From Straight-jacket to Freedom

In my young professional community we are working through Tim Keller’s The Reason for God by discussing the questions raised in his book through a Biblical perspective. This past week had some great discussion on a very hard question that I have thought about over the years. (As a side note, my Dad has read this book and has mentioned that this book is in his all-time top-5 books. His heart was stirred to at least a dozen sermons through the content of this book.)

Are Christianity and the Bible a straightjacket on freedom, individualism and truth?

Tim Keller is pastor of a church in Manhattan called Redeemer. Manhattan, and all of NYC, is the home of many forward-thinking and typically liberal young minds. Many have said that orthodox Christianity cannot find a home among such thinkers, because the Church is for the simple-minded Conservative unwilling to honestly think about the claims of Christianity vs. the claims of the rest of the world. However, Keller’s church is thriving in the midst of a skeptical and modern society, which is a great argument for the truth of Christ and the church being founded in almost every culture around the world. Christianity is not for one culture, language or people group, but is for the nations as spoken by God throughout the Scriptures. Keller has found a way to be founded in the truth of Scripture and God, yet being culturally relevant among the people of Manhattan. Being among this type of person has caused him to consider what appear to be some very difficult questions about the Christian faith and God. Keller has not shied away from hard questions though, and presents great arguments for the validity of our faith throughout his book and his preaching. However, my favorite thing about Keller thus far is his love for those he is discussing with. He never approaches anyone with a Truth-Stick to beat them into submission. He always approaches the questions with grace and truth. He never shies away from being a Christian or the truth of the Scriptures, but always come to the argument with love and much grace, which is very encouraging to me.

Many people see Christianity and thus the Bible (and other religions and their holy books for that matter) as a power play by some authority to get you to follow some set of rules, which limits freedom and individualism and culture and truth. First, it is important to answer some basic questions; what is freedom, what is truth, and what does Christianity say about both.

What is freedom?

                Some would say that America is a place of freedom, yet there are many rules that are present here. Rules of law, rules of cultural acceptance, rules of social interaction and many more exist even in the most ‘free’ places. Rules are inescapable, it is truly just a matter of what rules that you submit to. We discussed different meanings of freedom; some patriotic, some based on choices, and rebellious others founded in the absence of authority. The best that we discussed was founded in the truth of Scripture; freedom is the ability to enjoy life and all of its pursuits to the fullest in Jesus Christ, under no compulsion except to love God and others. Freedom is what gives us the capacity to love God and others. Freedom does not release us from the laws and rules of our country, religion or culture, but allows us to joyfully obey them in glad submission to the authorities set up by God the Father, the highest authority.

What is truth?

                Some people have issue with Christianity because our truth claims are exclusive of others truth claims. However, it makes complete sense that truth claims would exclude. If your definition of what is true is not exclusive of others truth claims, then your truth cannot be true. To quote the great Christian rapper LeCrae, ‘If my truth says that your truth is wrong, then who’s is really true?’ Jesus, when questioned in front of Pilate before his imminent death, said that His purpose of coming into the world was to bear witness to the Truth and only those who were of the Truth could hear his voice. Jesus was claiming to be Truth and God in this sentence, like He did many times elsewhere in the Scriptures. Truth, and thus absolute truth, is unavoidable because not everything is relative; there must be a Standard by which everything is measured. The claim of absolute truth is not narrow-minded nor the enemy of authentic personhood.

Christianity is the most socially adaptable of all the major religions, including atheism/agnosticism. Christianity has spread all over the world to countless peoples, while most of the major religions have stayed very centralized in the place of origin. If you look at Christianity around the world, there is no definable Christian culture that fits all the peoples. However, there is a very distinct Muslim culture, Buddhist culture, and Jewish culture, as defined by dress, traditions, language, etc. Christianity is adaptable because it is not about how we dress or the music we sing, but about love and worship for God in whatever form is relevant in that culture. Either way some would say that our Christian community is exclusive, but that argument is not founded on sound reason. (side note: Christianity has had forms that are very exclusive (race, gender, traditions, etc.) but this is not the message of the Bible nor of God throughout all of time.)

The essence of community is exclusive and can’t be completely inclusive. All groups have some set of moral truths they believe in, which are not inclusive. He uses a great example of a pastor saying that Homosexuality is OK in the eyes of God and the president of the local Gay, Lesbian and Transgender society saying that homosexuality is a sin. At some point both of these organizations (one typically cast as exclusive and the other cast as inclusive) will have to ask their leadership to step down, because they no longer fit in with the common beliefs held among that group. Somebody’s rules (of morality, actions, interaction, behavior, ethics, etc.) will reign within a people; it is just a matter of whose worldview will reign supreme.

So this begs the question; whose worldview will be held in highest esteem in our society?

Christianity seems to be limiting and constraining from outside appearances, but is in fact the most liberating and freeing worldview that exists. First, think about a love relationship. It seems that loving someone is very limiting, because you give up much of yourself in order to be in relationship with another human being. However, inside of that nurturing and caring relationship, there is more life than could be found outside of that relationship with more ‘freedom’. Constraining and limiting oneself to the right constraints and limits is more freeing than living haphazardly with no rules, morals or ethics. Second, think about a professional musician. He invariably limited himself by disciplining his body to the pursuit of becoming a great musician. Many times he chose to stay home to practice instead of ‘freely’ going out and enjoying himself. This seems to be limiting, but in fact was very freeing because he now can express his musical talents in a way that gives much more life and freedom than if he had chosen to just flail around and enjoy himself flippantly.

Christianity says that God limited Himself to create us and love us. He could have existed for all of eternity in the Trinity just enjoying Himself. He could have done whatever pleased Himself, but instead chose to create this rebellious people and then to become like us to save us. That is very limiting, but in fact shows great love. He chose to do this to show great love and to get great glory. Freedom in Christ is the ability to love others and to enjoy life to its fullest, which is found only in Christ Jesus. Christ has set us free to love Him and others.

Christianity is not limiting but freeing. We are free to live in the way we were designed to live. Since God created us, we ought to operate in the way that He created us to. No one would buy a car and then refuse to change the oil or refill it with gasoline, and if he did then the car would not be free but would be constrained. Just like the car was meant to operate according the owner’s manual, so we are meant to operate according to the Word of God. The Bible is not a hindrance to freedom, but in fact tells us of the way to live life more freely.

If we can’t see the God behind the rules, then we will never live in glad submission to His rules. If we can’t respect the maker of the rules, then we will never obey joyfully. If we refuse to acknowledge our inherent design, then we will never live in a way that we were created to do.

I am praying that we might not see the Bible or Christianity as a straightjacket, but as freedom to live.