“Nothing great will ever be achieved without great men, and men are great only if they are determined to be so.”

– Charles de Gaulle

Many people talk about history as being inevitable. The long arc of history bends towards justice and progress, as the story goes. There is a whiff of predeterminism when people talk about these things. As a card carrying five-pointer, I find this sentiment very sympathetic, though I do think people tend to give a lot of credit to the supernatural force of history and progress. What is lost is the effect of agency and individual tenacity. Likely because of my skepticism, I have grown a lot warmer to the idea that history is made by great men.

For those who may or may not have heard of the great man theory, I would define it as the idea that history is made by the actions of men. These men may be good, they may be evil, but the most important events in history are a result of individual heroes (or antiheros) changing history forever. It is not bureaucracy, teams, or groups who drive history, rather history is driven by competent men. This definition could be extended out more, but I think this short description gets to the heart of it. Basically, history is created by great men.

On the surface, this explanation of history sounds somewhat immature, and even childish. Surely history is not just the result of a handful of men. And yet, I can’t help but be captivated by it. America might have a number of founding fathers but we all think of George Washington. He was our first president and he was the one who crossed the Delaware River with the Continental Army. Others may have been involved, but one man was the head. What about Napoleon? He had many others involved in his government and military and yet he is primarily accredited for having conquered almost all of Europe, dismantling the Holy Roman Empire, and being exiled twice. Of course with him meeting his political end at the Battle of Waterloo.

One could make the argument that someone else would have taken their place, but as before, this does not give enough credit to the men who actually changed history. Without Napoleon, none of what he accomplished could stand. France and Europe would look a lot differently today. Same with Washington, the United States as we know may never have broken free and may have never become the most powerful and influential nation on earth if it wasn’t for his leading of America is her infancy. Both these men were incredible people with strong wills, charisma, and a knack for leadership. Their shoes could not have been filled by anyone and they weren’t, they were filled by individual great men.

The great man theory does not just look at good men, but also evil men. The term ‘great’ is more a term of legacy and influence and less of a value judgement. Even when looking at evil people, it is undeniable that certain people changed the course of human history for the worse. Take Muhammad or Karl Marx for example. Both evil human beings who have both directly and indirectly caused the death and suffering of millions of innocent human beings, and their effects are still ongoing. The destructive ideas of Islam and communism still continue to grip billions across the world and have led to untold amounts of misery and lies to have been spread. The French actually have a word for the ideological marriage of the two, islamo-gauchisme, or Islamo-leftism. One can scarcely imagine something more diabolical. In the case of Muhammad and Karl Marx, their ideas were radical and revolutionary. The warlord nature of Muhammad was integral to his war and conquests of Arabia, without him it is unlikely that Islam would have taken off. For Marx, his lazy nature and obsession with demonic figures like Mephistopheles are integral to the spirit of his writings. It is unlikely that anybody else could have written something as destructive as the Communist Manifesto.

Fortunately, there is an example of the ultimate great man, that being Jesus Christ. He is God and man, which makes His example different from the others. But nonetheless, Christ has been the most important and influential great man from history and continues to impact lives to this very day and will continue to impact lives into eternity. One man changed world history. The apostles were significant and His followers are still important, but it was and is ultimately about Jesus. The apostle Paul may be another example of a single person who is responsible for the gospel spreading among the gentiles. He did have the holy spirit on his side, but that does not take away from the fact that it was Paul as a person who made himself a great man by spreading the gospel and writing a lot of the books in the Bible. It could not have been anyone else.

Many centuries later, the reformers Martin Luther singlehandedly started a movement that has had lasting impacts on the church up until the current year. With his devotion to truth and commitment to the faith, he was unwavering in his desire to translate the Bible into a common vernacular and to openly air his grievances with the Catholic Church. Many reformers came after him and he had a lot of people who helped him, but without Martin Luther as the keystone, I doubt that the Reformation would have happened in any way familiar to how we know it. Luther’s determination and grit could not just be substituted and no other reformed came as close to being as influential as he was, at least not in the same way.

