Richmond, Virginia, 1775
Outside, the fierce March wind hurled itself against the old assembly hall. Inside, all eyes were riveted on the impassioned orator.

As one eyewitness vividly recalled, the speaker stood before them "in the attitude of a condemned galley slave awaiting his doom. His form was bowed; his wrists were crossed; his manacles almost visible as he stood like an embodiment of helplessness and agony. He then slowly bent his form yet nearer to the earth, and said, 'I KNOW NOT WHAT COURSE OTHERS MAY TAKE,' and he accompanied the words with his hands still crossed, while he seemed to be weighed down with additional chains..., 'BUT AS FOR ME,'—and the words hissed through his clenched teeth, while his body was thrown back, and every muscle and tendon was strained against the fetters which bound him, 'GIVE ME LIBERTY.' It was not a prayer, but a stern demand, which would submit to no refusal or delay and, as each syllable of the word 'liberty' echoed through the building, his fetters were shivered; his arms were hurled apart; and the links of his chains were scattered to the winds. His hands were open, his arms elevated and extended; his countenance was radiant; he stood erect and defiant; while the sound of his voice and the sublimity of his attitude made him appear a magnificent incarnation of Freedom...." And then he let his left hand fall powerless to his side and clenched his right hand firmly, as if holding a dagger with the point aimed at his breast. Slowly his right hand brought the imagined dagger closer to his left breast and as he seemed to drive it to his heart he finished with the solemn words, "OR GIVE ME DEATH!"

The Free Generation
Patrick Henry—the archetypal American freedom-fighter. Through the blood of thousands, he and his compatriots attained their goal: to secure for their people the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Since that time, his desperate cry for freedom has echoed and intensified generation by generation. And as it has, the freedoms we possess have increased and multiplied to include liberties which would have shocked the senses of even the most forward-looking of the founding fathers. From the abolition of slavery to women's right to vote, from the freedom of opportunity regardless of race, gender, and religion to constitutionally-protected obscene self-expression, there has been an unprecedented broadening in what we mean by freedom.

For our generation, freedom means the right to say, to do, and to be just about whatever we want. With reckless abandon, we have cast off nearly every form of restraint. So much so that one observer, Geoffrey T. Holtz, has styled us "The Free Generation," using the words "emancipated," "unchecked," "uninhibited," and "carefree" to describe us (Welcome to the Jungle, 1995). One after another, our generation is ridding itself of the last vestiges of personal restriction, while amassing an incredible array of civil rights and personal freedoms. According to Webster's New World Dictionary, freedom is "the absence of hindrance, restraint, confinement, repression." If at any time in history this definition appears to have become reality, it is in our generation.

Yet as we continue to expand the boundaries of our personal liberties, we should ask ourselves whether our outward condition of freedom is matched by an inward liberation. Is the so-called "Free Generation" really free?

Liberty Trap
A recent story in Financial Times tells of April^*, who grew up as part of this "Free Generation." Raised in a society that told her that she could do and be anything she wanted, April came to embody the very ideal of freedom and self-determination. She obtained two degrees from top universities, worked as a lawyer and a social worker, and earned a black belt in kung fu, all before continuing her studies as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford.

Yet by the end of her study in England, she became aware of a disappointment common to many of her peers, the sense that "for all their opportunities, freedoms and achievements, life [had] not delivered quite what they had hoped." Another young professional expressed this same sense of dissatisfaction, despite her freedom to do as she pleased: "I am constantly questioning whether I am doing the right thing here. There's an eternal search for a more challenging and satisfying option...." Or as Kathryn, another twenty-something who found herself in similar straits puts it: "I wonder, though,...is liberty a kind of trap?"

April's condition is intriguing. While she and her peers enjoyed more freedom and opportunity than most could ever hope for, they were less content than ever. Unsatisfied with one degree, April earned another. Still left wanting, she embarked upon careers in law and social work. Now, as a prestigious Rhodes Scholar, April had attained more than most people three times her age. And yet her degrees, her stellar resumé, and even her black belt in kung fu still were not enough. What she sought she did not find. Despite her freedom, she still seemed a captive to something.

Freedom's Chains
At age nineteen, Rebecca was fed up with being hemmed in by the restrictions at home. "I wanted out," she says. "I wanted to be free from the...rules, free from all the boundaries." So she dropped out of school, packed her bags, and moved out of her parents' home and in with some friends in San Diego. Living just one block from the beach, she spent all her free time either shopping or out on the sand. "I was on my own for the first time and I loved it," says Rebecca. "I was free."

After about a year, however, Rebecca began having second thoughts about what her beloved freedom was bringing her after all. She felt increasingly restless. "I wasn't satisfied with anything in my life," she told Generation. "I had always been a happy person, but at this point I just felt sad all the time. Whenever I would stop to think for a moment, I would cry." To escape her unhappiness, she worked double shifts and rollerbladed mile after mile on the San Diego boardwalks. But to no avail. "I was miserable—I was free, but I didn't feel free," she remembers. "I was wrapped in the chains of my 'freedom,' and they were killing me. I should have been happy. I had everything I needed and everything I wanted." But a question kept nagging her: "Why am I not happy?"

Her realization was not instant, but was nevertheless very real: "You set up an idea [of freedom]. If you could have it, you'd be on your way. One day you get it and you're so happy. You got it! But once you escape what you're in, you're just in something else—like breaking out of one circle only to find yourself in another circle. Some people don't realize this. The grass just always seems greener [somewhere else]."

