Freedom of Speech
Lloyd Gardner
July 21, 2020
Freedom of speech is a cornerstone of democracy. If we are to be a nation of citizens who choose their leaders through debate and dialogue, all citizens must have the right to speak without harassment. Gradually in America we are losing that right due to the pressure from the left to censor free speech. This is just one strategy of the left but if it is successful the democratic nature of this country will be destroyed. Christians must lead the way in countering falsehood by using their freedom to speak by boldly in the power of the Holy Spirit.
This First Amendment contains this restriction of government: “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech.” This freedom of speech is included in the Constitution because the Founders considered it one of the unalienable rights endowed by the Creator as expressed in the Declaration of Independence. God created us to speak our hearts. Jesus said, “…out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34). God knew what He was doing when He connected our mouth to our heart. Simply put, the freedom of speech means that citizens are free to speak their mind without fear of reprisal from government because God has granted this right to us and encourages us to use it to help others.
Free speech goes way back in history. The Greeks established free speech in the city states of ancient Greece and believed in the power of genuine dialogue. It was an imperfect attempt proven by the prosecution of Socrates for his beliefs but they aspired to the ideal of freedom of speech. Paul realized this when he visited Athens and dialogued with the people in the Areopagus where free speech was encouraged (Acts 17:22). The word used for Paul’s teaching there was the Greek word “dialogue” which speaks of a two way conversation rather than a one-way sermon. The churches established by Paul used dialogue and participation as their means of sharing in the congregations of the saints (1 Cor. 14:3, 26-32).
I believe the current trend toward denying people the right to speak has its origin in the rejection of absolute truth. If a person fails to believe in God, they also fail to believe in an absolute truth that originates in Him. When you reject the potential of absolute truth you are saying that truth is what you want it to be so what you say makes no difference.
The Bible is clear on the subject of truth. Jesus told His disciples, "I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). He made it clear that truth is centered in His person as the Son of God. It is not left up to the whims of people who invent truth according to their personal desires. In order to know truth we must know Christ and be in fellowship with Him. Paul wrote to the Ephesian believers that they can reach a point in spiritual growth where they are no longer tossed around by the verbal trickery of deceptive people but will be “speaking the truth in love” enabling them to “grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ” (Eph. 4:14, 15). We must actively search for truth and not passively let others tell us what it is while they oppose dialogue.
The early church understood that truth must be sought and this required an atmosphere where everyone was invited to share in the conversation of fellowship. He told the Corinthian church that when they gathered each person is welcome to bring something to share—a lesson, a testimony, or a song, or scripture verse, etc. (1 Cor. 14:26-32). But he insisted that two or three people speak that the others should judge what is spoken (v. 29). Truth is sometimes elusive in today’s wishy-washy culture. We must be discerning people who know how to reason together and arrive at truth together as we submit to the Holy Spirit and the word of God.
The apostle told the church in Thessalonica not to quench the Spirit and not to despise the speaking of others (1 Thess. 1:19, 20). But then he warned them to “Test all things; hold fast what is good” (v. 21). In other words they were to be open to one another in sharing but test what is said in the light of what God has said and is saying through His word and then hold fast to what is good. That is the way forward in truth. As long as we are listening silently while so called experts pontificate every Sunday and then go our way without discussion and dialogue we are setting ourselves up to deception.
There is a culture of deception that has invaded our society over the years and it is increasing in recent months. We have been set up by the enemy to swallow hook, line and sinker what the spirits of the age want us to believe. Wear your mask, be very afraid, avoid people, don’t hug or shake hands, don’t gather in worship services, don’t go to school, don’t sing in church, shut down your businesses. The same people told us that it was okay for protesters to gather by the thousands in our big cities and in many cases destroy the cities and oppose the police. Big Democrat governed cities are being destroyed while the leaders defund the police and allow violence to “steal, kill and destroy” what hardworking, devoted people have built. The deception is rampant.
I am probably going to shock you by saying that the reason for this departure from truth is the lethargic, wishy-washy, spiritually weak condition of much of the church. Paul told us that the body of Christ is “…the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15). God’s house, the church, is the “pillar and ground of the truth.” The pillar is the vertical support of a house and the ground is the base or foundation upon which the house is built. The church is all of that in regard to truth. It gives truth foundation and holds it upright and strong. Without a healthy, vibrant church, truth becomes subject to the whims of spiritually spineless people who are not committed to truth but to what they want truth to be.
