Why We Support The Philadelphia Statement Podcast by John Stonestreet for Break Point
To paraphrase King Solomon, to the writing of statements there is no end. However last week, I was honored to be included among the original signatories of The Philadelphia Statement, an essential appeal at this important moment in our cultural history. Acknowledging the current crisis overwhelming speech rights, the Philadelphia Statement calls for such rights to be protected, as an essential condition for the survival and flourishing of self-governing people.
The Philadelphia Statement is, in a sense, comparable to the Harper’s Letter, published just a few weeks ago and signed by dozens of influential, left-of center artists, scientists, and others. As more than a few of us noted, a few of the original signatories of that letter had a hand in building the sort of cancel culture they were rebuking. The Philadelphia Statement is, in this sense, more intellectually honest.
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“Freedom of expression is in crisis,” the Statement begins. “Truly open discourse—the debates, exchange of ideas, and arguments on which the health and flourishing of a democratic republic crucially depend—is increasingly rare. Ideologues demonize opponents to block debates on important issues and to silence people with whom they disagree.”
This paragraph is an answer to the well-meaning Christians who, at times, ask whether it is appropriate to be involved in “political debates” over things like free speech or religious freedom. Part of the Christian’s calling is to steward and protect good things. Freedom of expression is one of those good things, and not just for us.
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The Philadelphia Statement
Social Media mobs. Cancel culture. Campus speech policing. These are all part of life in today’s America. Freedom of expression is in crisis. Truly open discourse—the debates, exchange of ideas, and arguments on which the health and flourishing of a democratic republic crucially depend—is increasingly rare. Ideologues demonize opponents to block debates on important issues and to silence people with whom they disagree.
We must ask ourselves: Is this the country we want? Surely not. We want—and to be true to ourselves we need—to be a nation in which we and our fellow citizens of many different faiths, philosophies, and persuasions can speak their minds and honor their deepest convictions without fear of punishment and retaliation.
If we seek a brighter future, we must relearn a fundamental truth: Our liberty and our happiness depend upon the maintenance of a public culture in which freedom and civility coexist—where people can disagree robustly, even fiercely, yet treat each other as human beings—and, indeed, as fellow citizens—not mortal enemies. “Liberty is meaningless where the right to utter one’s thoughts and opinions has ceased to exist,” Frederick Douglass declared in 1860. Indeed, our liberal democracy is rooted in and dependent upon the shared understanding that all people have inherent dignity and worth, and that they must be treated accordingly.
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