EDITORIAL: ‘Disenthrall ourselves … and save’

Stormclouds of discord and division blotted out the sunshine of optimism on Dec. 1, 1862, when Abraham Lincoln addressed Congress. The Civil War had raged almost 20 months, and the outcome appeared bleak. The future of the Union—and perhaps Western Civilization—hung in the balance. Few dared even to hope. And our 16th president spoke these words:

The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise—with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.

Those lines from that great speech resonated in my heart as actor Tom Hanks recited them in a ceremony leading up to the inauguration of our new president, Barack Obama. Like a melody that stirs the soul, the last sentence played over and over and over in my mind: “We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.”

Exactly a month after he spoke those words, President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Affixing his name to that seminal document, he freed the slaves throughout the Confederacy. Moreover, the proclamation transformed the Civil War from a struggle for the rights of states to a supreme battle for the freedom of all people who live in this nation. A practical and political exercise became a moral and spiritual endeavor.

The wisdom and resolve reflected in President Lincoln’s speech preceded—even made possible—the great act of freeing American slaves. “We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.” He signaled the call-and-response of human nature as well as history. The president, Congress and all leaders of the Union first had to free their minds, free their thinking, before they could set others free.

We don’t use the word “disenthrall” much anymore. It’s a verb that means “set free.” President Lincoln knew exactly what it meant. And just as he understood the strength of the right word, he understood the power of ideas whose time had come. He set the proper order of great actions: “ … so we must think anew and act anew. We must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our country.”

Those long-spoken words resound in this winter because the times are similarly ominous. Few presidents have presided over as much peril as that which greets our new, young leader. Consequently, few generations have sailed such dire straits. Lincoln speaks wisdom that transcends decades: “Disenthrall yourselves, and then save our country.” Set yourselves free, and then you can be a beacon for freedom.

That’s sound advice for a nation. It also applies to congregations, as well as to individuals. We cannot expect to be of use to others until we ourselves are free. And from what should we seek emancipation?

• Prejudice. Because of prejudice, we make objects of people who are different from us. And because of prejudice, we blaspheme the image of God stamped into each human soul.

• Self-interest and greed. One begat the other. They both begat our present economic catastrophe.

• Fear. Most people think they’re afraid of other people. Really, they’re afraid of their own selves, their personal weaknesses. They’re frightened that their own beliefs and ideas will not stand up to scrutiny. They’re scared of being alone with themselves or, more frightening, alone with God.

• Laziness. Physical laziness is bad enough, but moral laziness is the fault that produced our collective inability to make hard decisions, to discipline ourselves for greater good.

Christians, of all people, should strive for true freedom. “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).