Become Slaves to One Another

The letters of the apostle Paul contain a clarion call to freedom that has rung down the centuries: “For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal. 5:1). Paul’s theology has given weight to an age-old yearning of the human spirit to be free to think, choose, and act. It has also inspired social and political movements that seek freedom from human domination and coercion in its various forms. Indeed, freedom has become the watchword of Western modernity, but with a radically individualized tone: autonomy, independence, and choice have become unquestionable virtues for the “buffered” self that is wary of obligations and prefers to determine which responsibilities to adopt, or to discard, in the quest for self-fulfillment. Freedom as self-determination seems, on the surface, a natural extension of the theology of Paul. Read Full Article »