Romans 12:16 // Freedom of Expression

Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. (Romans 12:16)

A false witness shall not be unpunished, and he that speaketh lies shall not escape. (Proverbs 19:5)

Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: (Acts 15:24)

The church needs to be a safe place for ideas, where anyone can express their faith in God without fear of condemnation. Paradoxically, freedom requires authority. Without strong authority the timid and quiet are shouted down by the charismatic fools (Ecclesiastes 9:17) and there is no true freedom of expression. Authority must allow the expression of a variety of opinions, and with an equally "heavy hand" must prevent the monopolizing of discussion by the loudest voices.

In the proto-Church, the loudest voices were for Christians being merely a branch of Judaism, requiring Gentile converts to culturally convert to Judaism before a religious conversion would be accepted.
This opinion was heard, but the church leadership also listened to the quiet and reasoned voices of Paul and Peter to whom God had revealed a broader message. The Spirit moved and the right decision was taken, Gentiles were equal to Jews in God's sight.

But this alone was not enough. The church was required to take action to prevent the loud from shouting down the quiet. The church specifically ruled that those who taught Jews were superior to Gentiles did not represent the teachings of the church.

In modern terms, the church ordains preachers to speak on her behalf and his the right not to ordain everyone who wants it. This is to preserve not only the accuracy of the church's teachings, but also the freedom of the quiet from being drowned in the lies of self-appointed prophets, teachers and preachers.

With this freedom of expression in place, we can experience within the church the joy of communion with each other, with no distinction between lowly and prestigious, quiet and charismatic.

Praise the Lord!