It was 4th of July recently, and we were in
Bismarck ND visiting Rachel’s family. With all the packing, moving, planning,
discussion, and preparation for Africa on my mind, stopping to reflect on our
nation, culture, and homeland felt very different this year. One phrase has
really stuck with me since then:
“Thank God for the Freedoms we enjoy in this country!”
I have come to think that this is a dangerous idea, rooted
in the Prosperity Gospel.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the USA and have truly been
blessed here. But I decided to actually try to measure what my day to day ‘freedoms’
are, compared to Sierra Leone. Assuming
I can maintain the same wealth in West Africa, I’m not sure any of my practical
freedoms would change. I could worship how I want, socialize how I want, travel
how I want, think how I want, as well as eat, talk, evangelize, influence
politics, buy all the same technology, watch the same Netflix, and really just live
how I want.
‘But what about China?’ they say. Of course, you can find
places the rule doesn’t fit. Comparing my life to North Korea is just unfair.
But by and large, what people are thankful for on the 4th is wealth.
Wealth can be a blessing from God, but not always.
I think it’s important to really quantify what we are
thankful for, rather than just comparing ourselves to the worst global situations.
When the majority of actual freedoms are largely similar across the globe,
wealth is what people notice. When comparing our situation to North Korea it’s
easy to get complacent, but to look your homeless neighbor in the eye and discuss their
‘freedom’ is a whole other issue.
You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need
a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor,
blind and naked.
Is this not the fast that I have chosen:
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?
Revelation 3:17
Isaiah 58:6-7
Happy Independence Day
I find your selfless endeavor to follow God's calling in Africa truly inspiring. It feels that each generation of Christians is less inclined to step out in faith and help minister to those who need it most; I commend you for breaking the mold. Instead of using your talents, skills and (expensive) training to seek worldly gain for yourself, you are choosing to serve those much less fortunate. I'm not sure that there exists a higher calling.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I wouldn't trivialize the issue of freedom here. I am not sure where you base your assertion that Americans are consciously or unconsciously interchanging "freedom" with "wealth" when they thank God for their lives in America. When you say you don't believe your personal freedoms will be hindered in Africa, that's likely true because you're still going to be an American no matter where you reside. I'm not convinced that you'll find native women in Sierra Leone on an equal playing field as native men, for example, even if you're living your life unfettered right next door.
There are citizens of New Zealand currently in jail simply for sending the Christchurch shooter's manifesto to friends for discussion purposes (not encouraging or promoting the message contained therein). It is also expressly written into NZ law that one cannot own firearms for the purpose of self-defense.
There are British citizens who have been fined and jailed for making off-color jokes on the Internet. I recall a video of a disabled man being dragged from his home for trolling on Facebook because he was bored and had nothing else interesting to occupy his time with (so he felt).
There are myriad examples one can look to without needing to reference China, the Middle East, Russia, North Korea, or any number of developing countries who have obvious, starkly different views on what constitutes as human rights. Even in the "Progressive West", America's Bill of Rights stands as unique--particularly in the case of the 1st and 2nd Amendments.
I can't speak for every American, but I think it's too big a leap to presume that the primary aspect of life Americans are thankful is the prosperity we enjoy relative to the rest of the world. I know I am not alone in thanking God for the inspiration and events that led men and women of the past to help build what is factually and incontestably the freest country on Earth.