freedom

Our founders sat down in the summer of 1776 and listed a few self-evident truths – namely that all men are created equal and that the Creator endowed them with rights the government ought to protect, like life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This means that people from every race, ethnic group, language, and corner of the world deserve to be free. They should be able to choose their own governments, worship according to their conscience, speak freely, and debate tough ideas.

For anyone who’s thinking deeply, we’re in an extraordinary civilizational moment. The West, which has dominated the world for 500 years, is in evident decline. The United States, which is the world’s lead society, is suffering the greatest crisis in its history since the Civil War. The Christian church, which has been the single strongest influence in the West, is plagued with scandals and divisions and confusion and lack of confidence. There’s no question that America is as deeply divided at any moment since the Civil War. Let's explore why.

For months, the Communist leadership tried everything from coercion to concessions, to squash the pro-Democracy protests in Hong Kong, but the protests only intensified. By late summer 2019, the movement, which had started over a law that allowed Hong Kong citizens to be prosecuted under the mainland’s jurisdiction, had become about much more than that. It was now about preserving a free Hong Kong. But when the headlines from changed from protesters to a virus and the world economy ground to a halt, other nations and their governments turned inward.

Christians, of all people, should be able to clearly and accurately define freedom. Better yet, we must be able to show what freedom is. Our brothers and sisters in China are not free to worship together on Sundays without fear or oversight. American Christians who don’t live Monday to Saturday as if Jesus is Lord aren’t free, either, if freedom ends up being nothing more than enslavement to every passing fad. True freedom is only in Christ, in seeing and living all of life as if it belongs to Him.

I am hopeful that our commitment to the fact that “all men are created equal” will empower us to face our challenges together while embracing the value and beliefs of every American. But it is this very commitment to the equality of all people that could be our greatest spiritual peril today.

After spending more than 30 years in prison for a murder they did not commit, three Baltimore men have been released.

“God don’t mean people to own people.” That simple statement, uttered by Cynthia Erivo in the title role of “Harriet,” a new movie about Harriet Tubman, reveals a truth long known by scholars of the woman dubbed “Moses.” Tubman’s lived religion has been well recorded and used to explain how in 1849 a Maryland 20-something slave (her exact birthdate is not known) set out for the North to freedom, then over the next 10 years helped dozens of others gain liberty from enslavement. She embraced faith instead of fear, said Kate Clifford Larson, a historical consultant for the movie.

On display on the ground floor of the Museum of the Bible there is a lone volume that stands out from the many versions shown in the building devoted to the holy book.

Two weeks ago, the boys and their coach may have taken their freedom for granted. I doubt they will ever do so again.