Queen Elizabeth II: Her faith saved her from being corrupted by huge wealth and fame, author says

Dr Dudley Delffs was speaking to the News Letter after the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

He is the author of ‘The Faith of Queen Elizabeth: The Poise, Grace, and Quiet Strength Behind the Crown’, published by Harper Collin/Zondervan.

Friday saw the international magazine, Christianity Today, publish an obituary to the Queen written by Dr Delffs based on his years of research.

He decided to write the book about the Queen, the Tennessee man told the News Letter, because, while wrestling with his own beliefs, he was looking for role models in the world who displayed genuine faith.

While researching the project, what most struck him was how wealth and fame beyond imagination were unable to corrupt the monarch’s ego, he believes, due to her faith.

“The most surprising thing for me in writing the book was the humility and groundedness of Her Majesty,” he told the News Letter.

“In particular, I noted her willingness to not take herself too seriously and to maintain a perspective. I think the fame and wealth and traditional weight of her position could easily have gone for one’s ego - and probably would have for the majority of people if they had inherited that role. But she viewed it very much as a duty to God, foremost in service, and that is how she approached it.”

In the obituary, he noted that throughout the course of her unprecedented reign, the Queen spoke frequently about her personal Christian faith. Delivering her first Christmas address in 1952 she requested prayer for her upcoming coronation. She also inherited religious responsibilities as the Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

But the Queen’s faith was more than the product of polite deference to historical tradition, he said.

In 2002 she endured the deaths of her sister, Princess Margaret, and the Queen Mother. In her annual Christmas address that year, she spoke of how her faith had sustained her.

“I know just how much I rely on my own faith to guide me through the good times and the bad,” she said. “Each day is a new beginning. I know that the only way to live my life is to try to do what is right, to take the long view, to give of my best in all that the day brings, and to put my trust in God.”

From the beginning of her reign, the Queen consistently cited references from Scripture, particularly in her annual Christmas broadcasts. “To what greater inspiration and counsel can we turn,” she asked, “than to the imperishable truth to be found in this treasure house, the Bible?”

Dr Delffs also said that in his autobiography ‘Just As I Am’, her lifelong friend and confidant Billy Graham attested to the Queen’s love of the Bible, as well as the strength and depth of her faith.

“No one in Britain has been more cordial toward us than Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” Graham wrote. “Almost every occasion I have been with her has been in a warm, informal setting, such as a luncheon or dinner, either alone or with a few family members or other close friends.”

The Bible Society also published a tribute to the Queen, who was its patron.

“In her speeches, particularly those she delivered at Christmas, the Queen increasingly reflected on her Christian faith,” it said. “The theme of service was one she came back to often, and in this she took Jesus’ example as a pattern for her own life.”

It noted that in her 2000 Christmas broadcast she spoke of the reminders of Christ’s life in cathedrals and abbeys, with their music, stained glass and pictures. However, she said: “The true measure of Christ’s influence is not only in the lives of the saints but also in the good works quietly done by millions of men and women day in and day out throughout the centuries’. Christ’s ‘great emphasis was to give spirituality a practical purpose’, she said.

The Queen’s faith led to her participation in the publication of a special book to commemorate her 90th birthday, titled The Servant Queen and the King She Serves.

The book, an overview of her Christian faith, was published by the Bible Society.

It was distributed to thousands of churches across the UK and Commonwealth and proved so popular that the Bible Society had to print an extra 150,000 copies to meet demand.

To request a free copy of ‘The Servant Queen and the King she serves’ call 01793 418222 or email [email protected]. Supply is subject to limited stocks.