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WisconsinChristianNews.com
Volume 27, Issue 3
Freedom That Lasts
By Jim Schneider, Executive Director, VCY America Summer 2026 Two-hundred-fifty years ago, 56 men placed their signature to a document known as the Declaration of Independence declaring to the British monarchy,
sable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage.” While being inter- viewed on this book he stated, “There is a movement to rewrite the First Amendment because one law professor said it’s ‘exces- sively individualistic.’” Many efforts have been made to stifle free speech and the free exercise of religion. Some are going to great efforts to declare
ognize, “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteous- nesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6). If anyone thinks they are free from the label of being a sinner, Scripture contradicts that errant thought. “For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.” (Ecclesiastes
7:20). “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23). The universal sinful condition of man comes with a penalty. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23). With such a penalty upon all of mankind, how can one gain eternal freedom? It’s important to realize that man cannot earn this freedom by any merit of his own — “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” (Titus 3:5). It is only the shed blood of Christ that
“We hold these truths to be self-evi- dent, 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.” These men laid out their grievances to the British throne and broke free from the bondage that had plagued them. They mutually pledged “to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” Indeed, the quest for freedom had begun. This new-found freedom came under immediate threat and attack. Some 6800 American lives were lost in the Revolutionary War and many more were wounded, but the grit and deter- mination for liberty rose above all else.
the First Amendment is about freedom of “worship,” rather than the freedom of religion. By doing so, they suggest that worship must stay in the four walls of the building and not in the public arena. How long these freedoms will remain, no one truly knows, as there is a great effort to dismantle them and bind “We the people” once again. Some of the efforts to subvert this document are vo- calized; other efforts are clandestinely planned behind closed doors. The American people must not forget that freedom is not free. There are those who sacrificially paid the ultimate price for us to have these freedoms today. Americans must maintain a stead- fast vigilance to safeguard these liberties. While attempts to undermine this Constitutional Republic will continue, there is a freedom that can never be taken away. I’m referring to an eternal freedom that is only found in Jesus Christ. Every individual is in bondage to sin. It is sin that separates man from a holy, righteous God. No merit of man can break the shackles of this sin. No matter how hard man tries, he must rec-
can appease the penalty of sin. “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Indeed, Christ paid the debt in full. Each person must realize that only by placing their trust in Jesus that this ever- lasting freedom from sin’s penalty can take hold. “Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condem- nation; even so by the righteousness of One the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” (Romans 5:18). “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” (Ephesians 1:7). While freedoms to Americans will continue to face attack and face erosion, the freedom found in Jesus Christ will NEVER suffer loss or be rescinded. It is crucial for each individual to obtain this freedom found only in Jesus. It doesn’t come naturally; it comes supernaturally, as one places their trust in Jesus. “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32). VCY.org
Eleven years after the signing of the Declaration of Independ- ence, another battle for freedom ensued in the drafting of the United States Constitution. After debate and agreeing upon a final document, Elizabeth Willing Powel asked Benjamin Franklin, “Well, Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?” To the question Dr. Franklin replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.” After being drafted in 1787, the document went to the 13 colonies for ratification which occurred in 1788. While the United States Constitution is the longest surviving charter of government in the world, it faces regular attack includ- ing, on many occasions, by each of the three branches of gov- ernment, which the document established. James Madison was the architect of the First Amendment which protects the freedom of religion, the freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to peacefully assemble, and the right to pe- tition the government. These rights are cherished, but these free- doms have also suffered numerous attacks. Law professor Jonathan Turley wrote a book, “The Indispen-
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