The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees freedom of speech. It’s necessary to protect the liberties that our Founders sought to provide. The Founders intentionally included it alongside freedom of conscience (religion) and the freedom of the people to hold the government accountable (the press, assembly, and petition).
The survival of our Republic depends on these rights. We don’t have to agree with one another, but we need to listen to one another and, together, seek the truth. And, most of all, the government doesn’t dictate what we believe.
Higher education’s assault on free speech
American colleges and universities have historically upheld this precious value because free speech is necessary to protect the free expression of ideas. In the past, college professors encouraged students to hear differing sides of issues as they were taught to pursue the truth, reach reasonable conclusions, and decide the best course of action.
But no more. Freedom of speech is under assault on campuses across the nation. Examples abound. Here’s just one.
The silencing of Judge Duncan
In early March, the Stanford University’s Federalist Society (CA) invited Judge Stuart Kyle Duncan of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to speak on campus. Students had the opportunity to hear the views of one of the highest-ranking judicial officers in the country, as well as to make an important connection with an influential jurist.
But Duncan is a conservative, so left-wing students would have none of it.
Students shouted down Judge Duncan and refused to let him speak. He tried to calmly continue. But the more he tried to speak, the more disruptive the students became.
Tirien Steinbach, the Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, stepped in as if she was going to mediate the situation and calm the crowd. Instead, she sided with the students, interrupting Judge Duncan when he tried to talk to her. She claimed that if having free speech meant that he could talk about his positions, then it wasn’t worth it.
Let that sink in: A Dean at the law school of a major university would rather stifle conservative speakers than advocate for freedom of speech.
What does that say about the attorneys of tomorrow?
Free speech thrives with Christianity
By contrast, Grand Canyon University, a Christian college in Arizona, is exploding in growth and attributes this growth to its commitment to freedom of speech for all students, faculty, and visitors.
Enrollment at the university has tripled in the last decade and has especially mushroomed since 2020 because, GCU President Brian Mueller says, they are committed to teaching and not indoctrination.
Their commitment to free speech extends to everyone on campus. “Not everybody that comes here has the same biblical belief that we teach here, but they’re free to be here, and they’re free to share their worldview in the classroom and outside the classroom,” he said. “We are very serious about honoring free speech.”
Why it matters to Christians
Christianity thrives in an environment of free speech, and that’s why Christians are typically silenced by totalitarian governments and left-wing ideologues who deny free speech.
Why is that? Here are four reasons that every American should protect free speech, and why it especially matters to Christians:
- Freedom of speech values all citizens equally.
Not every idea is of equal value, but every citizen should be. So when the Constitution protects free speech, the law is acknowledging that all people are “created equal.”
And freedom of speech humbles us. It reminds us that we are not always right. We are not perfect. Pride tries to shield us from anything we disagree with, but humility reminds us that we are flawed people and we may need to hear someone else to properly analyze our own ideas.
The right to speak freely and share ideas reflects the fundamental truth that all people have a Creator. While our status in life might be different, we should all be heard. Unlike totalitarian regimes, the American system of government guarantees that all citizens matter and everyone should have a voice.
That’s why it is so important that institutions of the State permit people to speak up and speak out. When the State squashes certain ideas that do not follow the narrative that the State wants to promote, it devalues the citizens themselves.
- Freedom of speech protects the citizens from oppression.
So, along with that, a government institution that squelches free speech is also fortifying its own narrative of the facts and permitting only voices that agree with that narrative. When dissent is silenced, totalitarianism is on the rise.
Free speech gives citizens the right to cry foul when the government tries to override the vote of citizens, the will of the populace, or the best interests of the people. Free speech protects freedom. Stifling the citizens reenforces oppression.
- Freedom of speech fosters the pursuit of truth.
This is the reason colleges and universities should be places where students can engage differing viewpoints. But today’s secular universities are trying to insulate students from anything that might challenge their preconceptions or left-wing ideologies.
When students are shielded from challenges to their “truth,” they are not required to compare ideas or reevaluate their own opinions. And, as a result, they have no qualms about disrespecting people they disagree with. These students are being taught to attack people rather than challenge or debate ideas.
That’s not education. It’s indoctrination. And freedom of speech is dying on those college campuses.
- Freedom of speech cultivates sound reasoning.
Along with that, free speech obligates us to think. It cultivates sound reasoning. And Christianity flourishes in that context.
The Book of Acts reports the Apostle Paul traveling from city to city advancing the Gospel. His evangelism is described both as preaching and as “reasoning” with his listeners (see Acts 17:2, 17:17, 18:4).
Our Founders knew that God had provided certain basic laws, including the laws of logic and reason. And they wanted sound reasoning to flourish. Christian ideas thrive in a context where people can talk and reason about the truth.
But when free speech is muzzled, so is sound reasoning. The loudest voices will prevail because other ideas are silenced. When free speech is silenced in America, the environment is ripe for persecution of any ideas that do not fit the government’s narrative.
And the first target is always Christianity and biblical teaching.
But that’s not all
But that doesn’t mean anything goes. Remember, we do not have to equally value every idea. But we do need to value every person.
And we have to take responsibility not only for what we say but also for how we say it. Freedom of speech does not include the freedom to incite violence, demean other people, or foster cruelty and immorality.
Christians value freedom of speech just as our Founders did. But we need to remember that we are accountable to our Creator for not only sustaining free speech but also for using it wisely.
The direction our nation is headed, we may not have it much longer. Let’s be sure we use it wisely while we can.
So then, have I become your enemy because I told you the truth?
Gal. 4:16