A Notification of Autonomy
During one hot, muggy Philadelphia in June of 1776, 56 men sat down to discuss and passionately argue about taxation, slavery, and big states vs. small states, among other issues. Their mission: Independence from English tyranny. After much private deliberation, they conceived and drafted an amazing document. A document which has enabled us to enjoy the freedoms we have today. Let’s read a short portion of it together:
In Congress, July 4, 1776. The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America.
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That 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, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government…..
Founding Father Thomas Jefferson, in an early version of the Declaration, drafted a 168-word passage that condemned slavery as one of the many evils foisted upon the colonies by the British crown. Unfortunately the entire passage was cut from the final wording. Fearful of dividing the fragile new nation, Jefferson and other founders who opposed slavery did not insist on abolishing it.
The practice of slavery remains an ugly stain on human history, however it did not originate in America. It must be recognized that it was practiced by every ancient people of which we have any historical record: Egyptians, Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, Phoenicians, Syrians, Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Greeks, Romans, etc. One would have hoped it would have been terminated in the “new world” but sadly that would take another couple hundred years. “Why” is up for debate. Perhaps because social reform takes time and agreement. Even today few are in complete agreement on how best to manifest the fallacy of a perfectly fair and equitable society. Ultimately the introduction of sin into the world (Gen. 3) makes this impossible.
I asked myself ‘so what does the Bible have to say about slavery?’ After a little digging I discovered that slaves in the Old Testament were recognized as full persons who possessed human dignity and basic rights (Deuteronomy 5:14; Job 31:13). The New Testament indicates that in God’s sight there is “neither slave nor free” (Galatians 3:28; Colossians 3:11) and that both are part of Christ’s church and equally accountable to God (Ephesians 6:5-9). Take note that the Bible does not at all consider slaves of any race a “lesser” people, in fact we are all co-equal. One likely reason that the apostolic authors of the New Testament did not condemn slavery was most likely because they placed the preaching of the gospel and the immediate need for the redemption of lost souls a priority over gradual societal reform. And there is certainly much to reform. Even more so today. Then again, what defines good and just reform for all?
I think we should ask ourselves if we’re making the same mistakes all over again or simply making new ones. While sin remains in the world, society will never be completely “fixed” regardless of how hard we might want it. Only through the Lord Jesus Christ is true and lasting peace attainable.
For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. 1 John 2:16.
Meanwhile, Happy Independence Day!
Jim
"Only through the Lord Jesus Christ is true and lasting peace attainable." Amen. And only in Christ do we find true freedom.