Let Freedom Ring

An interesting juxtaposition exists this Independence Day between Egypt and the United States. According to the New York Times this morning, Egypt’s military officers removed the country’s first democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi, on Wednesday, suspended the Constitution and installed an interim government presided over by a senior jurist. Tahrir Square, where tens of thousands of opponents of the government had gathered each night since Sunday to demand Mr. Morsi’s removal, erupted in fireworks and jubilation at news of the ouster. At a square near the presidential palace where Mr. Morsi’s Islamist supporters had gathered, men broke into tears and vowed to stay until he was reinstated or they were forcibly removed. “The dogs have done it and made a coup against us,” they chanted. “Dying for the sake of God is more sublime than anything,” a speaker declared.

In stark relief, the United States celebrates her 237th anniversary of liberty. In light of such a blatant contrast, it is a good time for me to renew my own commitment to the democratic process in this land. Although I may differ significantly from our current administration over everything from healthcare reform to gun control, our democratic system deserves my support and personal involvement. This is no time for apathy or atrophy! It is also a good time for me to honor my father and the multitudes of other men and women who have served to protect the four freedoms in this country: freedom of worship, freedom of speech, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. These are those freedoms enumerated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in his State of the Union address on January 6, 1941, just eleven months before the United States declared war on Japan in defense of those freedoms.

May freedom ring long and loud across this land, and may other peoples around the globe benefit from its enduring peal.

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes, Pastor)

Photo is of The Four Freedoms paintings by Norman Rockwell (http://www.quia.com/pages/mprou10/rockwell)