Freedom: A Gift or a Right?

This blog post is my "Weekly Reflection" sent to Christ Church parishioners and friends on Thursday, June 30.

Did you know that in the back of the Episcopal Hymnal 1982there are five hymns in the category "National Songs" (one of which is the National Anthem)? This might seem a bit odd in a nation that so highly values the separation of church and state and the right to freedom of religion. However, Christians have always believed that God is active in society as a whole, not simply in the church. For example, here are St. Paul's words in Romans 13:1: "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God."

For context, it is helpful to understand that Paul wrote this in a religiously pluralistic society with governing authorities who were most definitely not Christians. He is expressing his understanding and belief that God is the Creator of all, whatever one particular religious beliefs may be.

This brings to mind verse 3 of "My country 'tis of thee," which focuses not on the freedom we enjoy as Americans but on the freedom that is inherent in God's creation.

Let music swell the breeze,
and ring from all the trees
sweet freedom's song;
let mortal tongues awake,
let all that breathe partake,
let rocks their silence break,
the sound prolong.

Perhaps this is a good reminder that, while on Independence Day we celebrate all that makes our country great, we all recognize that, ultimately, we owe our existence in this world to our Creator. Perhaps this will remind us that true freedom -- not simply freedom spelled out in the Declaration of Independence or the Bill of Rights but the freedom to be wholly who we are created to be -- is not simply a right but a gift from God.

As Thomas Jefferson -- who was more Deist than Christian -- wrote 235 years ago: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."