Real Freedom
Our generation defies restriction because we believe that total liberty to say, to do, and to be anything we please will result in the deep inward contentment that we long for. Yet when we consider the experiences of April, Rebecca, and even our own, we realize that even when we achieve tremendous freedom and opportunity, we still lack satisfaction. Our "freedom," a surface freedom, is a trap—it promised us everything but has brought us nothing but chains. The freedom we have sought and attained is not the real freedom. Real freedom is deeper than merely breaking free of old conventions, unreasonable expectations, and pointless limitations. Real freedom results in a deep inward satisfaction and an abiding joy.

A Free Man
Exhausted from a grueling regimen at Pai-Mao-Ling Farm, Ni To-sheng lay down to rest. The combination of forced labor, malnourishment, untreated heart disease, and separation from his loved ones had taken its toll on him.

It had been over twenty years since Ni, whose English name was Watchman Nee, was incarcerated by the communist government of the People's Republic of China. The entire process was rife with corruption. He had been imprisoned in the spring of 1952 but was not charged with any crime until the summer of 1956. The trial, when it finally happened, was itself staged. The communist officials tried him, charged him, falsely condemned him, and handed down the sentence: fifteen years' hard labor. That was nearly sixteen years ago. He knew, and his captors knew, that the fictitious charges were not the real reason he was at Pai-Mao-Ling.

The conditions during the long years of labor and incarceration were unimaginable. Almost without exception, every right a human could hope to possess was stripped from Watchman. At Pai-Mao-Ling Farm, freedom was as non-existent as a clean blanket. Nevertheless, he roused himself to compose what was to be his last letter and addressed it to his sister-in-law Pin-cheng. In his squalid surroundings, he penned the date: May 30, 1972. By the words he wrote to his sister that day, it was hard to tell that he was a man deprived of his liberty. In that letter, Watchman set down what were to be among his last words. "Please do not worry," he wrote his beloved sister-in-law, "I still remain joyful at heart."

The joy that he miraculously maintained had its beginning one night many years before when Watchman was a student at Trinity College in Foochow. He would later describe that night.

On the evening of April 29, 1920, I was alone in my room. I had no peace of mind. Whether I sat or reclined, I could find no rest, for within was this problem of whether or not I should believe in the Lord. My first inclination was not to believe in the Lord Jesus and not to be a Christian. However, that made me inwardly uneasy. There was a real struggle within me. Then I knelt down to pray. At first I had no words with which to pray. But eventually many sins came before me, and I realized that I was a sinner. I had never had such an experience in my life before that time. I saw myself as a sinner and I also saw the Savior. I saw the filthiness of sin and I also saw the efficacy of the Lord's precious blood cleansing me and making me white as snow.... Previously, I had laughed at those who believed in the Lord, but that evening I could not laugh. Instead, I wept and confessed my sins, seeking the Lord's forgiveness. After making my confession, the burden of sins was discharged, and I felt buoyant and full of inward joy and peace.

It was because of Watchman's undying love and service for his Lord Jesus that he found himself in bonds. Yet it was also because of the Lord Jesus that he possessed an invincible joy.

He died the same day he wrote the letter. There was no proper notification of his death and no funeral. Only his sister-in-law was informed of his death and cremation. It was she who rushed to the labor farm upon notification of Watchman's death and was handed a small slip of paper that was found under his pillow at his death. On it were the large words written in a shaking hand, "Christ is the Son of God who died for the redemption of sinners and resurrected after three days. This is the greatest truth in the universe. I die because of my belief in Christ. Watchman Nee."

Watchman Nee breathed his final breath a free man. What he did not have is the unprecedented freedom we exercise today. But what he did possess is what we, the members of the freest generation in history, have failed to discover. Watchman Nee, a man in captivity, a man dispossessed of all the external rights and liberties that we enjoy, held an unfading joy, for the Lord Jesus Christ had set him truly free.

Set Free
We are a generation which has tasted the unsatisfying fruit of civil and personal freedom and found that true freedom must be something far deeper than mere outward opportunity to fulfill our wishes. Our inward condition emphatically reveals that this so-called freedom is not the answer. What we need is the freedom that Watchman Nee found as a young student—a freedom that yields abiding joy, a freedom that truly and eternally liberates us from everything that binds us.

God knows our need to be set free. This is why He came in Jesus Christ to the earth. As a man, He overcame every negative thing and proclaimed freedom to all those bound by Satan, sin, and death. In His death on the cross, He destroyed Satan to free us from his tyranny. Not only so, He condemned sin so that we would no longer serve sin as slaves. He even conquered death so that we would no longer be bound by the slavery of corruption. After dying a liberating death, he victoriously resurrected, making this freedom available to us. He then ascended to the right hand of God to seat us, with Him, far above all rule and authority and everything that holds us captive. Jesus Christ has done everything to set us free.

It is for this freedom that our inner being is crying out. Today, Jesus Christ wants to set us free. If we receive Him, the freedom we always sought, but never found, will be ours. All we have to do is receive Him.

*April is a name given by Generation to the unnamed subject of the July 29, 1999 Financial Times article by Thomas Barlow. back to article

If you would like to be released from the bondage of sin and experience the freedom found only in Jesus Christ, please pray this prayer in a genuine and sincere way:

Lord Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner. Lord, I have tried to be free and I have tried to be good, but I'm still bound by sin. I need You to loose me from the bondage of sin with Your precious blood. Lord Jesus, come into me as the law of the Spirit of Life. I receive You as my Emancipator. Lord Jesus, I love You. Thank You for saving me.