Freedom vs. Independence

“Christianity promises to make man free,” Anglican priest William R. Inge writes; “it never promises to make them independent.” Freedom and independence are polar opposites. The former leads to wellness and wholeness. The latter leads only to disillusionment and emptiness. Freedom always moves us toward people and into community (Galatians 5:13), and so freedom allows us to love and be loved. Independence separates and isolates, leading to deep loneliness. 

Independence says, “I do not need you. I am self-sufficient.” On…