Is Sound of Freedom the New Clarion Call for Christians?

“Having heard all this you may choose to look the other way, but you can never say that you did not know.” (William Wilberforce, speaking of slavery to the English House of Commons, 1789)

[Jay collaborated with S.D.G. Morgan of the Bammerhab blog (https://sdgmorgan.com/bammerhab/) on this article. They attend a bible study together and felt moved to tell people about this movie. Hopefully more collaboration is to follow!]

The story of slavery is not complete without acknowledging the role of Christians in fighting this ancient and evil practice. Despite what many believe, however, the story of slavery is far from over. What would history’s Christian abolitionists think about the fact that our modern world has numerically more slaves than ever before? What would they say to world leaders who, sensing no political traction in this travesty, are content to shrug it off? What would they say to modern Christians who chose to look the other way when so many live in unimaginable suffering?

Ever since Paul wrote his radical and dangerous letter to Philemon in approximately 61 A.D. demanding a Christian slave owner treat his Christian slave as an equal, believers have been in the forefront of the battle against slavery. After Spartacus, the Romans were very sensitive about slave revolts, so Paul’s simple suggestion was enough to get him killed had Philemon shown the Roman courts. Instead, Philemon listened, repented, and freed his slave. That slave, Onesimus, according to tradition, became one of the first bishops of Ephesus.[1]

Saint Patrick of Ireland (5^th Century) is known for driving the snakes from Ireland and the folklore we celebrate with green beer and revelry every March 17^th. News flash, there were no snakes in Ireland and the life St. Patrick led was far from merry. As a boy he was taken into slavery and served years in captivity. He eventually escaped and became a powerful soldier for Christ. Scholars believe that Patrick may have been the first Christian leader to speak forcefully against the practice of slavery. In his famous Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus, he argued that Christians should not associate with those who participate in such an evil enterprise.

“Therefore I ask most of all that all the holy and humble of heart should not fawn on such people, nor even share food or drink with them, nor accept their alms, until such time as they make satisfaction to God in severe penance and shedding of tears, and until they set free the men-servants of God and the baptized women servants of Christ, for whom he died and was crucified.” (Patrick’s Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus, written between 451 and 496 A.D.) ¹[2]

Hundreds of years later John Newton (1725 – 1807), a self-described wretch of a slave trader, repented of his sinful ways after a near-death experience. Inspired by Jesus Christ, he confronted the powers that profited by slavery and inspired millions to fight against the practice. His words are forever in our hearts as we sing:

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.” (John Newton, Amazing Grace, 1779). [3]

Newton had a protégé, who could be argued as the most influential abolitionist ever. A British politician who converted to Christianity in 1785, William Wilberforce successfully agitated against the slave trade and co-founded the Anti-Slavery Society in England. His work led to the abolition of the slave trade in the British West Indies in 1807 and eventually, due to his and the efforts of other British Christians, The Slavery Abolition Act, which passed one month after his death in 1833. With the help of the church and Royal Navy, this act ushered in a worldwide emancipation effort and a general renunciation of slavery.

“Never, never will we desist till we have wiped away this scandal from the Christian name, released ourselves from the load of guilt, under which we at present labour, and extinguished every trace of this bloody traffic, of which our posterity, looking back to the history of these enlightened times, will scarce believe that it has been suffered to exist so long a disgrace and dishonor to this country.” (William Wilberforce, Speech before the House of Commons, 1791). [4]

Of course, here in the United States the abolitionist movement was led by Christians as well. An enslaved woman named Harriet Tubman, who by her own account was directly inspired by Jesus Christ, ferried other enslaved victims to freedom in the Underground Railroad, and in the process awakened the conscience of an entire nation.

“God’s time is always near.  He set the North Star in the heavens; He gave me the strength in my limbs; He meant I should be free.” (Harriet Tubman, 1859) [5]

Probably the most impactful American in the fight against slavery was Frederick Douglass, also a former slave, also a Christian, also a critic of Christians who accepted the existence of slavery. He famously declared that the great liberty celebrated on July 4^th was an affront to those who remained in bondage and a blight on all Americans.

