“Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor. If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame.” Proverbs 18:12-13
Free speech is a necessity for two primary reasons. First, man is not the source of truth, God is. Second, because man has fallen in sin there’s been a negative impact on his reasoning. Theologians call this the “noetic effect of the fall” and it means that even at our best we’re still prone to errors. These two facts are inescapable. A third truth flows from them. Since we aren’t the basis of truth and the root cause of evil is our insistence on playing god rather than resting our evaluations upon His word/law, all men must be free to think and speak. All men, as our verse instructs, must carefully seek truth.
Also, God has commanded that we live in faith and this includes a life of fruitful labor to His glory and the service of our neighbor (Genesis 9:1; Colossians 3:23). That is, we’re to apply ourselves in God-given vocations. This command has two corollaries. First, in order to work, a man or woman must think. They must make decisions. Speech is what comes from a man’s heart/mind (Matthew 15:18). Therefore, to control one’s speech is to control one’s mind.
Second, freedom and free markets flow downstream from the fact of God’s commandment that we love Him and our neighbor. We must take careful note that He commands us to love Him with all our minds and yet He permits, in this present age, our disobedience. Everyday sinners blaspheme and insult their Creator God and keep breathing. Every. Single. Day. In other words, God sends His sunshine upon sinners (Matthew 5:45) despite their deserving instant judgment. The desire to control others, in any way shape or form, is evil. It’s anti-God. It’s the attempt to play god over others. The attempt to control the property or speech of our neighbors, in any way, through direct force, regulation, or intimidation, is evidence of our rebellion against God.
“When he had said these these things, one of the officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying ‘Is that how you answer the high priest?’ Jesus answered him, ‘If what I said is wrong, bear witness about the wrong; but if what I said is right, why do you strike me?’” John 18:22-23
Instructive from this episode of the arrest of our Lord is the emotional outburst by the officer who hit Him. We can understand the officer’s honor. This vagabond preacher who was under arrest dared to talk back to the high priest! It was unthinkable for a good Jew. The response by Jesus cautions us to avoid emotional outbursts when our conclusions are challenged. Those that are absolutely certain that Joe Rogan shouldn’t be allowed to spread “misinformation” should pause to consider that if their principles carry them to the suppression of debate and free speech, then they’re on the wrong side.
Nowhere in history have those that suppressed debate been the good guys. If we support a policy or structure that prohibits free debate, we’re in error and must repent. The rejection of another’s ability to use their time and property to speak and seek the truth as they wish is an ungodly assault upon them. The denial of free speech and/or the forcing of consent are acts of violence perpetrated by those who would play god over their neighbor and declare that there’s no way they can be wrong. Free speech and property rights are God-given. When they are abridged or trampled, tyranny is at hand. Those who clamor to “cancel” or silence their intellectual opponents are acting in sin. God has given a person the gifts of liberty and the command to labor/think. Any attempt to stifle these is abhorrent, though always masked in some good cause or another (2 Corinthians 11:14).
The book of Acts is an example of the way of Christ over against the way of the world. That is, the way of love and truth over against the way of greed, force, and violence. The early church was always out debating, reasoning, and arguing.
They compelled no one.
They preached. The way of the world is brute force. The way of Christ is freedom, humility, meekness and reason.
No trained Christian, applying the principles of Scripture to life, loses a debate because the “fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7).” Again and again in Acts the early church leaders shared the truth about God with all those willing to listen. No one was forced. All were allowed to either listen, disagree, agree and be converted, or to simply ignore them. Again: the Kingdom of God comes now through preaching and teaching and logical debate. The Kingdom of God is now at hand through the gospel being preached without force, but with reason and love. When the Lord comes again that age is over and He’ll bring history to a close. All who have rejected Him will be judged by Him and Him alone.
This is why the Scripture says in Romans 10, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
But the world’s way is the way of violence. They compel speech and conformity. Look and see. The Kingdom of God is seen in His church. It’s a voluntary power. You may go, you may give, you may submit. The choice is yours. The Kingdom of Man is his corporate-state. It’s a compulsory power. You must give. You must be taxed to support it. It rejects God’s mandate to it – that it’s His minister to punish crime. It declares itself a “neutral” power. It says that God’s word/law has no jurisdiction over it and yet it demands all submit to it. His church is meek; man’s church – the state – is power. God’s church is full of redeemed sinners restrained by His word. Man’s church is full of sinners who know no limits except the ballot box or the cartridge box. God’s church is liberty and freedom; man’s church is power and coercion. God’s church is full of grace and forgiveness; man’s church is all regulation and control.
As for the Joe Rogan situation – where he dared have on his show two immensely qualified men who contradicted the mainstream COVID narrative – we present the following:
“About that time there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought no little business to the craftsmen. These he gathered together, with the workmen in similar trades, and said, ‘Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people , saying that gods made with hands are not gods. And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship.
“When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, ‘Great Artemis of the Ephesians!’ So the city was filled with the confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s companions in travel.” Acts 19:23-29
Like Demetrius, the modern Pharma-state alliance has too much to lose by allowing free men to disagree with them. Joe Rogan has had “their” side on his show too. He’s let both sides speak but they don’t like that. They demand that everyone submit. You don’t have to be a doctor to know that the side that wants to squelch debate is the bad side. Reread the passage and note how Demetrius sounds very much like the Dr. Fauci in the revealed emails over COVID’s origins. He was afraid of coming into disrepute…deposed of his magnificence…he and “science” whom all the world is to worship.
Sin hates free speech because it naturally rejects and suppresses the truth (Romans 1:18). Thus, all you need to know about a subject is evident on this principle. Which side is suppressing free speech? Which side uses intimidation, regulation, or force of law to compel the mind? Which side demands conformity and calls God-given freedom wrong? Which side demands the right to one’s time, property and mind? Those things belong to God, not man or any of his institutions. To lay claim to them is the claim to be god.
So, speak, Joe Rogan. Speak freely. And, incidentally, Mr. Rogan has said far more things against Christ on his popular show than he has about COVID. God has given him that liberty and we must respect it. I “fight” his bad ideas on Christ here. Or by not listening. But I praise the Lord that He’s given us freedom. Liberty is a logical consequence of the creature-creator distinction. No man is God. God is God. Thus, every man and woman is “free” before Him – to worship or live in rebellion. He will settle accounts at Judgment. This is what we preach all while respecting the freedom He gives all.
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