Freedom At Home, Persecution Abroad

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As fireworks light the sky this Fourth of July, Americans will celebrate 250 years of independence — two and a half centuries since a bold experiment in liberty took root on this continent. We will gather with family, fly our flags and reflect on the freedoms we often take for granted: the freedom to speak, to worship, to assemble and to live according to our convictions.

But as we mark this milestone, it is worth asking a sobering question: What does it mean to celebrate freedom in a world where it remains out of reach for so many?

The American founding was built on a radical idea: that rights are not granted by governments, but given to us by God. The Declaration of Independence makes this plain, asserting that all men “are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.” These were never meant to be privileges reserved for a fortunate few based on geography. They were understood to be universal truths. And yet, 250 years later, they are far from universally realized.

Here at home, we continue to debate how best to exercise our freedoms, particularly our religious freedoms. These debates are often spirited and sometimes contentious — but they are the mark of a society that has the luxury of disagreement. While Americans argue over the contours of freedom, others are still fighting for its existence at all.

Nowhere is this contrast more stark than in Northern Nigeria. (RELATED: I Went To Nigeria — Here’s What The Media Gets Wrong)

There, Christian communities face not just restrictions, but targeted violence. Families are........

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