What is Freedom?
Next Sunday I was given the honor to share some thoughts in a ten-minute sermonette in correlation to freedom. This is dangerous for me because I'm convinced that Americans in general, and Christians in America in particular, use this "freedom" to hide behind. Now don't call me an Anti-American. Let me explain. What I will share is directed towards Christianity in America.
Since its conception, America has prided itself on being a free nation. We are free to basically do what we want: speech, press, bear arms, etc. That's great and I'm all for my Constitutional Rights. But what I fear is that we use this freedom and somehow make being an American synonymous with being a Christian. When Christianity was conceived, it was at the height of a very unstable Middle East. Rome ransacked Jerusalem in the Jewish Wars of 67-70 A.D.; the emperors had major issues-Nero in particular; and while its borders were expanding, Rome itself seemed to be shrinking. Why? Because Christianity was booming. It exploded and while Peter and Paul both taught that we are to respect the government, Christians were being slaughtered. We do not know what it is like to truly be persecuted for our faith. Christians in America don't get it. And this is why you can have Your Best Life Now because we've decided that its best to remain consumers of everything and talk down to the rest of the world as if America was the Sheriff in town. Christians are called to submit to the authorities. And what bothers me is that a lot of churches act like Jesus is a registered Republican and that he votes in every election. As if God were an American. It's really quite arrogant to insinuate such a thing.All this to say: Christianity seems to grow most when the Church is being persecuted. Some would argue that when Constantine did his thing in the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D., this began the institutionalization of Christianty. It became a stagnant institution rather than a fluid movement. And this is why Christians in America are feeling a bit distraught. American Christendom is slowly fading away. I for one am glad. Others (typically the staunch fundamentalists who hold their King James Bibles all too closely) are freaking out. But maybe, just maybe that is what God is doing. He's crashing our finanical gods left and right. Maybe we need to learn that our freedom isn't wrapped up in our nation; rather our freedom rests in the finished work of Christ and Christ alone.
