What’s so self evident?

“We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men ae created equal…” These words in the Declaration of Independence are familiar to us, but what do they mean? Is this grounded in a belief that God looks upon all of us equally? Or does it mean to imply that we are all equal when we are born and so we all have an equal chance in life?

The latter is the more common understanding of the meaning of being created equal and it is expressed in the words, “equal opportunity.” Behind the Declaration of Independence, as well as the Constitution and the Bill of Rights is the belief presented most notably by philosopher John Locke that we are all born as “clean slates.” When each of us in born there are no characteristics that influence or limit who we are able to become; we all have an equal start to write on that slate whatever we want, therefore we have equal opportunity. I am not certain that this is the best way to interpret the words of the Declaration of Independence; it certainly isn’t a Christian one.

The developing understanding of a person/self that we have from science and philosophy today does not concur with Locke’s vision of a clean slate at birth. Darwinism alone throws that out the window. It is not only genetically that we are born differently and not equally, but socially as well – being born in a ghetto is not equal to being born in the suburbs. This does not mean that we are determined; we have the freedom to create ourselves but we all have predispositions that we are born with that will influence who we become. My first son was born with a predisposition for asthma and allergies. As an infant we had to seclude him in order to avoid colds which often resulted in a trip to the ER. I can tell you I did not think that was fair! Nor equal, especially when in the company of parents holding a calm and peaceful child. Put simply, from a rational scientific point of view we are not created equal and therefore do not have equal opportunity.

More than that, this perspective is also at odds with what we hold to be self evident as Christians. “God is love” precludes anything we have to say. God loveing all equally is the basis for how we view this, and it means not only that God loves us equally when we are born but also wants us to be equal throughout our lives – to seek equality with intention.

A Christian understanding of freedom is irreconcilable with the common understanding of freedom which is, I believe, the power to do as I please. We mistake freedom as an end rather than a means. Martin Buber called freedom empty, a stepping stone rather than a dwelling place. Can you imgine a politician in American saying that freedom is empty?! Freedom is necessary for there to be transformation; by saying that freedom is empty does not devalue it. But by saying that freedom is necessary for transformation is to acknowledge that transformation is a more substantive value. Freedom is necessary as a means but dangerous as an end; as an end freedom leads to either totalitarianism or anarchy. For the Apostle Paul freedom was definetely a means and not an end. Specifically, freedom was a means for one to become a “slave of Christ.” Excuse me?! Freedom is a means for a greater good which is to choose to be a disciple of Jesus Christ so that the Kin-dom of God may come.

I would love to feel the freedom to pursue happiness – create my own life, write my slate, but I got married and that put an end to that. Then I was careless enough to have children. But even with these formitable constraints that are shared by many I also have this Jesus thing to deal with; and what is self evident to me is not that we are created equal but that God loves us equally.

Not only did I get married and have children, I became a pastor, and to make matters even worse I became a United Methodist pastor who is required to hand over my personal freedom to a bishop who has the power to tell me where to go…. I am a slave to the Church! Let it be so with me and likewise for many. Pastor Jim