There is no shortage of generals, politicians, scientists, explorers, or leaders who could be referenced or used as an example. I could go on about Winston Churchill, Charles de Gaulle, Abraham Lincoln, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Isaac Newton, Christopher Columbus, Albert Einstein, Charlemagne, or Genghis Khan, but I think the reader probably gets the idea. I give a lot of credit to the individual men, without them history would have stood still.

For a contemporary example, what about Donald Trump? Love him or hate him, he is incredibly unique. No one else in modern American history could stand as a candidate for three consecutive presidential elections. No one else pivoted from a business and being a construction mogul to becoming a television star to then becoming president of the greatest country on earth. Not only that, but he has shaken up the Republican and Democratic parties to their core. He has totally shifted the values and trajectories of conservatives while also becoming the core target of hate and resentment from liberals. It could only be Trump, it couldn’t have been Ted Cruz, Mitt Romney, JD Vance, Kanye West, or Ron DeSantis. It could only have been Trump, his particular skills and talents at this particular time are what have made him a great man.

A small dose of luck and a heaping amount of timing is another factor. It is important to acknowledge that many great men fall into their roles in an unplanned manner. Though it is in spirit with the great man to respond to these challenges with the confidence and fortitude that only a great man could muster. These roles have likely passed by many who were unwilling or unable to take up the mantle and jump into greatness.

Charlie Kirk was another example of a great man and not only that, but he was also a good man. Before he was martyred, he founded Turning Point USA and was the voice of a generation of young conservatives and Christians. There are a plethora of reasons why his death is a tragedy, one of which being that there is now a huge vacuum occupying where he once was. To find someone else who was kind, smart, committed, diligent, a good leader, and a good debater is going to be impossible. I am guessing it is going to take at least three men to accomplish what he could do alone. In his very short life on this earth he accomplished more than many could in multiple lifetimes. When great men are gone, their absence is noticed and not anyone can just fill it. Charlie Kirk was a great man and irreplaceable. Great men are always irreplaceable.

I can imagine that the reader gets the point by now. The next question might be one of application, what should one do with this information? I think one application is this: why not you? Why couldn’t you be a great man?

Chance and providence are important, but we are not God. We have no idea how the future will play out, and because of this there is no reason not to dream and not to believe that we couldn’t be great men who change the course of history for the better. This view may be naïve, childish even, but the alternative is much worse. If we write ourselves off before ever having given greatness a shot, then we will have wasted all the opportunities that God has given us. There is a particular quote that lives rent free in my mind, I always come back to it as a source of inspiration.

“Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” – Norman Vincent Peale

This quote by Peale is incredibly optimistic and admittedly somewhat kitsch. However, the core of it is still applicable. In the words of Jordan B. Peterson “Aim up!” As Christians we ought to try and be as great and as good as we can be. We may not be the next Issac Newton or Mozart, but you never know. Maybe you will be the next great man of history. It is my firm belief that it is better to land in the stars than to never have tried.

On another level, there is another angle that we can take from this. It is important not to have idols, but it is wise to use others as an example. This is a great word in German that encapsulates the idea of a role model and an example. Great men should be used as our Vorbild. Even if we don’t find ourselves fighting a battle on the doorstep of Moscow, that doesn’t mean that the tactics and determination of Napoleon shouldn’t be studied. Young men would be better off if they tried to be more like George Washington, Paul the Apostle, Christopher Columbus, and Albert Einstein. Ultimately there is one great man who is the perfect Vorbild and He is Jesus. There are many great men who should inspire and should be learned from, but Jesus is the greatest. Greatest of the great, if you will.

Great men have been the ones who shaped and changed world history in irreversible ways. Nothing was inevitable and nothing is inevitable. It has been the action of remarkable individuals who have changed society, torn down civilizations, and founded nations. A great man is not necessarily a good man, but a great man who is good is always unforgettable. There are those who make history and those who write about it. I know which of the two I would rather be, and didn’t bring a pen.

Alea iacta est.

“But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister.” – Matthew 20:25 (KJV)

“For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward.” – Deuteronomy 10:17 (KJV)

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” – Romans 12:2 (KJV)