Hey Christians, have we made an Idol of Individual Freedom? / A.J. Hendry

Recently, several Christian leaders have become increasingly vocal in their condemnation of the Government, calling for an end to lockdowns and to what some have labelled as “draconian, socialist policy”, tantamount to “prison” or “house arrest. These leaders find fault with the Government’s current Public Health centered approach, and would like to see a shift in that approach, one that is willing to accept loss of human life, in favor of the restoration of our freedoms, liberties, and individual rights.

Obviously, for many of you Brian Tamaki will be the first name that pops into your head, but there are other voices reading from the same song book, the Mortlock’s and the Watkinson’s are another couple with a bit more notoriety, but if I’m honest this sentiment, is a fairly common one that I’ve found within our church communities. Now, obviously I’m speaking from my experience, and once again, as a Christian myself, I’m not saying all Christian’s think this – that would be a basic contradiction due to the fact that I identify as one myself – but in the circles I walk in at the very least, it seems to be a common enough sentiment.

It is also one that hasn’t just been driven by these lockdowns.

Many Christians have been afraid for years that we have been losing our place in this world. That the Government is coming for us, and that if we don’t stand up for our rights, we’ll lose them.

I remember when I was a kid and the Government were enacting what were, I guess, quite significant social reforms of the day, the anti-smacking bill, the prostitution law reform, the introduction of civil unions, the arguments were the same. We were told that we were losing our freedoms, our personal liberties, that our rights were all being taken from us.

The fear within some Christian circles was palpable.

Later in 2018, when the name of Jesus was removed from the parliamentary prayer, once again the same arguments were brought forward. Several Christian Leaders mobilized, and we were called to march, pray, protest for our rights, for our liberty, for our individual freedoms.

And again, fear.

And then, more recently still, the bill to end conversion practices. Again, these arguments have been brought forward. Socialist government, power grabbing politicians, enemies of the faith, seeking to take away our rights, our liberties, and our freedoms, seeking to attack the church, to criminalize Christians, to criminalize pastors.

Fear.

What I find the most confusing about this focus on liberty, freedom, and individual rights, is that these values are not the fundamental values of the Christian faith. In fact, they seem to have more in common with the values of the American Empire, than they do with those of a poor, impoverished indigenous man, who was murdered for speaking Truth to Power, sacrificing his own rights and freedoms for the sake of the collective.

The other thing I think is important to highlight, is that these fears have been largely unwarranted. Whenever there is social change, we’ve been told our liberty is going to be taken, and yet that has not happened.

Since the anti-smacking bill came in, we haven’t seen droves of Christian parents criminalized or dragged before the courts.

Since the introduction of Civil Unions and then Marriage equality, we haven’t seen a mass movement of Pastor’s being imprisoned or dragged before the courts, despite the church in New Zealand still – largely – holding to a Traditional Sexual Ethic and policy on sexuality and LGBTQ inclusion.

And yet, these lines are brought out every time, and every time many of us are driven by this fear to line up in vehement opposition to whatever policy, or group of people, that has been positioned as the object of these fears.

And yet, sadly again and again, we miss something. In our pursuit to defend our rights, our liberties and our freedoms, we miss that a lot of these shifts within our society aren’t about us.

The anti-smacking bill was about protecting the rights of small kids who couldn’t stand up for themselves. Children that were being beaten, and whose abusers were being let off using their parental right to discipline their kid as a defense.

The prostitution law reform came about as a way of recognizing a reality, prostitution will not be legislated out of existence, but we can find ways to regulate the practice, and keep the men and woman who do this work as safe as possible with the aim of reducing harm.

Marriage equality, civil unions, the bill to end conversion practices, these were about acknowledging the humanity of a historically marginalized and abused group within our community. It was about saying to the Queer community, you have value, and we are enshrining your existence, and your legitimacy into law.

And these lockdowns?

They are also not about us.

They are about protecting those in our community who are most vulnerable, they are about ensuring those who are sick, or weak, or at-risk, can be kept alive while we develop the tools, and build the infrastructure to manage this virus.

They are about caring for the most vulnerable, the marginalized, and the oppressed within our community.

What is crazy about those from within our community who oppose these lockdown’s, is that these are the core values of our faith.

The Christian Faith, at its core, with all the Imperialism, White Supremacy, and abusive, coercive power structures shoved to the side, is about radical care, love and inclusion for those who have been pushed to the margins, those who have been considered the least.

One of the great ironies of those Christian Leaders who are calling the Government anti-Christ and in the next breath are calling for the borders to open, willing to accept the loss of life that will entail, is that in a way these Christian’s have taken on the values of the Empire, while this Government – in this area at least – has been championing the spirit and values of Christ. It makes me wonder if personal freedom, and individual liberty has not become an idol within the church? Whether, we have forgotten the Way of Love Jesus has set before us, turning instead to secular definitions of freedom which have no place within the church?

To be clear, standing for our rights, our individual freedom, and personal liberty, these are not the core values of Christ. Follower’s of Jesus are time and time again invited do just the opposite.

Within our faith, overriding any claim to personal freedom is a challenge to lay down one’s rights in order to serve, to sacrifice one’s life – quite literally – for the lives of others.  

Instead of seeing lockdowns as an attack on our personal liberty, Christ invites us to see them as an opportunity to engage in a practice of intentional love and care for those who are most vulnerable to this deadly disease.

To be a people who willingly lay down our own rights, out of care and Love for others.

#LoveIsTheWay, and you and I, are invited to walk in it.

A.J. Hendry is a Laidlaw College graduate, and now a Youth Development Worker and housing advocate, working in the Youth Housing and Homelessness space. He leads a service supporting rangatahi experiencing homelessness and is also a steering group member of Manaaki Rangatahi, a collective working to end youth homelessness in Aotearoa. He is also the curator and creator of When Lambs Are Silent.