Christians need a newspaper in one hand and a Bible in the other— according to theologian Karl Barth. In our Talking It Over series, James Read invites thoughtful Salvationists from around the world to reflect on moral and ethical issues. Here, he speaks with Angelica Sulit about free speech.

“Free speech” has frequently been in the news in Canada and Bermuda in recent days. Entrepreneur Elon Musk buying Twitter and Dominion Voting Systems suing Fox News were both stories involving contests over free speech. And now there are reports of people wanting to ban books from school libraries. 

I know you will have thought about “the right to freedom of opinion and expression” (as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights puts it) during your time as a digital communications intern at The Salvation Army’s International Social Justice Commission (ISJC). And as a Filipino Salvationist, you will doubtless have insights into the clamp down on the Nobel Prize-winning Filipino journalist Maria Ressa. I’m interested in anything you have to say about the subject, but why don’t you help me understand the Ressa story first.

—Jim

Free speech is one of my favourite topics. It has been an important part of my life and career as a communicator, from my days as a rookie journalist during my college years to my time as an intern at the ISJC.

Maria Ressa’s story is inspiring. As you mentioned, she won a Nobel Prize for using “freedom of expression to expose abuse of power, use of violence and growing authoritarianism in her native country.” She is a journalist with 35 years’ experience and founded Rappler, the top digitalnews-only site, which fights for press freedom in the Philippines.

Fighting for press freedom, which also encompasses free speech, is not an easy task. Through her years as the head of Rappler, Ressa encountered threats to her life. Despite this, she and her team fearlessly published information regarding government corruption and human rights violations. Lawsuits hampered her freedom to speak truth and justice, but they never truly prevailed. She also experienced constant harassment online and was even barred from the presidential palace. However, Ressa and Rappler won legal victory in 2023, which she celebrated by saying, “Today, facts win, truth wins, justice wins.”

As Salvationists, I believe we should advocate for truth and justice, just as Jesus did and does, and this is one reason I was honoured to be part of the ISJC. It is my hope that The Salvation Army may be known not only as a church or a charitable organization, but as an Army that pushes fearlessly for truth and justice in a world filled with brokenness and lies.

—Angelica

I don’t know whether Maria Ressa is a Christian, but you certainly show her carrying on the ministry of Jesus. When Jesus originally said, “The truth will set you free” (John 8:32), he was speaking, as Maria Ressa has, to people who lived under oppressive control. And like her, Jesus got into a lot of trouble for speaking the truth. In fact, the Gospels say that speaking the truth to the powers of his day, both Jewish and Roman, got Jesus arrested, tried and crucified. In other words, there may be a moral right to free speech, but sometimes it will take great courage to exercise that right. 

Of course, the Bible also has lots of cautions about what one should and should not say. The Apostle James is particularly vivid in his warnings: “The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell” (James 3:6). Wow! If “free speech” means simply saying whatever you want, it’s not going to have the Bible’s endorsement.

At the same time, when people who hold power control what may be said, or slant information for their own purposes (as with fake news) or spread misinformation, and their actions go unchecked, injustice and ignorance flourish. Challenging and correcting untruths is a sacred Jesus-following mission. How often did Jesus say, “You have heard it said, but I say to you … ”?

When we were creating the ISJC in 2008, we determined that one of its goals was to be a voice for the voiceless—i.e., to speak for those who are so oppressed that they can’t speak. I recall Don Posterski, an internationally known Christian leader, speaker and author who was part of that original ISJC team, often challenging The Salvation Army to “spend its capital,” by which he meant that we had a responsibility to use the social credibility and popularity that the Army had to advocate for the poor and downtrodden and trafficked who could not be heard. You were recently part of the ISJC team. Is “speaking up” still a goal?

—Jim

I am unsure if Ressa is a Christian, but her fight for publicizing the truth is worth studying and emulating.

The Apostle Paul was undoubtedly someone who faced a fierce fight for sharing the truth. He preached the good news about Christ’s life, death and Resurrection, and faced persecution as a result. It’s interesting that he applauded the church in Berea and called them “more noble” or “more fair-minded” because they did not merely receive his message, but they examined the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was true (see Acts 17:10-12). They exemplify what we must do as modern-day Christians: first, eagerly receive the presentation of the Word of God, and then examine the accuracy and consistency of what we have been told with equal eagerness, so that we do not become mere blind followers. How can we speak truth if we do not know how to examine what we receive? 

These days, when communication has become easier and swifter, false information is distributed in significant amounts—some even crafted to seem incredibly believable. This magnifies our responsibility to carefully examine whatever we encounter so as not to be deceived. Different takes on Scripture or cultural issues are shared online with the click of a button, often without careful review. We must do our best not to fall into this trap. 

As important as free speech is, it also comes with the responsibility to use it well. When our right to free speech begins to step on other people’s rights, our “rights” become “wrongs.” If we impede people’s exposure to the truth by feeding them misinformation and lies, we are overstepping the boundaries of our rights and trespassing on their freedom and access to the truth. Free speech, then, is a great responsibility, and not a tool to be utilized carelessly. Unfortunately, it is a tool that has been used to spur injustices in the world. 

Free speech, then, is a great responsibility, and not a tool to be utilized carelessly. Unfortunately, it is a tool that has been used to spur injustices in the world.

On the other hand, I am proud to say that the ISJC is continuing the fight for the truth. It is still committed to becoming the voice for those unheard, and to “promoting a vision of justice based on the life and teaching of Jesus Christ.” The ISJC seeks justice “to amplify the voices of poor, marginalized and oppressed people and translate their real-life insights into policies, practices and life-giving opportunities.”

At times, we encounter topics that seem like hard pills to swallow. However, this is how the fight for justice and truth unfolds. It is not always comfortable, but if we expect change to happen, we must be prepared to overturn the bounds of our comfort zones and stir conversations that will open people’s minds with the hopes of leading them to the truth.

—Angelica

I like what you have done in linking rights and responsibilities. You have connected the right to free speech with the responsibility to speak truth and not to spread misinformation. Then you have gone on to link Paul’s courageous exercise of his right to freely preach the gospel with his commendation of the Bereans for exercising their responsibility to be critical listeners. 

So, in addition to our responsibility not to speak maliciously or falsely when we exercise our right to speak, you note we also have responsibilities to encourage others to scrutinize what we say. That’s important. The church has not always been good at doing this. Too often people have heard a different message.

It makes me wonder whether a museum for human responsibilities should be built alongside the worldclass museum for human rights that we already have here in Winnipeg.

Sadly, we have run out of time, Angelica. Here’s my concluding thought. When people are being forcibly silenced or made to feel so inferior that they are ashamed to speak up, they need the people at the ISJC to advocate for them and open space for their voices to be heard. And when people elsewhere— Canada and Bermuda, for instance— have plenty of freedom to speak, we need encouragement to have opinions and to speak out and say something that is worth saying.

Thank you for sharing yourself and your ideas. You’re a true friend.

Grace and peace,
—Jim

Dr. James Read, OF, was the executive director of The Salvation Army’s Ethics Centre for many years and served as chair of the International Moral and Social Issues Council. Now retired, he attends Heritage Park Temple in Winnipeg. Angelica Sulit, LPT, was the digital communications intern at The Salvation Army’s International Social Justice Commission from 2021-2023. She is currently a freelance web developer and designer for the U.S.A. Eastern Territory.

Photo: spukkato/iStock via Getty Images Plus

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