Independence Day

Tomorrow is the 4th of July. I spent a little time this evening reading the Declaration of Independence. I feel a sense of responsibility about the holidays I celebrate. It's so easy to lose the significance of these special days, I guess because they come back around every year, along with taxes and teeth cleanings. But I don't think it's fair to allow ourselves a day of celebration if we don't take an interest in what we're celebrating - it's like we're throwing a birthday party without inviting the birthday girl. I wonder how many people today think Christmas is about a fat guy with a beard and Easter is about a bunny who lays eggs. What does it all mean?

On July 4th, 1776 (232 years ago), a group of men got together and drafted the Declaration of Independence. The colonies of America would no longer recognize the authority of the British government in their affairs. The beginning of the document is very familiar: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, 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."

Then the document goes on to spell out the grievances of the people of America against the British crown. The basic idea is that a people should not be ruled by a governing body which is in no way accountable to them. If no one in Britain had the best interests of the American people at heart, then the American people should not be forced to submit to their rule.

As a Christian who believes that the Bible is the final moral authority, that doesn't sit well with me 100%. I love America - it is my home - but I can't help but wonder if our preoccupation with the idea of freedom, which is obvious even in our earliest document as a nation, is somehow harmful to us. In truth, we are all slaves to something. This is a deep and complicated thought, and it's late, but it's something I'll be thinking about tomorrow as I celebrate Independence Day.

The Fathers of our nation believed that "all men are created equal." Well, all except "the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions." Yep - that's in there too.

I don't want to rain on the parade. Literally. Going to the 4th of July parade at my Aunt Peggy and Uncle Jimmy's house every year is one of my favorite memories of childhood. Tomorrow I'm going to Haller Park with my team, a place where you can pet 150 year-old giant tortoises and feed giraffes from your hand, and I'm going to celebrate the birthday of a great nation, which I am fortunate to call my home. But I'm learning that even our successes are mingled with impure motives and sinful attitudes. My "American-ness" should never rank above my Christianity. I do pray that God will bless America. And may He bless every other nation on earth as well!

Happy 4th of July!