For Such a Time as This

As I watch events unfold in Venezuela, Iran, and in nearly every other part of the world, I’m reminded of the immeasurable blessing that is freedom of speech. What we still enjoy in America is unique, and should not be taken for granted.

I’ve written on this subject before, and I always anchor my argument for robust free speech in our being created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). For me, free speech starts and ends there. It’s a function of our distinct personhood and a reflection of the goodness of Almighty God. I hope that it goes without saying that you and I should not only desire free speech for ourselves, but for everyone else.

We who follow Christ champion the sanctity of human life, and that includes our commitment to the common good. There are no fundamental human or civil rights where self-expression is forbidden or – even worse – punished. Christians are called to be truth seekers. As such, we’re to defend the basic liberties which promote human flourishing in the form of free expression.

Free speech is a shield against tyranny. This is a global reality.

I’m alarmed by the loss of free speech that I see happening in England, as well as in Canada. These injustices hit close to home, and include punishment for activities like holding a sign, or wearing a t-shirt, or praying publicly – even silent prayer. What would have been considered unthinkable restrictions in such Western societies just a few years ago are now being codified and enforced in short order.

My concern is that you and I not sleep through this erosion of freedom, but that we remain watchful, prayerful, and vigilant for such a time as this. As 2026 gets rolling, I’m asking you to join me in praying daily for our sisters and brothers in many parts of the world who are seeking to follow Christ under harsh governments which work actively against even the one-to-one sharing of the good news of Jesus. Anywhere on Planet Earth, where freedom of speech is lost, so is freedom of religion. Personally, I’m praying for fifteen specific countries so that my awareness of persecution is a little less theoretical and a little more tangible.

I don’t advocate for freedom of speech only in the hope that burdensome legal restraints are eradicated, but in the hope that people from every nation – our fellow image bearers – may enjoy what it means to be fully human. My hope is deeply theological. Freedom of expression aligns beautifully with enjoying the fullness of God, in whose image each one of us was created. You and I are free for God’s glory – not for our own.

We serve the God who champions freedom: “Let my people go!”

We serve the God who spoke – literally – the entire cosmos into being (Genesis 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26). No less the Creator of everything that exists – seen and unseen – our Lord Jesus Christ is none other than “the Word” who graciously invaded space and time to rescue and redeem us (John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-17). We look to Him who creates to sustain.

Words matter. Every word matters. The gospel transforms the world primarily through speech.

This truth is often overlooked, but the government does not grant anyone free speech. Honorable government merely acknowledges what our Creator has already declared to be true. Per God’s Word, the authority of all human government is purposefully limited (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17). Thankfully, in America, freedom of speech is recognized and protected in our earliest documents. But you and I’d be foolish, here and now, to fail to seek the risen Lord to uphold us – for our good and for His glory.

We must never forget that the aim of all speech is love for God and others. When I was a young seminarian, one of the highlights of my studies was getting to meet Carl F. H. Henry, who had a profound understanding of the important intersection of Biblical doctrine and politics. Rightly, Dr. Henry challenged both liberal social gospel and conservative retreat from the public square. I’ll share just one critical quote: “The Bible has a doctrine of divinely imposed duties; what moderns call ‘human rights’ are the contingent flipside of those duties.” Said differently by me: God liberates us – by His undeserved grace – so that we can be free to serve a world imprisoned by sin and spiritual darkness.

You and I are free to serve. In fact, freedom calls us to responsibility. Communication is one of the many gifts which God has given us to point the whole world toward eternal truth, justice, righteousness, and love. Free speech is much more than a matter of political or social justice, as it enables people to thrive in joyful conformity to God’s call upon our lives.

Of course, some speech can be intrinsically and utterly destructive (Proverbs 18:21). We have to act when speech itself causes imminent harm, but it’s my contention that speech should enjoy the general presumption of liberty. Restrictions on speech should be the rare exception – certainly not the norm. All governments by nature drift toward more power for themselves, so it’s incumbent upon citizens of good faith to keep the First Amendment alive and well.

We have the greatest opportunity to arrive at the truth when speech is free (Isaiah 40:1-8; 55:10-11; Matthew 12:33-37; John 10:27). I’ll quote a great proponent of the value of the marketplace of ideas, Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. [U.S. v. Schwimmer, dissenting opinion]: “If there is any principle of the Constitution that more imperatively calls for the attachment than any other, it is the principle of free thought – not free thought for those who agree with us but freedom for the thought that we hate.”

Where people are free, we can feel the wind of heaven. On a fallen planet, personal liberty can function like a grace-oasis. Long after Moses, the Passover continued to be the people’s reminder that God wanted them free. So it is with our Holy Communion. You and I have it on excellent authority: “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Hallelujah! And the liberty which our souls crave we should desire for others. This is love.

Finally, I’ll quote Dr. Wayne Grudem, whose “Systematic Theology” has become so life-giving to the young people in our church: “Protecting people’s ability to think and decide issues freely for themselves means that they must be able to have access to arguments on all sides of an issue. This can only happen if freedom of speech is permitted in a society and if all the different viewpoints on an issue are able to be freely expressed.”

I say let’s keep the light on.

Pastor Charles