That is exactly what is being played out in our country. Free speech is being crowded out by shout-downs, meaningless posters and fake news. The truth, spoken and written boldly, is being labeled hate speech by the secular world system. Conservative speakers are shouted down and often violently attacked by the aggressive protesters. College students are demanding safe spaces to protect them from any truth that may come along. The media, who are supposed to be the protectors of truth, have become the purveyors of vitriol, venom and outright lies. FaceBook, Twitter and other social media platforms routinely sanction Christian authors while giving virtual freedom to people from the left. And of course, churches have been shut down.
Cancel culture, a new phenomenon, is aimed at preventing the exchange of views leading to genuine understanding and truth. We are becoming like Hitler’s Germany as he used a propaganda machine under his propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels who led an entire nation into a cesspool of fake news and false information accompanied by outlandish racism and coerced allegiance to the Nazi message. The population of Germany in 1933 was approximately 60 million and almost all professed to being Christian—40 million Protestants and 20 million Catholics. The church in Germany committed the same sin now beginning to take place in America. First they succumbed to the antisemitism that engulfed the nation and basically went into a duck-and-cover mode throughout the reign of Hitler. This resulted in virtual decimation of the church in Germany. It has never been the same. We may be experiencing the beginnings of the same gradual compromise in this country if we continue to surrender our boldness to declare God’s word.
In many of our churches and in our country we are like a criminal trial where unsupported hearsay evidence is accepted while genuine facts are ignored. No trial could legitimately get to the truth using that process. In this country at this point in time we are making that mistake and the result is we are not arriving at truth. Dialogue, where facts and real first hand evidence is discussed, is the answer. Without that in this political year we will never be able to arrive at the best choice for president. We will make the wrong choice and the country will suffer greatly. Freedom of speech and the boldness to exercise it is essential.
George Washington speaking to some military officers in 1783 warned, "If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."
Time is running out for the church and for concerned citizens to rise up in the boldness of the Holy Spirit and speak truth to a “fake news” generation. Like Peter and John, we will not be silenced but have a message for our generation. It is God who has given us the freedom of speech not the government and we will use that freedom to proclaim that Jesus is Lord and that He brings truth to any person who will listen.
Lloyd Gardner
July 21, 2020
Freedom of speech is a cornerstone of democracy. If we are to be a nation of citizens who choose their leaders through debate and dialogue, all citizens must have the right to speak without harassment. Gradually in America we are losing that right due to the pressure from the left to censor free speech. This is just one strategy of the left but if it is successful the democratic nature of this country will be destroyed. Christians must lead the way in countering falsehood by using their freedom to speak by boldly in the power of the Holy Spirit.
This First Amendment contains this restriction of government: “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech.” This freedom of speech is included in the Constitution because the Founders considered it one of the unalienable rights endowed by the Creator as expressed in the Declaration of Independence. God created us to speak our hearts. Jesus said, “…out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34). God knew what He was doing when He connected our mouth to our heart. Simply put, the freedom of speech means that citizens are free to speak their mind without fear of reprisal from government because God has granted this right to us and encourages us to use it to help others.
Free speech goes way back in history. The Greeks established free speech in the city states of ancient Greece and believed in the power of genuine dialogue. It was an imperfect attempt proven by the prosecution of Socrates for his beliefs but they aspired to the ideal of freedom of speech. Paul realized this when he visited Athens and dialogued with the people in the Areopagus where free speech was encouraged (Acts 17:22). The word used for Paul’s teaching there was the Greek word “dialogue” which speaks of a two way conversation rather than a one-way sermon. The churches established by Paul used dialogue and participation as their means of sharing in the congregations of the saints (1 Cor. 14:3, 26-32).
I believe the current trend toward denying people the right to speak has its origin in the rejection of absolute truth. If a person fails to believe in God, they also fail to believe in an absolute truth that originates in Him. When you reject the potential of absolute truth you are saying that truth is what you want it to be so what you say makes no difference.
The Bible is clear on the subject of truth. Jesus told His disciples, "I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). He made it clear that truth is centered in His person as the Son of God. It is not left up to the whims of people who invent truth according to their personal desires. In order to know truth we must know Christ and be in fellowship with Him. Paul wrote to the Ephesian believers that they can reach a point in spiritual growth where they are no longer tossed around by the verbal trickery of deceptive people but will be “speaking the truth in love” enabling them to “grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ” (Eph. 4:14, 15). We must actively search for truth and not passively let others tell us what it is while they oppose dialogue.