“Standing with God and the crushed and bleeding slave on this occasion, I will, in the name of humanity which is outraged, in the name of liberty which is fettered, in the name of the constitution and the Bible, which are disregarded and trampled upon, dare to call in question and to denounce, with all the emphasis I can command, everything that serves to perpetuate slavery—the great sin and shame of America!” (Frederick Douglass, July 5, 1852) [6]

And finally, of course, there were the millions of Christians, some named but most not, who supported the abolitionists in America, Great Britian, and elsewhere. Many fought and died to banish the practice from the earth. Their contribution to the freedom of mankind should never be forgotten.

Yet, sadly, slavery has not been banished from the earth. Its ugly vestige remains both in its traditional form, with millions enslaved as forced labor, and in its even sicker form of trafficked sex workers, many who are only children. Estimates vary widely but suffice it to say there are many millions of slaves in the world today – more than at any time in history.

In the face of this crisis, some brave souls released the movie Sound of Freedom [7] to alert us all to this horrendous reality. The movie tells the real-life story of Tim Ballard who, first as a government agent and then on his own, dedicated his life to saving children. Ballard and his partners are unafraid to declare their faith in Jesus Christ. The story is haunting, horrible, and hard to believe, but also inspirational. It motivates all that see it to action, and has reached over 15 million viewers, 769% of its initial goal. Ballard also founded Operation Underground Railroad. The mission of this faith-inspired organization is simple: “We exist to rescue children from sex trafficking and sexual exploitation.” [8]

Before the insane splintering of American politics, the simple existence of modern slavery, including child sex slavery, might have brought about shock, repentance, and calls for immediate action. In this toxic environment, however, mere mention of the issue results in tangents of patent nonsense and vitriol.

Instead of collectively agreeing that this issue must be a top priority, a divisive yet utterly useless debate now rages in the American social media and entertainment ecosphere. The question seems to be whether the stories portrayed in this troubling movie are precisely accurate or “Q-Anon adjacent” and “right-wing thriller” fantasies intended to stoke fear and partisan panic. For years we have all known that “based on a true story” does not indicate that everything portrayed in the movie happened just as the movie depicts. Artistic license is widely accepted in dramas such as these. What matters is the basic content, and this movie is based on real people, real events, and a real story of horror and depravity.

If you watched Sound of Freedom and instantly sought to place in into the matrix of 2023 American politics, then you missed the entire point. This movie is a call for an entire nation to wake up, repent, and take action to protect the most vulnerable.

Thankfully, like those quoted above, many anonymous Christians, inspired by Jesus Christ, are doing what believers have done for two millennia, standing up to evil and bringing it into the light. In addition to Ballard’s organization, there’s the work of A21 (short for Abolition 21^st Century - https://www.a21.org/) spearheaded by Christine Caine, for example. Sound of Freedom has opened the eyes of many and the surprising box office success of the movie implies that, at the least, the arduous process of repentance has begun. It is heartening to see that even some prominent reviewers have set aside their normal toxic animosity towards all things Christian to acknowledge the necessity of bringing such darkness into the light.

The question is, can American Christians, motivated to action by Sound of Freedom, finally spearhead a global repentance for this evil and banish slavery forever from the earth?

This final quote is chosen from a documentary about a young boy kidnapped in Haiti, detailed by in Gardy’s Story by Operation Underground Railroad, and worth a read. Here, the boy’s father, Guesno Mardy, laments that he is alone in the search for his son. If this quote does not move us to action, perhaps only Jesus can.

“I walk the streets of Port-au-Prince praying and hoping that I will hear my son cry.” [9]

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[1] https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Letter-of-Paul-to-Philemon

[2] https://www.americamagazine.org/content/all-things/saint-patricks-slavery; and https://www.confessio.ie/etexts/epistola_english#

[3] https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Newton

[4] https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/William_Wilberforce#1790s

[5] http://www.harriet-tubman.org/quotes/

[6] https://www.theroot.com/what-to-the-slave-is-the-fourth-of-july-1836083536

[7] https://www.angel.com/tickets/sound-of-freedom?msclkid=34a2f7441b071172a6a19396818b7c66&date=2023-08-08&lat=37.9008&lng=-76.4114

[8] https://ourrescue.org/about-us

[9] https://ourrescue.org/blog/gardys-story-part-3-of-8

1. https://traffickinginstitute.org/incontext-william-wilberforce/