Unwrap A Great American Gift This Christmas – Freedom of Religion
Have you polished off your Christmas to-do list?
Not to worry, there’s still a little time left. Or are you one of those hearty souls willing to push through the sea of last-minute shoppers on Christmas Eve, the air thick with primal intensity and panic? By then, it’s each man for himself. Do or die.
Anything to create the beautiful, memorable, and meaningful Christmas we long to give our family.
Still, this Christmas, it’s worth taking a moment to pause with your family and remember the irreplaceable gifts that come with being a proud and grateful American. One such national treasure, given to us by our founders, is within the 1st Amendment. It’s our Freedom of Religion for all citizens. It’s easy to take it for granted. It’s vital today and a foundation of our origin story, precious then – and to us, much to the chagrin of those who would like it gone along with any cultural vestiges of faith in God.
The hope of this very freedom to worship and live according to one’s conscience was central to many who were drawn to our shores way before we were a nation.
The Flight from England
A group of Christians in the early 1600s, known as the Separatists, recognized serious problems with the Church of England. As they sought to follow the true, biblical teachings of Christ, they saw the church adding many complicated, cumbersome rituals and rules that were outside the simple worship and lifestyle they believed was more in keeping with authentic Christianity. King James was not one to agree to disagree and demanded compliance with the church and faithful attendance. Those who dared to differ found themselves arrested and imprisoned.
A group of these faithful Christ-followers made the difficult decision to immigrate to Holland to gain the freedom to worship as they pleased. Over time, they recognized that the somewhat hedonistic culture there posed a new problem for their families. They made another bold choice. To leave again. That next chapter in their quest to find both freedom of religion and a less worldly culture found them on a long, dangerous voyage as these pilgrims made their way to the New World.
It would be 167 years until the freedom of religion would be enshrined in our beloved Constitution, setting our nation up for success, giving Christians, and frankly all others, the right to believe as they wish and practice their faith, or to have no faith at all.
This gift – pioneered by those English believers and officially bestowed on American citizens by our founders is easily overlooked. Just as fish in an aquarium may not “see” or notice the water in which they swim, most of us grew up not fully appreciating the liberty that surrounds us.
The Black Robe Regiment
Before the modern, utterly discredited notion that pastors and clergy should not or could not speak from the pulpit about politics and current issues of the day or candidates, it was completely normal.
Think of it. Why would a pastor be prevented from sharing what’s happening in the world and discussing our biblical approach as believers? It’s just free speech. It’s talking. It may be hard for some to break the delusion about this, drilled into our heads since childhood in school and through the faith-hating media, but it must be done. Otherwise, pastors and churchgoers are like second-class citizens, trained to avoid conversation about important topics and to suppress their political instincts. The idea that people of faith should be silenced is purely political – and utterly unconstitutional.
In our soon-to-be nation, pastors preached the gospel in churches throughout the colonies. They also shared insights about what was happening as the Revolutionary War was brewing. Preachers spoke freely, and early Americans relied on pastors to discuss various concerns and how their faith related to the rumblings of rebellion and the dream of liberty. Remember, there was no cable news and limited access to reliable information, so the clergy served as community leaders.
Peter Gabriel Muhlenberg was one such clergyman who, one Sunday, preached a sermon on the passage in Ecclesiastes that begins, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to uproot…” That well-known passage ends in verse 8, with the words, “a time for war and a time for peace.” As he spoke those words, he removed his clerical robe to reveal the uniform of a colonial officer underneath – and he raised a regiment of 300 recruits from among that congregation and the community to join George Washington in the fight for liberty.
That moment is memorialized in a statue of Muhlenberg in the US Capitol.
He and other pastors and ministers were called the “Black Robe Regiment.” That was a derogatory term the British gave to these clergy, who had such a profound influence on their congregations – inspiring men who worshipped together to take a stand for the nation – and for God.
Freedom of Religion is our birthright as citizens, and speaking freely from America’s pulpits is a right too few pastors exercise.
It’s Not Uncommon – But Still Unique
While most nations claim to offer their citizens religious freedom, many – up to 80%- have significant restrictions.
Take China. Believe it or not, they claim to have “freedom of religious belief,” but no one really buys it. China has a long reputation of harsh persecution, imprisonment, and even the killing of those from various faiths.
In China this year, there has been a crackdown on independent churches. As officials deny this persecution, our Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has called for the release of 30 church leaders arrested from one of the largest underground church networks in China.1 Currently, in Nigeria, Christians are targeted daily, with churchgoers murdered in their houses of worship, homes, and in their communities. Open Doors International stated that more Christians are being killed there for their faith than anywhere else.2 In Iran, being a believer is considered a crime against the state. In North Korea, believers can be sent to labor camps or executed. Can you imagine what a taste of our Freedom of Religion would mean to the 380 million who suffer for their beliefs?
Despite all of it, the Church grows.
Purdue University professor, Fenggang Yang, predicts that there will be 247 million Christians in China by 2030, making it the “most Christian” nation in the world.3 Despite virulent persecution, the countries with the fastest growth of Christianity are – Nigeria, China, and India – three places where your faith could cost you your life.4
I’ve made the point. We sometimes forget how good we’ve got it. Rude comments and attempts to squash religion in the public square are nothing compared to the plight of these heroes of the faith. As we consider what we enjoy as believers in America, let’s remember the truth about that freedom and thank God.
Establishment Clause
Back to our great Constitution and what it says about this freedom. The Establishment Clause is the first of the two-pronged approach. It guarantees that our government cannot establish a state religion or compel citizens to adhere to a particular set of religious tenets. The founders probably considered those who fled the oppression of the Church of England.
It’s worth noting, however, that It DOES NOT mean that faith and government should never cross paths. Do you get the nuance? As part of our American freedom, believers or unbelievers alike can participate in government in every way. Contrary to claims by the opponents of Christianity, we can have outwardly Christian teachers, school board members, city board members, state representatives, congressmen, and even a president. No one is required to check their religion at the door, though many have bought into the outrageous idea that faith has no place in government.
That is a myth. Our founders reference God four times in the Declaration of Independence, ending with something of a prayer – a declaration submitting all they did and said to God:
“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” (emphasis mine)
Not to mention the robust inclusion of prayer and supplication within the walls of our government. Then there were numerous times of national prayer called for by various presidents, and countless references to God’s providence throughout our history.
Free Exercise Clause
That beautiful portion of the First Amendment promises that we cannot be prevented by our government from worshiping and living out our faith as we please. It is this liberty that fills our lungs with the passion of our beliefs and the knowledge that we are truly free to exercise our religion without government interference.
Faith in the White House
It’s been beautiful to see a president willing to proclaim the faith of our fathers once more. President Trump has been bold and unashamed to profess the Christian tradition that made America what she is.
This Christmas, we especially appreciated his speech at the White House tree lighting ceremony. He said, in part, “With the birth of Jesus, human history turned from night to day. His word and example call us to love one another, serve one another, and to honor the sacred truth that every child is specially made in the image of God. Merry Christmas!”
We couldn’t have said it better, Mr. President.
Podcast Note: We enjoyed discussing faith in America with Pastor Ben Graham, along with some ideas to help your family make Christ the center of your Christmas celebration. Pastor Graham is a Trump-Vance appointee currently serving as the first-ever Faith Director at the U.S. Department of the Interior.
1 BBC.com
3 CBN.com
***
