4 important freedoms and the responsibility of American citizenship

By Robert Zachritz and Shawna Templeton, World Vision

In his 1941 State of the Union address, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt famously articulated the "four freedoms":

Freedom of speech and expression
Freedom of religion
Freedom from want
Freedom from fear

On Independence Day, we celebrate these freedoms and recognize that we are afforded special privileges that much of the rest of the world does not know. But these freedoms also should impact how we view the rest of the world and how we live out God's calling to care for the poor. In Scripture, we are charged to:

Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. --Isaiah 1:17 (NIV)

How can we use our American citizenship to do this?

Freedom from want, freedom from fear

Freedom from want cannot just be something that we strive for in the United States (where we still struggle to achieve this). Today and every day, children and families in the developing world lack food to meet their most basic nutritional needs. Many families live on less than $2 a day. A mother hopes for simple medical interventions to save her child from fatal diarrhea or malnutrition, but she cannot afford it. A simple bed net can protect a child from malaria for years, but it's too expensive for the family who needs it most.

In a world where several armed conflicts are taking place at any one time, millions of children have no idea what it is to live in freedom from fear. Their playgrounds are battlegrounds. Many children are vulnerable to sexual exploitation or forced labor. Some are forced to be soldiers and use weapons. Children in the United States are also vulnerable, as youth gang violence remains a challenge in many neighborhoods.

Freedom of religion, freedom of speech

As Christians in the United States, our freedom of expression and religion give us the opportunity to advocate for the poor the way God instructs His people to do. We can do more than Christians in many other nations. And so we should.

Use this Independence Day to reflect on these four freedoms and how you can exercise your privilege of freedom of speech and religion to help free children and families around the world from want and fear.

ACT NOW: One way you can speak out on behalf of children in need is to voice your support for the International Affairs Budget, which is used to address global challenges such as AIDS, malaria, and hunger.

The International Affairs Budget makes up just 1.4 percent of the entire U.S. budget. This small but very significant part of the federal budget is vital to the well-being of millions of children and families. There are few places in the U.S. federal budget where dollars translate so directly into lives saved.

But this represents just one way that you can partner with World Vision to advocate for justice for the poor and oppressed -- not just on the Fourth of July, but all year long. Visit our advocacy site for more ways that you can become involved as a voice for justice.

Celebrate your freedoms this Independence Day -- but exercise your privileges, too!

Photo taken by Garrett Hubbard, Genesis Photos