Maintaining Liberty in a Secular Democracy

Readings for Independence Day: Deut. 10:12-21; Mt. 5:43-48
July 4, 2004

The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt

St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino, CA

"Lord God almighty, in whose Name the founders of this country won liberty for themselves and for us...Grant that we and all the people of this land may have grace to maintain our liberties in righteousness and peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen." [BCP 242]

Today we celebrate the 228th anniversary of our nation's founding; the day on which the Declaration of Independence from British rule was signed by 56 courageous and self-sacrificing leaders. *As a nation, we hold certain truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. These rights include, "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness...And whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government." What is liberty and how do we insure its continued existence in our country? This is the subject of today's sermon.

**If we were able to go back to the time of the Revolutionary War and ask the typical American to describe, in one word, the underlying principle of the new American government, that one word would have been liberty. If we were to ask the typical American citizen today to describe in one word, the underlying principle of American government, that one word would be democracy. Democracy does not necessarily insure liberty. Liberty aims to protect a country, or an individual's autonomy and dignity against coercion, whatever the source may be- state, church, or society. Economic, political, and religious liberty all enter into this equation. The American Founders wanted to escape the oppression of the British government and establish a constitutionally limited government to protect the rights of its citizens by preserving their liberty.

Democracy on the other hand is defined as "the rule of the people." Today, Americans view the role of their government as carrying out the will of the majority. Majority rule may or may not insure liberty for all. For instance, slavery and segregation were entrenched in the American South through the democratic system. The majority of southern voters defended slavery passionately. In the end, slavery did not die out because the people in the south voted to end slavery. Slavery died out because the forces of the North crushed the people of the South. After the Civil War ended, Jim Crow laws (limiting the liberties of African-Americans) began to crop up. Eventually these laws were destroyed during the 1950's and 1960's not by democracy but despite it. It was not a democratic vote that integrated the armed forces or imposed school desegregation. No, it was the imposition of the President's fiat.

What happens when elections are free and fair but the majority of those who vote are racists, fascists, separatists, narcissistic, and/or ignorant? There is always a tension between democracy and liberty.

The founding of our country, the establishment of our Constitution, the protection of our liberties, and the insistence on democratic rule, were all based on the assumption that the people who would vote would have a strong moral compass seeped in the Judeo-Christian ethic. It is this moral compass that I believe is necessary to protect liberty in the face of majority rule. This moral compass has been handed down to us through the Scriptures and has been refined through the Christian tradition. Let's take a closer look. Today's reading from the book of Deuteronomy, is placed in the context of a speech given by Moses, to the Hebrew people, before they crossed the Jordan River. Moses gives an overview of their responsibilities to God and to society. How they are to treat each other in society begins with a covenantal relationship with God. This means that in order for justice and liberty to be maintained in society, they first need to respect God, to walk in God's ways, and to love and serve God with all their heart and soul. In particular, they are to insure distributive justice for the poor, the fatherless, the widow, and the foreigner who travels with them, making sure that everyone has enough to eat.

In the Hebrew Scriptures, liberty has more to do with external freedom: freedom from slavery or being exempt from forced labor. Back then, monarchies and dictatorships were the predominant forms of government. Except during a short time in Athens Greece, democracy was not embraced. It was only hoped that the monarch would be faithful to God, which guaranteed that the people would be treated with respect, justice, and compassion. Without God at the center of their rule, the Hebrew people suffered greatly.

The Christian Scriptures give us a different perspective regarding the subject of liberty. They focus more on internal freedom of the individual rather than the external freedom of the socio-political realm. Christian liberty is not a license to "do as you like." Rather, it is a complete surrender to God. Christian liberty generates a pattern of gracious living. "You were called to freedom, brethren; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love, be servants of one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." [Gal. 5:13-14]

True liberty comes about in people's lives when the spirit of Christ enlightens their conscience and informs their will. When this conversion happens, people become free to choose the good in the face of adversity or temptation. They become free to develop a virtuous character. They are freed from the enslavement of addiction, anger, cynicism, judgmentalism, self-centeredness, jealousy, envy, and chaos. They are free to engage in loving service to human kind, making this country and world a better place in which to live. They are free to cast a vote that is righteous.

I personally believe that in order to maintain liberty in our democratically run country, internal freedom must first be developed in the voters. For when we are led by the spirit of Christ, then the fruit of this spirit is reflected in our socio-political life. When love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control are at the helm of our decision making process, then our vote will insure true liberty for all.

I want to end this sermon by reflecting on some problems that I see as hindering liberty in our democratically run country.

***International capitalism has created a very powerful, independent class of business people who owe little to the state and who are now the dominant force in every advanced society in the world. These business people have usurped power from the governments and its people. Without a moral compass, these business conglomerates will choose "the bottom line" over human dignity. As consumers, we must become aware of economic policies that corrupt and destroy the creatures of God. We must teach our children about stewardship and the right use of money. We must take the charge to spread the good news in Christ to those who make economic decisions. The Judeo-Christian ethic of justice must become an integral part of our economics. For without justice, liberty will be in jeopardy.
Only 18% of voting-age people turned out to vote at the 2000 Presidential election. Voting is the least demanding task of a citizen. But since most people have lost confidence in their elected officials being able to actually do something, they have given up on the process altogether. Special interest groups have gladly filled the vacuum. Since special interest groups have the time and the savvy to manipulate politics, they are quite successful in pushing through reforms that benefit those with power and money rather than those that are best for the people of the United States.
***Culture is now defined by popular music, blockbuster movies, and prime-time television. This is what now informs the general population. Critical thinking, a thirst for distributive justice, a hunger for liberty, and a knowledge of righteousness, are not the dominant themes in a person's mind when casting a vote, including those from the religious right. America is increasingly embracing a simple-minded populism that values popularity and openness as the key measures of legitimacy. We must educate our children, spend more time in seeking the truth, and then vote from a place of informed truth. For without truth, liberty is in jeopardy.
In the face of terrorism, the American people have become more willing to give up liberty for security. This is a slippery slope. Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence? Five were captured by the British as traitors and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons serving in the Revolution and nine fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War. Never did they think of replacing liberty with security. Personal sacrifice is part and parcel of the Christian life. We must not hold onto our lives for the sake of security but lose our lives for the sake of the gospel. "For what does it profit us if we gain the whole world and lose or forfeit ourselves?" [Lk. 9:26]

As we sing the many hymns during this service, I want you to be especially aware of the words. These hymns do not place our country at the center of the world. These hymns place God at the center of our country. In these hymns we petition God to be our ruler, our guardian, our guide. We call upon God to mend the mistakes we have made. "America, America, God mend thine every flaw. Confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law."

* The Declaration of Independence, 1776.

** America's Transformation from Liberty to Democracy, by Randall Holcombe, 2002

*** The Future of Freedom, by Fareed Zakaria, 2003.

Updated 7/6 /04

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