Freedom – It’s Not A Gift

July 4th!
Photo Credit: Kevin Dooley

What does it mean to live in a country, a world with people unlike us?  When we celebrate our freedom today, are we doing the word justice?  Are we doing people justice?  And when we cloak our freedom in the garb of Christianese, are we doing damage?

 

 

 

 

I know what these videos are saying.  But I wonder if there isn’t a better way.  A more honest way.

I wonder, when we equate ‘Yay America, a place where we can go to church without dying,’ with freedom; when, because we can do xyz without a fight, so let freedom ring – if we are unable to see the ways in which freedom is muffled.

When we share stories of people from other countries who have escaped to freedom here, and use that only as an occasion to celebrate our existence, we miss the bigger call to seek justice for our neighbors.

Why are people from Iran, Sudan, and Congo needing to leave their country, their culture, their friends and family?  Is there anything we can do about it?  Is there anything we are doing that is contributing to the problem?

Because Syria happens to be a current example.  When our government is contributing (indirectly?) to the persecution of minorities, including Christians, we have to be able to talk about how our freedoms affect others.

And of course, Mexico.  We decry illegal immigration, and create a seriously F’d up immigration system, but refuse to look at how NAFTA plays a role.  If we actually want to honor the ideals of our country, we can’t just celebrate and give thanks.  We have to also look at the ways in which we are failing.

When we gloss over issues, because we personally are free, then we remain unaware of how we can get involved.  How we can love our neighbors well.  Claiming that we all take freedom for granted might be true for some people, but not for all.  Using footage of a woman’s march and a picture of MLK to talk about home of the free is almost funny.  Freedom isn’t a magical gift dropped down from heaven.  It is a fought for privilege that is still not equally accessible. 

It’s also ironic that American Christians are so devoted to patriotism and celebrate it because of the civil freedoms it grants us.

Because if we want to celebrate civil freedom – then we need to allow civil freedoms!  If we really want to argue that the country can’t condone certain things because of sin, then we need to drop the patriotic act and really take a good hard look at what else our country condones that we have no problem with.

Because when you dig down into our history, it isn’t all picturesque video shots.  Buried within the layers of freedom and justice are scenes of oppression and injustice, murder and prejudice.

Honestly looking at our country’s past reveals both the pursuit of justice, rooted in our democratic ideals, which are largely rooted in how we see God, and the muffling of freedom’s bells in the name of God and nationalism.  It is unjust, unfair, and just plain mean for Christians to celebrate civil freedom while simultaneously denying it to others.

I celebrate the ideals our country was founded on.  But I also recognize how, from the beginning, we have fallen short of the glory of freedom.  We have fallen short, in part, because we spiritualize our civil beliefs.

And so then we can blithely say, freedom is a gift, thank God for yours.

But if our civil freedom is merely a gift from God, why has he not given that gift to other countries?

Freedom is a gift.

Thank God for yours.

Thank you God I’m an American.

Thank you that I’m not like other men –

robbers, evildoers, adulterers –

or even like this Iranian, Sudanian, Congolese.

 When Christians celebrate freedom, may we do it humbly. 

 

 

This post is part of a synchroblog with The Despised Ones, on the topic of Social Justice, Solidarity, & the American Dream.

 

10 Comments

  1. Matt Appling July 4, 2013 at 10:37 am

    “Because if we want to celebrate civil freedom – then we need to allow civil freedoms! If we really want to argue that the country can’t condone certain things because of sin, then we need to drop the patriotic act and really take a good hard look at what else our country condones that we have no problem with.”

    This.

    I find American history endlessly fascinating, because of all its contradictions – between our ideals and reality. But that also means that we should endlessly work to end those contradictions. Hope you have a great holiday, Caris. 🙂

  2. Kate Schell July 4, 2013 at 12:57 pm

    “Freedom isn’t a magical gift dropped down from heaven. It is a fought for privilege that is still not equally accessible.” I think the idea of privilege is often lost in the discussion because we start to think maybe we DESERVE our freedoms, more than other peoples, because we (or rather, our armed forces) have won them, because we’re a ‘Christian nation’ and therefore God is blessing us with the best and only way to live. It’s the American dream applied broadly: If only those other people in other countries worked and prayed a little harder, they’d get to be just like us.

  3. Andrew Carmichael July 4, 2013 at 12:59 pm

    I applaud you for raising these issues on this particular day, when for some reason American Christians, especially evangelical ones, dive so deeply into the pool of patriotism that to in any way critique is viewed not only as unpatriotic but also unchristian. We can celebrate the good and repent over the evil without denying our country. In fact, our faith requires that we do so.

  4. Cliff Richardson July 5, 2013 at 9:48 am

    I appreciate what you’re saying. America is a land of contradiction. The ideals of the Founding Fathers as put forth in the Declaration were just that, ideals. They knew it wasn’t going to happen over night.

    “America” has done a lot of things wrong and continues to do things wrong. The Christians I know both celebrate what this country proposes to stand for and decry the evils that it commits. It seems unreasonable to say that we “gloss over issues” when the political fight is as intense as its ever been. After all, even going way back there were Americans fighting to end slavery from day one.

    However, are you saying that we shouldn’t celebrate our freedom, and our country, until we get everything right? If God loved us while we were yet sinners can we not love our country while it strives to become what it was intended to be?

  5. Caris Adel July 5, 2013 at 10:04 am

    When I say ‘gloss over’, I’m talking about conservative christians, who on average, don’t want to delve into issues of racism or women’s rights, and so it’s easy for them to put up a picture of a women’s march or MLK and yet ignore the fact that gathering and dreaming doesn’t equal freedom.

    But no, I don’t think we shouldn’t celebrate just because it’s imperfect. But I do think when we celebrate, and especially when we talk about freedom, that we do it recognizing we still have a ways to go. I think when we just celebrate freedom and think that because America is a free country, everyone is free, then we don’t realize all the work that still needs to be done.

  6. Cliff Richardson July 5, 2013 at 10:20 am

    When you say conservative Christians don’t delve into issues of racism and women’s rights, is there a specific instance you’re referring to?

  7. Caris Adel July 5, 2013 at 10:31 am

    For racism, no, just my experiences growing up in the fundamentalist/conservative, typical evangelical world. And there are lots of similar stories scattered all over the internet. Although I did just do a 10 part series on gender roles in the church, so yes, there are many, many, instances of conservatives being awful on women’s issues.

  8. Cliff Richardson July 5, 2013 at 11:01 am

    I’ll have to read that series. My experience is almost exactly the opposite, though. I’m a conservative Christian and grew up in a conservative Christian family and church. I was always taught that racism was wrong and women were key figures in our church and in the Bible.

    I’m guessing perspective is going to play an issue in how we perceive those issues. I was always taught there is only one race according to the Bible, the human race. So that answered that. When it comes to women’s issues…I’ll read your “gender roles” series first. All I ask is that you don’t generalize based on your experience.

  9. Caris Adel July 5, 2013 at 11:27 am

    well, that can go both ways 🙂 I’m glad you had such a good experience, but that just isn’t the case for a lot of people. This blog has been really helpful in opening my eyes to some of the issues, too. http://www.christenacleveland.com/

  10. Cliff Richardson July 5, 2013 at 11:40 am

    Exactly, it can go both ways, so when you say “on average” and “typical evangelical world” you’re actually being just as prejudiced as the people you’re trying to call out of prejudice.

    Even growing up with a good experience I’m well aware of the bad experiences that others have had in different churches, even the church I was in, but I don’t consider either experience the norm. Instead I look at it on a case by case basis. Generalizations don’t solve the problem.

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