2 Chronicles 25-27; Proverbs 2:12-22

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Happy Independence Day.

2 Chronicles 25:7-8
A man of God came to [Amaziah] and said, "O king, these troops from Israel must not march with you, for the LORD is not with Israel—not with any of the people of Ephraim. Even if you go and fight courageously in battle, God will overthrow you before the enemy, for God has the power to help or to overthrow."

AS WE CELEBRATE our nation's independence, these verses from today's Bible reading remind us that whatever freedom we have is not due to our own zeal or passion (heart), proud national identity (soul), brilliant political strategies (mind), or superior military might (strength). It is due to God's actions on our behalf. Our freedom comes from God, not a government document. The Declaration of Independence simply acknowledges the fact.

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.

And the first of ten amendments to the Constitution (i.e., Bill of Rights) guarantees it . . .

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

From both the Old and New Testaments we learn that God does not always side with those who claim to be his people; he sides with those who uphold his values. As one great president said: "I do not boast that God is on my side, I humbly pray that I am on God's side" (Abraham Lincoln).

I'm giving a lot of thought to this today because our church is sorting through issues related to patriotism and the church. One recent discussion called to mind an essay that I've been working on for more than 20 years. Today seems like the right time to post it here . . . well, at least part of it.

Keep in mind that I was much younger then, and the seeds of my husband's peacemaking skills had not yet taken root, much less produced any fruit.

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The Most Frightening Freedom

AFTER a patriotic musical program at our church in the early 1980s, I noticed that my pastor, a World War II veteran, was fighting a losing battle to hold back tears. His face was red and puffy, and he was dabbing at his damp eyes with a handkerchief. Pastor Gardiner had been deeply moved by the presentation.
 I too had been affected, but mentally, not emotionally. While the choir belted out songs about banners making tyranny tremble and bombs bursting in air, one question roared through my mind like a bomb ready to burst in my brain. Unable to come up with an adequate defense to shield myself from the attack, I deflected the question in Pastor Gardiner’s direction as I exited.
 “That was a good program,” I said, “but why do we go to so much work to celebrate political freedom and to honor those who fought for it but we never do anything to celebrate spiritual freedom and the martyrs who have died spreading the news about freedom in Christ?”
 He responded graciously, as he always did, even though I had ruined the moment for him. But he didn’t answer my question. Perhaps he couldn’t.
 Since then, I’ve tried off and on to answer it for myself because the question still attacks me from time to time.
 One of those times came in June 1994.
 Jay and I were in a Chicago hotel room watching the fiftieth anniversary celebration of D-Day when a sudden wave of emotion caught me off guard. I had not expected to feel anything. I was watching simply because the event held great historical significance. I was expecting information, not emotion.
 That day the old question returned in a more personal form: Why do I feel more emotion about political freedom than spiritual freedom? Why do I feel more passion for people who risk their lives defending democracy than for those who risk their lives proclaiming freedom in Christ? And further, why am I more concerned about preserving the freedom from tyranny I enjoy in this earthly kingdom called America than I am in promoting the freedom from sin in the spiritual kingdom God is building within human hearts?
 One month later, the conflict in my soul was reflected in the decor of our church. As we prepared to present yet another patriotic program for The Fourth of July, our church sanctuary was dressed up for the occasion in red, white, and blue bunting stretched from north to south and east to west, and draped from aisles to altar and from balcony to baptistry. The place looked as if was soon to be the scene of a political convention. Except for one thing. In a small space not covered by red, white, and blue, a gold and white banner hung. On it were three words: Above all, Christ.
 It was impossible to escape the irony.
 I'm concerned that the message of those conflicting symbols is a sadly accurate picture of today’s church. And if the message confuses those of us inside the church, is it any wonder that people outside the church often misunderstand the messages we send?
 The American church, having enjoyed for more than two hundred years a relatively peaceful coexistence with a democratic government, seems to have accepted the notion that freedom is a gift from our government and guaranteed by political documents. It’s not. The freedom we have is one that the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights can neither give nor take away. Yet in recent years, Christians have focused so much energy on preserving religious freedom through political means that it’s as if we have come to believe that freedom is a gift from government rather than from God.
 The whole idea of freedom is watered down when we think of it primarily in terms of governments. Freedom is bigger, so much bigger. And infinitely richer and deeper and absolutely mind-boggling to explore. Freedom is also dangerous, as Jesus himself has shown us. But it’s important to remember that religious leaders, not Roman authorities, were the first to feel threatened by his message of freedom (Matthew 27).

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The complete essay is three and a half pages, so I didn't want to post the entire thing here. The last part is the best (if I may say so) for it summarizes my thoughts on why God allows evil. (Hint: it has to do with love.) I'll send it to anyone interested in reading it.