Friday Greetings - July 3

Called to Freedom

Isaiah Berlin was a famous 20th-century political philosopher known for his 1958 essay, "Two Concepts of Liberty.” Berlin distinguishes between negative liberty, or freedom from interference, and positive liberty, or the ability to be one's own master.

Negative liberty is “freedom FROM” and refers to what we should be able to do without interference from the government or others. This includes freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of movement, the right to privacy, the right to bear arms, and so on. When we talk about our American freedoms, we usually mean these liberties.

Positive liberty is “freedom FOR” and defines what negative liberties ultimately allow us to do: Control our own destiny and the destiny of our nation. Positive liberties include all the things that allow us—to paraphrase the Declaration of Independence—to “pursue happiness.” These include education, healthcare, democracy, choosing one’s own career and pastimes, choosing one’s romantic partners, and so on.

Berlin warned that a totalitarian regime can twist the concept of positive liberty. Tyrants have historically limited or eliminated negative liberties while claiming to “free” the nation for “higher” goals such as the positive liberties mentioned. Examples would be limiting freedom of speech to guarantee national security and denying the right to privacy in the name of public morality.

What does any of this have to do with the Christian freedom that the Apostle Paul discusses in his letter to the Galatians? What better time to dig into this than the day after our country’s 250^th birthday! Join us this Sunday for worship at Centenary!

~Pastor Vann