What comes to mind when you think of the United States of America?

Perhaps it’s our beautiful flag with all its majestic stars and stripes?

Or perhaps the noble bald eagle, flying majestically in the wind?

Or, maybe, it’s this…

(I know there’s an election coming up but please don’t take my horrible joke as a political endorsement on either side.)

Whatever your opinion of the United States, one thing is clear: the country loves to present itself as a bastion of freedom.

It’s become something of a meme these days, but the US’s association with freedom is just about as old as the nation itself. Nowadays, you’ll see advocacy for all kinds of freedom in the US—whether that be freedom of speech, religion, sexuality, the list goes on…

And maybe it’s a silly question but I think it's necessary: What exactly do they mean by freedom?

A great way to understand this is to look back at one of the country’s oldest icons- the Gadsden Flag. And while many of my fellow Americans might not be familiar with its name, I’m certain they’re familiar with its message…

Designed by politician Christopher Gadsden (from whom it gets its name), this flag became an important symbol of the Revolutionary War, the conflict in which the sovereign state of the US was born. 

It displayed the spirit of American independence and just how far these men and women were willing to go for it. 

To anyone who saw it the message, complete with boldface and venomous timber rattlesnake, was clear…

Step on us and see what happens.

Not only is it a rallying cry for American freedom but, I believe, for freedom in the West as a whole.

Perhaps not always so militant, but the essence is certainly there. 

We in the West envision freedom as the ability to do whatever we want, whenever we want (so long as it doesn’t hurt anybody else). 

For anyone to speak against or restrict this has become one of the greatest sins of the modern age.

Looking at the surface, it’s quite an appealing mantra. 

I mean, why shouldn’t you be allowed to pursue whatever you want? So long as you aren’t hurting those around you what’s the big deal? 

The issues don’t become too evident until you get under the hood of what’s happening here.

While many will still gladly stand by the belief that the US is the “freest nation” in the world, it’s no secret that such an assertion has garnered a fair share of criticism over the years.

Perhaps that’s because the kind of freedom that the US was founded upon fails to account for the deepest part of the soul.

As it turns out, the word freedom was being thrown around long, long before the United States of America was even an inkling of an idea. 

What’s even crazier is that a form of freedom, long predating Western culture as we know it has been on offer to our species for quite a while.

I’m talking about the freedom practiced by followers of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. 

Over the coming days, we’re going to examine freedom both in the modern West and in the Way of Jesus.

What we’ll discover is that, despite having areas of overlap, these two freedoms give us different visions of what it means to live a good and fulfilling life. We’ll see that freedom is more than just a slogan but, primarily, a posture of the soul to the greater reality around it…

…and that goes much, much deeper than what we’ve come to know in the West.

But, hey, they always said freedom isn't free, right?

Come back tomorrow as we continue our series with a look at what the Apostle Paul has to say on freedom in Galatians 5.

For now, be blessed.

Jon

Theophilus Newsletter

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