{"id":4137,"date":"2020-11-27T09:33:50","date_gmt":"2020-11-27T08:33:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/?page_id=4137"},"modified":"2022-06-14T22:57:29","modified_gmt":"2022-06-14T20:57:29","slug":"freedom-of-speech","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/faq\/freedom-of-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"Christianity is against freedom of speech&#8230; Right?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"iframe-container\">\n\n<iframe id=\"lbry-iframe\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/odysee.com\/$\/embed\/silly-christian-christianity-is-against\/88a5d80b7160588e9544612b3a66e654be89bb53?r=2RvcFiXW2eCXhaT73V9avwBA4Fm3wxZX\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<p class=\"\">This accusation is a wide spread, and often celebrated argument\nagainst Christians. True enough, we have seen examples in the past\nwhere people were not allowed to believe or to say what they wanted.\nBlasphemy, criticism and disagreement within the ruling church was a\nperilous undertaking. However, before I continue I would like to\nquote mister David Chilton:<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\"><i>\u201cFreedom cannot be exported to a nation that has no marketplace for the Gospel.\u201c<\/i><a href=\"#sdendnote1sym\"><sup><b>i<\/b><sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">That is a bold statement! Mister Chilton argues that the freedom\nwe know so well in the West, is rooted in the Christian world-view.\nWhen we talk about Christian world-view, we must acknowledge that\nthis world-view is rooted in the teachings of Christ. Christ was the\nOne who taught His followers to be humble, honest and lovers of\npeople. So, to get the argument of a tyrannical church out of the\nway. We can safely say that, when the church or the clergy acted in\nfascist<a href=\"#sdendnote2sym\"><sup><b>ii<\/b><sup><\/a>\nand tyrannical ways, they absolutely did not hold to the teachings of\nJesus. And, unless someone comes up with a teaching of Jesus in which\nwe can undeniably read that He promoted such thinking, I leave the\nwhole \u2018suppressing church\u2019 thing behind me now.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">So why did mister Chilton said such a bold thing?<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">Chilton understands the impact of the Christian world-view! As\nChristians, we believe that our faith in Christ frees us from the\nchains of slavery to sin in a wicked, corrupt, and fallen world. \n<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">2 Corinthians 3:17 states: <i>\u201cNow the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<b>Also read my article: Why Mission Matters.<a href=\"#sdendnote3sym\"><sup><b>iii<\/b><sup><\/a><\/b><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">Christians have always been involved in defending liberties. It\nwas not only freedom of speech but also other forms of liberties. You\nmight also think in terms of slavery, religious freedom, and the\nfreedom to have your own property. Throughout history, Christians\nalways defended these rights. A Christian has the duty, no, I would\nlike to call it holy duty, to disagree with matters that are evil. We\nare not only talking about personal sin but \u2018evil\u2019 in a broader\nsense like wickedness, and tyrannical behaviour from leaders,\nfanatics, politicians, kings and even from within the church itself.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">When I say \u2018holy duty\u2019 I say this not only based on one text\nin the Bible. The Bible is literally peppered with commands of being\ndefenders of freedom. What to think about Micah 6:8 <i>\u201cHe hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require\nof thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?\u201d<\/i> (KJV), or in a more understandable translation: <i>\u201cThe\nLord God has told us what is right and what he demands: \u201cSee that\njustice is done, let mercy be your first concern, and humbly obey\nyour God.\u201d<\/i> (CEV)<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">When we look at the history of Protestantism, we see a lot of\ndisagreement. Yes, you\u2019ve got it! That\u2019s why it is called\nProtestantism\u2026 Protestants are those who protested against tyranny.\nThe Protestants wanted to live a life according to God\u2019s word.\nNeedless to say that this wouldn\u2019t be possible without freedom of\nspeech and freedom of religion. You can only be a Protestant when you\nare allowed to disagree and disagreement is only possible when there\nis freedom of speech. Just look around you and see what happens when\ncountries start to show contempt and disrespect for those who do not\nagree. Many of us right away think about North Korea and the\nCommunist Chinese Party, where they treat Christian dissenters with\ncontempt and scorn. \n<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">But hold on a minute!! What about our own countries? I am in my\nown country, the Netherlands, at the moment. I am appalled when I see\nhow much censorship there is in my own country. I grew up in this\nbeautiful small country. A country in which freedom of speech was\nbasically the number one pillar of our democracy. Sure, I wasn\u2019t\nalways happy with the things other people said. But I always say that\nwhen someone is allowed to dance half naked on a boat in Amsterdam\nwhile he is kissing his friend, I also, am allowed to preach the\nGospel on the boat that is floating behind him. That is freedom and\nwith freedom comes the risk of being insulted. But now that freedom\nis under attack. We even have the army to check on us. True! <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ninefornews.nl\/leger-bespioneerde-jensen-nl-gele-hesjes-en-viruswaarheid-big-brother-is-watching-you\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Recently\nthe news headlines<\/a> in Holland stated that the army used their\nabilities to follow certain websites and persons who were labelled as\nbeing critical or in disagreement with the governmental Covid-19\npolicy. A reporter <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ninefornews.nl\/zeer-intimiderend-politie-aan-de-deur-wegens-video-over-complotdenker\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">received a phone call from the local police<\/a>\nbecause they were informed about the fact that he interviewed people\nwho disagreed with many things concerning the governmental decisions.\nThe officer said that they were worried about the fact that he gave a\nplatform for conspiracy thinkers. These are just two examples from\nthe Netherlands, but I am sure you can think of some in your country\nas well. \n<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">Let me cite Chilton again:<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">\u201c<i>When the Puritans left England, they did not wander over the\nearth; God brought them into a land and made them rulers, and though\nthe foundation they built has greatly eroded, it is still very much\nwith us after 300 years. What will people 300 years from now say\nof the accomplishments of today\u2019s shallow, retreatist\nevangelicalism?