Free speech in Christ

The Constitutional freedom of speech remains one of the major perks of living here in the fair US of A, and, apart from occasional attempts to curb that freedom by extreme right or leftwing political elements, people in this country are still pretty much at liberty to say anything they please – at least more so than any other part of the planet.
And I would dare say that the freedom of speech and almost all our other Constitutionally-guaranteed freedoms are owed in large part (though not entirely) to our nation’s Christian foundations and freedom-spawning Biblical precepts that have been passed down through the centuries by both Christian and Jewish cultures.
With that said, however, I find it both ironic and sad that one of the areas of American culture in which freedom of speech is most stringently muzzled happens to be within the confines of institutional Christianity. You may disagree with me, but I challenge you to give this point some serious scrutiny. How much freedom does the typical, tithing pew-warmer really have when it comes to matters of established church doctrine, theology, liturgy, and practice? To what degree do church institutions and leaders tolerate the open questioning of these things by the lowly laity?
From my own experience in church culture, I’d have to give the answer “very little” to both questions.
Admittedly, average American church members do enjoy some freedoms. They’re free to sing hymns or worship songs, so long as they do it on cue from the choir director or worship leader. They’re free to sit still and listen (or, at least, pretend to listen) to numerous sermons and public prayers. They’re free to participate in church programs and activities. They’re free to volunteer for various duties and responsibilities regarding the church facility. In a more open church environment, they might even be free to give a public testimony now and again. And, of course, they’re always free to put their money in the offering plate.
But, by and large in today’s church culture, the scriptural promise of freedom in Christ has been thrown out the window by know-it-all control freaks in clerical vestments, whose idea of a good Christian is someone who does what they’re told to do and believes what they’re told to believe without clogging up the fine-tuned religious machine with any bothersome questions.
As far as Paul’s promotion of a church environment in which everyone is invited (and even expected) to bring their individual gifts to the communal table (just check I Corinthians 14:26), that has been replaced with a weekly spectacle in which the chosen and talented few perform on an exalted stage while the second-class citizens of Christ’s kingdom observe and listen in quiet conformity (or even loud conformity, as is the case in some church settings).
It is my belief that a wind of change from the Holy Spirit is presently blowing over Western Christianity. I believe that God is seeking to restore Christ’s position as head over His church – and not as a mere historical figurehead from whom religious institutions derive their legitimacy, but as a living and active commander who literally speaks to and directs His people in the present tense. And once Christ has ousted institutions, man-made traditions, vain theologies, and religious superstars with bloated egos from His rightful seat, He can once again resume the work of creating close-knit spiritual families, both centered around Him and free in Him.
And it’s in the hope that real freedom in Christ will begin to blossom (in spite of current Western church culture) that I have set up this blog site. Apart from just spouting off my own thoroughly fallible views and opinions, I would like to invite anyone who wants to freely express their own feelings and opinions regarding spiritual matters and church-related issues. You can feel free to disagree with me or with anyone else who contributes to this blog site. All I ask is that you try to keep it Christ-centered and try to keep it civil.