The 20th century taught us the sort of horrors that the machinery of the state can inflict upon individuals. Libertarianism lacks the strong redistributive mechanisms needed to prevent oligarchy. If you are rich, for example, you can afford a better education for your children (not to mention the fact they stand to inherit your fortune upon your death). Furthermore, once you hold the means of production, you have the resources to retain that control. The problem with libertarianism is that power in any society resides not just in the state, but also with those that control and own the means of production. That obviously includes freedom from government oppression, but it also means freedom from other members of society (as the famous maxim goes: “Your liberty to swing your fist ends where my nose begins”). In fact, libertarianism seeks to create a society where individual freedoms and liberties are protected by law. ![]() Image: Me, exercising my Christian liberty and reppin’ the USWNT.A common misconception of libertarianism is that it proposes a system without any rules at all. Let Christ direct our hearts and hands today. Help us to actively seek one another’s good. Set our hearts, centered in Christ, on the needs of one another. God, thank you for freeing us from sin and death. I am commanded to love you, and to seek your good.įor example: You may be free to not wear a mask, but your freedom in Christ compels you to wear mask for the good of your neighbor (unless wearing a mask truly harms you or is difficult for a legitimate reason, medical or otherwise in that case, caring for you is one of the reasons I mask up). Yes, but as a Christian, why would I be swinging my fist? Freed by Christ, I am not only forbidden to hurt you. My freedom to swing my fist only extends to the tip of your nose. ![]() The more we understand our true freedom in Christ, the less we seek our own ends. To be free in Christ means we are always asking, “What is good for my neighbor? What gives glory to God?” Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians make this clear. Freedom in Christ means the old self has died we are new creations. In Christ we are truly free! And in Christ we are truly called called to set aside the old ways of death, the sinful insistence of focusing on our own wants and desires. Only the freedom that comes from Christ saves us from sin, death, and the devil. As Christians, however, we have a freedom that is both more broad and more focused.įreedom created by human law and custom is a great gift, but it cannot give us what we truly need. ![]() This latter view might well be represented by the adage, “Your right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins.”Īs citizens of this country, our freedom typically extends only insofar as we are not using it to harm others (although a surprising number of people really do believe that freedom means being able to do what you what, damn the consequences and damn their fellow citizens). ![]() Others take an approach that our freedom should be leveraged not for its own sake, but for the common good. Some in our nation believe that freedom means being able to do whatever they want, whenever they want, even in spite of all evidence, just to prove that they are free to do so. What am I free to do? Can I do anything I want? Freedom and liberty are often subjects of our political discourse. “But take care that this liberty of your does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.” 1 Corinthians 8:9
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |