Cedarville Magazine, Fall 2014

Cedarville Magazine | 7 Human Dignity and Freedom At Stake in Religious Liberty Debate Excerpted from remarks made by John Stonestreet at the Religious Freedom Summit on October 9, 2014 There’s an interesting statement in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” If you look back at the history of civilization and the history of culture, it’s not self-evident that all men are created equal. Some are taller than others. Some are faster. Some are smarter. Some have full capacities physically, and some have disability. We’re not all created equal. Where does that actually come from? It only comes if the criteria we use are not extrinsic, but intrinsic. You don’t get universal human dignity by looking at the outside. The only way you can define universal human dignity is if it’s actually included in what it means to be a part of the human family. In his book A Brief History of Thought , Luc Ferry says that’s exactly what Christianity introduced to this world, and that’s why the world owes its democratic inheritance to Christianity. And we can see, as religious liberty gets squeezed out of the public square, human dignity is equally being attacked. Freedom Misdefined When you loseGod, you don’t just lose an understanding of human dignity. When you lose God, you also misdefine freedom. Our culture says freedom is nothing less than a free-for-all. Do whatever you want without consequences, without context, without any sort of responsibility. Americans are the most addicted people in the history of the planet. We’re addicted to drugs, we’re addicted to sex, we’re addicted to each other, we’re addicted to iPhones, we’re addicted to Facebook, we’re addicted to chocolate, we’re addicted to coffee — that one’s OK, because that one’s mine — but we’re addicted. Someone who is addicted is not free. Someone who is addicted is a slave. The worst kind of slavery — self-imposed slavery to your own passions and your own inability to exhibit self-control. Our definition of freedom is leading us into moral slavery. What a wonderful contribution that Christians can make when we jump in and say, “Wait a minute. Freedom is not the freedom to do what you want. It’s the freedom to be what you ought.” Religious Freedom Benefits All A couple years ago, I was speaking to a group of students in South Carolina and two 20-somethings came up to me and said, “We’re studying to be nurses. What does it mean to be a Christian and a nurse? What can you tell us?” Five years ago I would have said, “Well, you need to understand bioethics, and you need to study when life begins — the definition of life, the definition of death, and how our medical technologies can compromise your ethics.” I still said that, but I said it second. The first thing that came out of my mouth was, “If you want to be a nurse and a Christian, and you’re 20-something today, you will have to choose in your lifetime between your career and your convictions.” Religion is needed in the public square to call us to the common good. In fact, religion helps us clarify the common good. It’s interesting when you drive around towns, you don’t see the First Secular Hospital. You don’t see the First Buddhist Hospital. Right? You see the First Baptist Hospital. You see Catholic hospitals. You see Methodist hospitals. You know why? Because Christianity has always called its people to love and service to those who are considered to be the least of these. The temptation is to just protect religious liberty for ministers. But if I believe that all of us are made in the likeness and image of God, and I believe that all of us are called to do work and contribute to the good of His kingdom, and I believe that all of us have a calling and a vocation, I am going to stand and fight for the pastor’s right, but I want to stand and fight for the baker and the photographer’s right as well. I want those who are called to solve world poverty, such as Joni Eareckson Tada who has a wonderful ministry called “Wheelchairs for the World,” to have a continued right to do what God has called her to do. Christians are called to live for the common good. John Stonestreet is co-host of BreakPoint and the voice of The Point , a daily national radio feature on worldview, apologetics, and cultural issues. He also serves as a Senior Content Advisor for Summit Ministries in Manitou Springs, Colorado. As religious liberty gets squeezed out of the public square, human dignity is equally being attacked.