Wanted: A New Birth of Freedom, by John M. Grondelski

By John M. Grondelski, The Catholic Thing, July 4, 2023

John Grondelski (Ph.D., Fordham) is a former associate dean of the School of Theology, Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey. All views herein are exclusively his.

For most Americans, the Fourth of July is a celebration of American “freedom.”  Freedom is an iconic word for us.  It’s also a foundational principle for Judaism and Christianity.  But the political/philosophical and the theological meanings of the term are growing ever more equivocal.  Perhaps of even greater concern, the average Christian or Jew doesn’t realize what’s happening or what’s at stake.

Is freedom an end or a means?

For many people, the former is problematic.  The Judeo-Christian message is that God created us for the good, ultimately for the Summum Bonum, the Highest Good, i.e., God.   …

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