Freedom
Making freedom our highest value and reducing it-as is often done-to freedom from others control or freedom of choice, cheapens our view of humanity and reduces our liberty. Our contributors go beyond popular notions of political and moral freedom to explore the rich idea of freedom for loving God, people, and the created order.
Richard Bauckham shows how many popular views of freedom can be destructive of community. Unpacking Paul's awkward but memorable phrase It is for freedom that Christ has set us free, Bruce Longenecker observes, The story of Jesus Christ, as it comes to life in his followers, is a story of freedom, to be sure, but a freedom constrained by the Cross and deeply at odds with individualistic notions of liberty.
Scott Bader-Saye articulates a faithful human authority that points to Gods peaceful rule and is consistent with true freedom. Jason Whitt explains how early Baptists reconciled freedom with authority of the Christian community.
Unmasking ironies in the modern idea of freedom as maximum choice, Will Willimon notes, At the heart of the Christian life is a holy paradox: the more securely we are tethered to Christ, the more free we become. Heather Hughes explains how this holy paradox plays out dramatically in Flannery O'Connor's comic novel Wise Blood.
The study guides and lesson plans integrate Bible study, prayer, and worship to explore the nature of Christian freedom. The guides can be used in a series or individually. You may download and reproduce them for personal or group use.
Download the entire Freedom issue and the set of five Study Guides. Or, download individual pieces by clicking the titles below.
Articles
- Freedom and Belonging, by Richard Bauckham
- Paul's Assessment of Christian Freedom by Bruce W. Longenecker
- Authority, Autonomy, and the Freedom to Love, by Scott Bader-Saye
- The Baptist Contribution to Liberty, by Jason D. Whitt
- Deepening the Mystery of Freedom, by Heather Hughes
Art
- Under Assault, by Heidi J. Hornik and Robert B. Kruschwitz, on Martin Schongauer, Saint Anthony Abbot Tempted by Demons
- Liberation from Tyranny, by Heidi J. Hornik, on Raphael, Liberation of St. Peter
Hymn and Worship Service
- A Hymn for Freedom, by Burt L. Burleson
- Worship Service by Burt L. Burleson
Inspirational Pieces
- Freedom, by William H. Willimon
- A Picture of Freedom, by Matt Cook
- Other Voices, Quotations on Freedom
Book Reviews
- The Nature of Christian Freedom, by Philip D. Kenneson
- Richard Bauckham, God and the Crisis of Freedom: Biblical and Contemporary Perspectives
- Reinhard Htter, Bound to be Free: Evangelical Catholic Engagements in Ecclesiology, Ethics, and Ecumenism
- Gilbert Meilaender, The Freedom of a Christian: Grace, Vocation, and the Meaning of Our Humanity
- Being Christian in a Democratic State, by Coleman Fannin
- Stanley Hauerwas and Romand Coles, Christianity, Democracy, and the Radical Ordinary: Conversations between a Radical Democrat and a Christian
- Scott Moore, The Limits of Liberal Democracy: Politics and Religion at the End of Modernity
- Jeffrey Stout, Democracy and Tradition