Lesson 12: Whose Freedom?
I constantly asked two questions as I examined the past election campaign against Jesus’ teachings. The first concerned our present understanding of freedom, and the second concerned the role of Christianity in a constitutional democracy.
Let me talk about the first this week. In the past, civil rights movements relied on the Constitution to support their efforts to provide protection and opportunity for the disadvantaged. Freedom for all was understood as the goal in an ongoing process of bringing justice for Blacks, LGBTQ+ persons, the homeless, and whoever needed it next.
During the recent campaign, the eventual winners claimed the Constitution supports unconditional freedom that guarantees everyone can pursue happiness in any way they please. Regulation or limitation of any kind is regarded as unconstitutional, the mask mandate being the primary example.
No civil rights movement would have gotten off the ground with this reading of the Constitution. Rather than opening the future, it retains the status quo or retreats to the past. It is designed to protect the powerful, not opportunity for the weak.
Jesus’ teachings picture such an unconditional freedom as an illusion. We are always in relationships that limit our freedom. Recognizing these, he calls us to love our neighbor as ourselves, act as servants, and care for the needy. Although he never directly addresses it, I think he would see the function of law and government in a constitutional democracy as providing for the weak and sometimes protecting them from the advantage of the strong.
Acting as if this unconditional freedom is possible in our society has already created a crisis. Reducing regulations combined with modern technology has given a few tremendously rich people tremendous power. An individual can buy control of business, media, and government activity.
The crisis becomes even more threatening when the wealthy gain control of ethical discourse. During the recent campaign, freedom was always defined in economic terms. Making money that enables us to do whatever we want was treated as the highest virtue. At the least, Trump’s election seems to indicate that our society is willing to overlook all sorts of immorality if economic promise is perceived.
Freedom also plays a role in the decision made by Roman Catholics and Evangelicals to participate in political action. They claim the Constitution grants a religious freedom that offers the opportunity to impose their views about abortion and human sexuality on everyone else. But more on that next week.
Frontline Study is an online discussion of the scriptures, inviting you to share your comments and your reflections on each weekly topic. Simply click on the "Add Reply" text at the top of each post to see what others have posted and to add your thoughts.