserve, and strengthen the Western world, our home and our livelihood.