\u201d<\/i><a href=\"#sdendnote4sym\"><sup><b>iv<\/b><sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">Looking back on the recent history of freedom we see people like\nMartin Luther and other reformers in Europe, the Puritans who sought\nto purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices. We also\nsee William Wilberforce, who was an evangelical Christian and a\nleader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. And of course the\nFounding Fathers who are well known in the US. They all had one thing\nin common, they were Bible-believing Christians who defended the\nfreedom we sometimes take for granted.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">A real Christian should realise that his or her spiritual battle\nis not much different from that of our forefathers. Sure, our\nforefathers didn\u2019t have social media that could potentially\ndiscredit them&#8230; No, they \u2018only\u2019 had to get their message across\nby the written word and by actually going somewhere and talk in\npublic. They faced kings, corrupt politicians and powerful clergy.\nStill, they never abandoned their holy duty to protect the freedom of\nspeech.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">Torba wrote an article about the big tech companies who misuse\ntheir position to silence disagreeable voices. He said:<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\"><i>\u201cChristians must once again become Dissenters in today\u2019s\nworld, but in order to do so they must stop being wimps and rise up\nto the battle God is calling them to fight.\u201d<\/i><a href=\"#sdendnote5sym\"><sup><b>v<\/b><sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">Christians shouldn\u2019t back down when it comes to defend justice\nwhile preaching the Gospel of the Risen King. Keith Green sang <i>\u201cOh, can&#8217;t you see it&#8217;s such sin? The world is sleeping in the dark that the church just can&#8217;t fight &#8217;cause it&#8217;s asleep in the light.\u201d<a href=\"#sdendnote6sym\"><sup><b>vi<\/b><sup><\/a><\/i> Christians shouldn\u2019t accept\nweak and compromised\npreaching. We have the truth\nin the Lord Jesus. Whenever this message gets compromised we end up\nwith churches full of powerless individuals, who call themselves\nChristians but are in reality nothing more than the man\nwho build his house on the sand. When the waves of political\ncorrectness come. Or when the wind of \u2018tolerance\u2019 begins to blow,\ntheir houses\nwill crumble and collapse. \n<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">Again, Chilton explained this in his book:<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\"><i>\u201cAll heathen cultures have been statist and tyrannical, for a\npeople who reject God will surrender themselves and their property to\na dictator.\u201d<\/i><span><a href=\"#sdendnote7sym\"><sup><b>vii<\/b><sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">Chilton uses 1 Samual 8 to\nexpound. God gives a warning to the people. A\npeople who rather have a\nhuman king. Not long after, they forgot about God and slowly but\nsurely they found themselves under the rule of \u2018freedom\nsuppressing\u2019 leaders\nwho were\nnot willing to accept any critical sound in their kingdom.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">Practice what you preach and live it. Lead by example. Do what you\ncan and expect to be persecuted like your Master (John 15:20). Don\u2019t\naccept a watered down Gospel from a preacher who basically wants to\npropagate \u2018tolerance\u2019, \u2018diversity\u2019 and \u2018acceptance\u2019.\nContinue to speak the truth and support those who do the same in the\npublic arena, be bold and not ashamed of the gospel of Christ\n<i>\u201cbecause it is the power of God that brings salvation to\neveryone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile\u201d<\/i>\n(Romans 1:16 NIV).<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\">\n\n<br\/>\n\n<br\/>\n\n<\/p>\n\n<b><a id=\"sdendnote1sym\">i<\/a><\/b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chilton, D., <i>Paradise Restored: a biblical theology of dominion<\/i>. Dominion Pr, 1985, Page 49.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\"><b><a id=\"sdendnote2sym\">ii<\/a><\/b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the rule of elites, and the desire to create a community, in which individual interests would be  subordinated to the good of the nation. Internet: [<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/fascism\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/fascism<\/a>], accessed 24-11-2020).<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\"><b><a id=\"sdendnote3sym\">iii<\/a><\/b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Hofmann, J., <i>Why Mission Matters<\/i>, Internet: [<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/faq\/010_why-mission\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/faq\/010_why-mission\/<\/a>] accessed on 17-11-2020.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\"><b><a id=\"sdendnote4sym\">iv<\/a><\/b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chilton, D., <i>Paradise Restored: a biblical theology of dominion<\/i>. Dominion Pr, 1985, Page 51.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\"><b><a id=\"sdendnote5sym\">v<\/a><\/b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Torba, A., <i>The Christian Crusade To Save Free Speech, Again.<\/i> Internet: [<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/news.gab.com\/2020\/11\/17\/the-christian-crusade-to-save-free-speech-again\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/news.gab.com\/2020\/11\/17\/the-christian-crusade-to-save-free-speech-again\/<\/a>] accessed on 17-11-2020.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\"><b><a id=\"sdendnote6sym\">vi<\/a><\/b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Green, K. G., <i>Asleep in the light<\/i>, 1987 the Sparrow Corporation.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"\"><b><a id=\"sdendnote7sym\">vii<\/a><\/b>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Chilton, D., <i>Paradise Restored: a biblical theology of dominion<\/i>. Dominion Pr, 1985, Page 50.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This accusation is a wide spread, and often celebrated argument against Christians. True enough, we have seen examples in the past where people were not allowed to believe or to say what they wanted. Blasphemy, criticism and disagreement within the ruling church was a perilous undertaking. However, before I continue I would like to quote [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6322,"parent":1086,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[225,308],"tags":[264,262,258,263],"folder":[98],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4137"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4137\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1086"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4137"},{"taxonomy":"folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.apologeet.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/folder?post=4137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}