I would imagine that I am not the only SCBaptist who has unfinished projects around my home. This past Memorial Day, I checked one of those projects off when I installed a flagpole at our house that I purchased and opened almost two years ago. Now every day as I approach our driveway, “Old Glory” and the “Moultrie Flag” welcome me home. The flag that represents our nation stirs something inside of my heart when I see it waving in the wind or being folded at the graveside of someone who has served our nation.
As SCBaptists, we celebrate the freedoms that we have to worship and serve our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 states: “A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal, and this implies the right of free and unhindered access to God on the part of all men, and the right to form and propagate opinions in the sphere of religion without interference by the civil power.”
At the Southern Baptist Convention this year, I sat with tears welling up in my eyes as we commissioned 58 new IMB missionaries to reach the nations with the Good News of Jesus. While we saw some of our missionaries face to face, others stood behind a screen to protect their identity. Many of our missionaries serve in places that the church is not free to worship and serve.
There are IMB missionaries that put their lives, and the lives of their families, in God’s hands daily as they go against the laws of nations in order that some of the 166,338 people who die daily without Jesus might hear the gospel and believe on Jesus. Watching missionaries stand behind the screens reminded me just how blessed that we are to celebrate being a free church in a free state.
We have learned from the past that all it takes for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing. We should celebrate our religious freedoms, but we also must stand and protect them. I encourage you to listen to Tony Beam’s Truth in Politics and Culture podcast, episode 0356. Beam explains a battle in the city of Columbia over a ban on conversion therapy for minors.
This ban puts Christians who are professional, licensed counselors and Christian parents who have children struggling with sexual orientation and gender identity in a difficult place. Right now, there is a strong case for this ban to be repealed, and Christians need to stand up and speak out. The freedoms that we celebrate and enjoy will neither be celebrated nor enjoyed by future generations unless we are careful to protect them.
I serve as the Christian Life and Public Action representative for the Lakelands Baptist Association. It is my role to help our churches know when we need to stand up and speak out for legislation that is pertinent to our values as Christians. Our state legislators often share their frustration with me that those who oppose biblical values show up in masses to support or oppose legislation, while Christians are too often unseen and not heard from.>
If we choose to remain still and silent, one day Christians in our state will speak of the freedoms that were once enjoyed and celebrated by the church. While data suggests that 75 percent of Christians in the U.S. are registered to vote, only 56 percent voted in the 2024 election.
Some Christians sincerely question if we should be active in the political arena. Listen: When Christians remain still and silent, we leave the future direction of our nation, state and local communities in the hands of people who oppose the Word of God and the cause of Christ. While we do not worship a nation or political leaders, there is a clear distinction between patriotism and idolatry when we understand and celebrate our religious freedoms as Christians. I encourage you to celebrate the freedoms that we enjoy in our state and nation. I urge you to stand up and speak up to make sure generations to come can celebrate a free church in a free state.