Religious freedom is an inalienable human right granted by God in creation (Genesis 2). Religious freedom is an expression of free will. In the Garden of Eden, God granted to the first humans the freedom of choice – the choice to believe, the choice to be obedient, and the choice to rebel. The Apostle Paul affirmed that all humans, Jew and Gentile, have a religious conscience that prompts an intuitive search for God (Romans 2:15; Acts 17:24-28). Because religious freedom is granted by God, this is a freedom that is not derived from the state and should not be suppressed by the state. In fact, government derives it authority from God and exists to promote the flourishing of human civilization. Therefore, the proper role of government should be to protect the free expression of religion throughout its domain (Romans 13:1ff). The temptation for government is to deify itself, thereby suppressing religious freedoms (but that is a topic for a future blog).
Jesus Christ called his church to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:15). Within one generation from the resurrection of Jesus, the message of the Gospel had been preached throughout and beyond the Roman Empire. The book of Acts documents the travels of the Apostle Paul who completed three missionary journeys. Paul was successful in his missionary endeavors because Rome practiced a first century form of religious freedom, and as a Roman citizen Paul could travel freely along Roman roads. While the preaching of the apostles sometimes provoked religious riots (Acts 17:1ff), the Roman culture of religious toleration allowed the early Christians an opportunity to present the gospel in public forums.
One of the greatest public forums was the Aeropagas (Mars Hill) in Athens (Acts 17:16-34). Athens was a city of idols, that is, a public market of religions. Paul did not avoid this public market; rather he stood in the midst of the idols and began “reasoning” with the philosophers. Even as he stood in the midst of the religious and philosophical center of the ancient world, Paul was “not ashamed of the gospel” (Romans 1:16). Although he was “provoked in spirit,” Paul did not renounce the religious devotion of the idolaters. Instead, he commended their intuitive search for the divine – “I observe that you are very religious in all respects…” Further, even though there was diversity of religious expression, Paul affirmed that all humans were created by the one God, are descended from a single human family, and all humans are the children of God. Even as he was affirming their search for God, he suggested that they were “groping” in darkness (Acts 17:27) and shared the light of Jesus Christ. The reaction to Paul’s proclamation of the gospel was threefold: some sneered, some wanted to talk again, and some believed.
As Christians in the 21st century seek to be faithful to the mission of Christ we find ourselves standing in the midst of a global Areopagus. There are five major religions, and hundreds of minor religions and sects, that are no longer segregated by borders, but integrated throughout the world. If the gospel is to be heard, and prevail, in this global religious market then Christians must learn to respect and reason. Like Paul, we need to respect all humans as children of God. We need to respect the religious beliefs and consciences of all humans. Like Paul, we need to learn to reason. That means Christians must be better informed about their own faith, and the beliefs of others, and learn the art of civil dialogue. As we engage the global Aeropagus many will sneer, some will want to hear more, and some will believe.
Christians should tirelessly defend religious freedom throughout the world. The global Aeropagus must be a free market – free from all forms of coercion, discrimination, persecution, and violence. The freedoms of conscience and religion must be preserved so that the citizens of the global Areopagas can freely seek after God and engage in public dialogue. In the midst of groping in the darkness, the light of Christ will prevail (John 1:9).
