Category: Holiness

The problem of independence

freedom and independence

As we celebrate Independence Day today, I’m reminded of some brilliant words from William Cavanaugh and St. Augustine on freedom and independence. These come from Cavanaugh’s small book that you must read, Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire.

The alcoholic with plenty of money and access to an open liquor store may, in a purely negative sense, be free from anything interfering with getting what he wants; but in reality he is profoundly unfree and cannot free himself.

In order for him to regain freedom of choice, he cannot be left alone. He can only be free by being liberated from his false desires and being moved to desire rightly.

This is the sense in which Augustine says “freedom of choice is not made void but established by grace, since grace heals the will whereby righteousness may freely be loved.”

Freedom is something received, not merely exercised.

Therefore, in order to determine whether a person is acting freely, we need to know much more than whether or not that person is acting on his or her desires without the interference of others.

In Augustine’s view, others are in fact crucial to one’s freedom. A slave or an addict, by definition, cannot free himself or herself. Others from outside the self — the ultimate Other being God — are necessary to break through the bonds that enclose the self in itself.

Humans need a community of virtue in which to learn to desire rightly.

From Cavanaugh’s Being Consumed, pp. 8-9, emphasis and paragraph breaks mine.

Are you being liberated from your false desires?

Is there space in your life for others, and especially for God, to help you recognize and break through any bondage?

Are you part of a community of virtue that is helping you learn to desire rightly?

Some other posts on holiness
Relevance and Holiness
Crying out to save ourselves

freedom and independence

Relevance and Holiness

relevant

relevant

I recently heard a conversation about whether Christians should abstain from watching certain kinds of movies. The movie that started the whole discussion was The Hangover Part II (rated 10 out of 10 for sex & nudity, 7 for violence, 10 for profanity – see details here). One person was questioning whether someone “called to be holy” should be consuming these sort of things. The other was arguing that he wanted to remain “relevant and relatable” to others.

When does relevance win out over holiness?

Relevance is the regular reason Christians give to engage in less-than-holy behavior. How far should it go? One man’s “I watch raunchy movies to stay relevant,” is another man’s “I go to strip clubs so my friends don’t think I’m a prude.” Does it carry over to illicit drugs? Sleeping around? Doing dirty business if it leads to good money?

Here’s the point: at some point, you must forsake relevance for holiness. You cannot participate in everything the world has to offer, even though wherever you draw the line, it will make you less relevant/relatable.

So here’s my proposal: Draw the line at holiness every time. If you know you have a choice that affirms Christ’s lordship – even if it denies attractive worldly opportunities – make that choice every time.

Frankly, I don’t believe our world needs more “relevant” Christians, if by relevant, you mean living by the same standards as the rest of the world. I believe they desperately need more holy Christians. Don’t read that as self-righteous (acting morally superior to everyone else); read it as holy (fully consecrated to God).

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Crying out to save ourselves

voice in the wilderness

An old Jewish folktale told about Sodom:

A righteous man arrived in the city, and went about telling people to repent. The more he was ignored, the louder his calls for repentance grew.

One day, a young boy said to him, “Why do you continue yelling at people to change their behavior? You’ve been here a long time already, and you have affected no one.”

“When I first arrived,” the man responded, “I hoped that my yelling would change the people of Sodom. Now I yell so that the people of Sodom don’t change me.”

from Rabbi Joseph Telushkin in Biblical Literacy

Maybe your cries in the wilderness aren’t ineffective. Maybe their greatest (sometimes only) effect is your own salvation. If you cease to cry out, you’re likely to conform.