The early church understood that truth must be sought and this required an atmosphere where everyone was invited to share in the conversation of fellowship. He told the Corinthian church that when they gathered each person is welcome to bring something to share—a lesson, a testimony, or a song, or scripture verse, etc. (1 Cor. 14:26-32). But he insisted that two or three people speak that the others should judge what is spoken (v. 29). Truth is sometimes elusive in today’s wishy-washy culture. We must be discerning people who know how to reason together and arrive at truth together as we submit to the Holy Spirit and the word of God.
The apostle told the church in Thessalonica not to quench the Spirit and not to despise the speaking of others (1 Thess. 1:19, 20). But then he warned them to “Test all things; hold fast what is good” (v. 21). In other words they were to be open to one another in sharing but test what is said in the light of what God has said and is saying through His word and then hold fast to what is good. That is the way forward in truth. As long as we are listening silently while so called experts pontificate every Sunday and then go our way without discussion and dialogue we are setting ourselves up to deception.
There is a culture of deception that has invaded our society over the years and it is increasing in recent months. We have been set up by the enemy to swallow hook, line and sinker what the spirits of the age want us to believe. Wear your mask, be very afraid, avoid people, don’t hug or shake hands, don’t gather in worship services, don’t go to school, don’t sing in church, shut down your businesses. The same people told us that it was okay for protesters to gather by the thousands in our big cities and in many cases destroy the cities and oppose the police. Big Democrat governed cities are being destroyed while the leaders defund the police and allow violence to “steal, kill and destroy” what hardworking, devoted people have built. The deception is rampant.
I am probably going to shock you by saying that the reason for this departure from truth is the lethargic, wishy-washy, spiritually weak condition of much of the church. Paul told us that the body of Christ is “…the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Tim. 3:15). God’s house, the church, is the “pillar and ground of the truth.” The pillar is the vertical support of a house and the ground is the base or foundation upon which the house is built. The church is all of that in regard to truth. It gives truth foundation and holds it upright and strong. Without a healthy, vibrant church, truth becomes subject to the whims of spiritually spineless people who are not committed to truth but to what they want truth to be.
That is exactly what is being played out in our country. Free speech is being crowded out by shout-downs, meaningless posters and fake news. The truth, spoken and written boldly, is being labeled hate speech by the secular world system. Conservative speakers are shouted down and often violently attacked by the aggressive protesters. College students are demanding safe spaces to protect them from any truth that may come along. The media, who are supposed to be the protectors of truth, have become the purveyors of vitriol, venom and outright lies. FaceBook, Twitter and other social media platforms routinely sanction Christian authors while giving virtual freedom to people from the left. And of course, churches have been shut down.
Cancel culture, a new phenomenon, is aimed at preventing the exchange of views leading to genuine understanding and truth. We are becoming like Hitler’s Germany as he used a propaganda machine under his propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels who led an entire nation into a cesspool of fake news and false information accompanied by outlandish racism and coerced allegiance to the Nazi message. The population of Germany in 1933 was approximately 60 million and almost all professed to being Christian—40 million Protestants and 20 million Catholics. The church in Germany committed the same sin now beginning to take place in America. First they succumbed to the antisemitism that engulfed the nation and basically went into a duck-and-cover mode throughout the reign of Hitler. This resulted in virtual decimation of the church in Germany. It has never been the same. We may be experiencing the beginnings of the same gradual compromise in this country if we continue to surrender our boldness to declare God’s word.
In many of our churches and in our country we are like a criminal trial where unsupported hearsay evidence is accepted while genuine facts are ignored. No trial could legitimately get to the truth using that process. In this country at this point in time we are making that mistake and the result is we are not arriving at truth. Dialogue, where facts and real first hand evidence is discussed, is the answer. Without that in this political year we will never be able to arrive at the best choice for president. We will make the wrong choice and the country will suffer greatly. Freedom of speech and the boldness to exercise it is essential.
George Washington speaking to some military officers in 1783 warned, "If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter."
Time is running out for the church and for concerned citizens to rise up in the boldness of the Holy Spirit and speak truth to a “fake news” generation. Like Peter and John, we will not be silenced but have a message for our generation. It is God who has given us the freedom of speech not the government and we will use that freedom to proclaim that Jesus is Lord and that He brings truth to any person who will listen.
