The Word & The West: Jesus Christ, The Equalizer

What was Thomas Jefferson thinking? He declared American independence from Britain based on the "self-evident truth" that all men are created equal. On the surface, that fact is not evident at all. Consider, for example, a respected surgeon, a brilliant sculptor, a devoted mother of three, and an opium addict in the gutters of Calcutta. Who would suppose those people were all created equal? Jesus Christ would.

It's true the Lord didn't invent democracy. The Greeks developed the concept hundreds of years before Christ was even born, but you wouldn't like their version. In Greece, according to historians, freedom and even equality were privileges limited to a few elites considered "full citizens." Ordinary residents could not qualify for that status, and some groups like women and slaves were forgotten at the bottom of the food chain. Legendary philosophers of Athens fully endorsed human slavery. Although Plato had himself been a slave at one time, he warned that slaves would be spoiled if never punished. And Aristotle taught the concept of "natural" slavery; that some people were simply born to be enslaved and controlled by others. Things were even worse in Rome.

A Revolution in Thinking

The tipping point came after the ministry of Christ when missionaries and travelers began to spread his teachings beyond Israel and into world capitals like Corinth, Rome, and Athens. Christ popularized the Old Covenant principle of Imago Dei, that all men and women are created in the image of God. This idea so familiar to you and me was breaking news to ancient people who had been taught that a handful of charismatic warriors were loved by the gods, but everyone else was cannon fodder. The notion that every human being is embedded with a fragment of divinity was a revolutionary thought with huge implications.

Christ never left the borders of a small nation called Israel, but within mere generations his impact was global. In a brutal world where classism, racism, sexism, child abuse, oppression, and slavery were universal, Jesus of Nazareth shattered glass ceilings. He surrounded himself with blue-collar workers rather than men of privilege. He invited a woman named Mary to sit in when he taught men, then corrected her sister Martha who had refused to come out of the kitchen to join them as well. In a world where a woman's identity came largely from the kitchen, this was jaw-dropping.

You'll recall how he also took a detour through Samaria, a region where Jews were despised, to meet with a woman everyone knew was living in sin. Wrong nationality. Wrong gender. Wrong moral standing. But Jesus shared the water of life with her, then watched as her neighbors came streaming down to meet a Jewish rabbi who embraced them. As it turns out, the whole world was watching.

All Cultures Are Not Equal

Human equality is not an ancient ideal that eventually surfaces in every nation and society sooner or later. If you're keeping score, you might have noticed it hasn't happened in most of the world. There's no equality in China or Russia. Despite billions of petrodollars flowing through most of the Middle East, affluence has not purchased equality for any of those countries. Researchers say slavery is still legal in more than half the nations of the world.

The United States is unique because faith and Scripture led our founders to convictions that were counterintuitive. The image of God embedded in each human being, damaged though it may be, elevates us above the beasts and endows us with rights. It offers everyone the possibility for change, for redemption. Indian culture divides people by class. Islamic culture segregates them by gender and religion. Socialism elevates victims over "oppressors." But in the eyes of God, we are all equal- in our humanity, in our responsibility for our sins, and in his offer to rescue and redeem us. One died for all. Period.

You don't have to be a Christian to thrive in the United States. But to be in touch with reality and guard the liberty you enjoy, it's important to appreciate how the gospel of Jesus gave rise to the American Experiment.

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