WHAT KIND OF SOCIETY?
FREEDOM It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1
Freedom is one of those things everyone wants. From Mel Gibson’s cry in Braveheart to Nelson Mandela’s decades long campaign against apartheid. Freedom is a good thing. Whether we’re looking at our personal freedom or our corporate civil and religious freedoms, these are fundamental to our understanding of a fair and plural society. Freedom is almost too wide a term to be useful, as almost every cause throughout history has placed it at the centre of their message, from Marxist freedom fighters to those seeking lower taxes, from those who want wider access to abortion to the campaigners for Britain to leave the European Union. But it is not worth jettisoning yet. Freedom has been central to European thought since the days of Aristotle and Plato. The second world war was fought to ensure freedom and foreign policy frequently relies on freedom for its justification. Managing these freedoms is one of the central functions of any democratic government. Living in a democracy means that we agree to surrender some of our freedoms to the rule of law for the common good, and we assent to
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systems of governance to structure our society. If all our freedoms were absolute we would be in a state of anarchy. When personal freedom is abused, it usually causes injustice towards another.
A CHRISTIAN VISION OF FREEDOM At the heart of the Christian faith is freedom, and while believers differ in their theology and how they understand the place and role of freedom, we all agree that it is a gift from God and we have a responsibility to steward it wisely. Beyond the Christian faith, those of other beliefs and none have generally agreed that boundaries of harm and consent should temper our pursuit of freedom. The working out of freedom in public policy is therefore a complex task, balancing how much restriction is important for the common good held in tension with how much freedom can be protected. Christians begin with the sovereignty of God when it comes to understanding freedom. This provides an overarching template for understanding the opportunities for freedom and its necessary constraints. God created humanity to bear His image throughout creation and to partner with Him in his ongoing work. The creation we live in was set into being by God and He continues to
