Sound of Freedom Resources and Blog

I've mentioned the film Sound of Freedom in conversation and even from the pulpit after seeing it recently.  While not new information, it certainly was a moving presentation of a real problem.

Since then, several people from my church - Harderwyk Ministries in Holland, MI - have approached me with an interest to learn more as well as to get involved in engaging it - especially locally.  We are taking some steps - praying, making phone calls, collecting information and the like.  I intend to gather what we learn beginning with this blog.

First, I'd say watch the film yourself.  Better, watch it with some trusted friedns, then sit down to talk some about it afterwards.  What do you think?  What did you learn?  What might a "next step" be?

Updated on Thursday, August 3

A trusted ministry colleague has pointed me towards an organization working with Human Trafficking called "Michigan Abolitionist Project."  Website:  www.michiganabolitionistproject.org    CLICK HERE  I found this 5-minute YouTube video an interesting first contact with their ministry.  CLICK HERE

About the Movie Sound of Freedom

Our local paper recently had a front page article about another controversy that mentioned in passing "the controversial film Sound of Freedom."  Controversial?!?  More on that later, but for now, after you have seen the film for  yourself, here are two articles that give very helpful context and perspective on the film itself.

Is ‘Sound of Freedom’ the Next ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’? from Christianity Today - CLICK HERE

What Anti-Trafficking Experts Think of the Hit Movie ‘Sound of Freedom’ from The Gospel Coalition - CLICK HERE

The Film Is Recent - The Problem Is Not

David Ruark is a friend and colleague going back to the '90's when I was in Mt Pleasant and he was with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship at Central Michigan University.  I eventually moved to Asheville and beyond.  He loft for New York City with IVCF and International Justice Mission.  I'm trying to reconnect again, but along the way I've found these two YouTube videos produced by him.  These also give good background, especially regarding the broader issue beyond international child sex trafficking of Sound of Freedom.  Notice: they are from 2013 and 2014 and talk about prostitution and economic slavery.  One is a sample talk David did on the University of Michigan campus.

It's fair to say that Sound of Freedom shines a light on a gripping portion of a larger problem that has been around for too long.

Price of Life NYC Final Report - A 2013 film recapping an effort in New York City.  - CLICK HERE  Good to see my friend Dave's smiling face at about 1:00 in video.

Price of Life - Project Rescue (Education Station) Sept 11, 2014 - This is a sample 16 minute talk used for the Price of Life: Project Rescue residence hall programs at the University of Michigan. - CLICK HERE

What Could BE "Controversial" About Educating and Opposing Human Trafficking?

I've seen this in more than my own local paper and frankly, was really surprised.  So I dug and tried to understand.

Simply put: to date I am not convinced.

Basically, some people raise concern that Sound of Freedom is "adjacent to" or a "dog whistle" for QANON conspiracy theories.  If you are not familiar with the conspiracy theories floating around under the ruberic of QANON, congratulations.  I think they have been discredited multiple times over and are long past discarded.  CLICK HERE for a brief background post done by Joe Carter on TheGospelCoalition.org.  

The connection seems to be Sound of Freedom is about international child sex trafficking and QANON had a thread about secret pedophiles in government, so they must be connected.  And one of the actors has sounded friendly to QANON people and ideas.

That is a pretty thin connection in my mind.  For me, QANON is discredited craziness and humman trafficking - including internation child sex trafficking - is real and has been around for a while.  I can hold both of those thoughts together.

Connecting them only serves to discredit and undermine any attention or energy put to resisting humman trafficking.  And who benefits from that??

I can't and won't do what Tim Ballard and Operation Underground Railroad has done.  But I'm thankful for the light Sound of Freedom has given to a dark reality in our world right now.  I want to learn more and prayerfully identify how I can join those who are already at work to disrupt and resist this horror.  Email me - CLICK HERE or Bill@Harderwyk.com - if you have information to share or questions to ask.  I'm happy to talk or meet.   I really want to move forward with this.

Some Baptism Reflections

We are preparing for several people to make Profession of Faith and be baptized this Sunday.   Because several have requested to be baptized by immersion, it seemed like a good time for me to gather some thoughts and history.

Typically in the Christian Reformed Church denomination, people are baptized as children by believing parents who stand in the covenant promise of Genesis 17:7 first given to Abraham. "I will be your God and your children's God," the LORD said to Abraham and his wife Sara; a promise to them regarding their houshold.

With the death and resurrection of Jesus, baptism became the sign of covenant relationship both for the new believers as well their households.  See Acts 16:15 as one of many examples.

That the covenant sign extended to children based on God's promise to their believing parents, was never meant to preclude or replace a child's own coming to a personal faith - "owning" those promises to their parents for themselves.  Hence, the practice of "Profession of Faith" in the CRC.

On Sunday, everyone will be doing both Baptism and Profession of Faith in the same step of faith.  Because they are adults and it is summer, it works well for us to do these baptisms at a nearby lake.

So it is good to remember that our deepest committment is to believing faith, not a form; the faith that we express with baptism, and not the form which the baptism may take.  With that in mind, here's three Scriptures follwed by two historic statements that shine light on our worship this Sunday.

Baptism as Covenant Sign – Colossians 2:11-12

In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. 

Baptism as Washing Away of Sin - Acts 22:16

And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name. 

Baptism as Death and Resurrection – Romans 6:3-4

Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

John Calvin in his Institutes of the Christian Religion writes:

But whether the person being baptized should be wholly immersed, and whether thrice or once, whether he should only be sprinkled with poured water—these details are of no importance, but ought to be optional to churches according to the diversity of countries. Yet the word “baptize” means to immerse, and it is clear that the rite of immersion was observed in the ancient church.   IV, xv, 19

And a particular favorite of mine because of his passion, eloquence and surprise,

Martin Luther in his book The Babylonian Captivity of the Church, 3:23, written in 1520 writes:

Hence it is indeed correct to say that baptism washes sins away, but that expression is too weak and mild to bring out the full significance of baptism, which is rather a symbol of death and resurrection. For this reason I would have the candidates for baptism completely immersed in the water, as the word says and as the sacrament signifies. Not that I deem this necessary, but it would be well to give to so perfect and complete a thing a perfect and complete sign. Thus it was also doubtless instituted by Christ. The sinner does not so much need to be washed as he needs to die, in order to be wholly renewed and made another creature, and to be conformed to the death and resurrection of Christ, with Whom, through baptism, he dies and rises again. Although you may properly say that Christ was washed clean of mortality when He died and rose again, yet that is a weaker way of putting it than if you said He was completely changed and renewed. In the same way it is far more forceful to say that baptism signifies that we die completely and rising to eternal life, than to say that it signifies merely our being washed clean from sins.