Freedom Series: the divine perspective (Introduction)
“People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for freedom of thought which they seldom use.” —Soren Kierkegaard, Theologian and Philosopher
According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, freedom is ”the quality or state of being free, such as: (a) the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action; (b) liberation from slavery or restraint from the power of another…” According to John Stuart Mill, a towering philosopher of the 19th century (and a religious agnostic), “The only freedom which deserves the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it.”
Lately, I have become increasingly concerned about the confiscation of individual freedoms around the world, particularly in advanced economies. In this blog series, I will explore this topic within the context of the Christian worldview. More specifically, what does the Bible reveal about God’s purposes and plans in granting autonomy to humankind, which He created for His sovereign purposes?
By way of introduction to this series, onslaughts against various once sacrosanct individual freedoms by governments, the academy, courts, public media, and large corporations are surging. The targets of these institutional attacks range from antipathy to free market economies to attempts to rein in bodily autonomy, free speech, religious freedom, and freedom of assembly.
Many once trusted institutions are increasingly encroaching on basic human freedoms.
It seems everywhere one turns today, particularly (though not exclusively) in advanced economies, many once trusted institutions are increasingly encroaching on basic human freedoms, ostensibly for the good of those governed. For empirical evidence, we need look no further than the various government mandates enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, purportedly to save us from ourselves. Or, consider mandates addressing the allegedly existential threat of climate change. It would appear that those issuing such mandates have given very little, if any, thought to their negative impacts (see Kierkegaard quote).
Human freedom can be viewed on a spectrum ranging from total deprivation in societies where slavery is condoned to legal support for individual freedom in societies in which the aforementioned freedoms are enshrined in constitutions, bills of rights, and so on. Writing from my Barbados home, I am reminded that slaves from the transatlantic slave trade played a major role in the building of this beautiful Caribbean nation. This kind of slavery was, and remains, the epitome of evil. Happily, the transatlantic slave trade was ultimately abolished through the heroic efforts of William Wilberforce in Britain who, based upon his Christian convictions, saw the slave trade as utterly abhorrent to God.
It is important to note that, prior to the launch of the transatlantic slave trade by European merchants in the 16th century, large swaths of humanity had been denied full freedom for millennia. Per an article from Wikipedia, “The history of slavery spans many cultures, nationalities, and religions from ancient times to the present day. Likewise, its victims have come from many different ethnicities and religious groups. The social, economic, and legal positions of enslaved people have differed vastly in different systems of slavery in different times and places.” And, in the 21st century, tens of millions of people continue to be enslaved in a multitude of ways.
In the following blog posts, I will consider the biblical perspective on human freedom including why God granted it, how humanity perverted it, necessary constraints on it, and God’s ultimate solution to our quest for it
