Abraham Lincoln Nothing is more daring in the American experiment than the founders' belief that the American republic could remain free forever. But how was this to be done, and are Americans doing it today? It is not enough for freedom to be won. It must also be Cultural observer Os Guinness argues that the American experiment in freedom is at risk. Summoning historical evidence on how democracies evolve, Guinness shows that contemporary views of freedom--most typically, a negative freedom from constraint-- are unsustainable because they undermine the conditions necessary for freedom to thrive. He calls us to reconsider the audacity of sustainable freedom and what it would take to restore it. "In the end," Guinness writes, "the ultimate threat to the American republic will be Americans. The problem is not wolves at the door but termites in the floor." The future of the republic depends on whether Americans will rise to the challenge of living up to America's unfulfilled potential for freedom, both for itself and for the world.
A Free People's Suicide
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"Os Guinness enlightens, cheers, chastises and informs with this latest contribution to our civic discourse. Guinness here solidifies his reputation as one of the most nimble voices from the Christian community as he surveys our history and our present with appreciation as well as deep concern. Highly recommended for all interested citizens, whatever their political or faith commitments." (Jean Bethke Elshtain, Laura Spelman Rockefeller Professor of Social and Political Ethics at the University of Chicago, author of Sovereignty: God, State and Self)
"A Free People's Suicide is an inside view from the outside. Os Guinness has a clear eye, a quick mind, a profound grasp of political philosophy and an eloquent pen. His analysis of American freedom, what it has been, now is and is likely to become, is a clarion call for renewal of the founders' vision for a free people." (James W. Sire, author of The Universe Next Door and Václav Havel: The Intellectual Conscience of International Politics)
"Sometimes a book is so important and so timely that not to have read it is to embarrass oneself. This is such a book. Its message is so crucial and so clear that all Americans are obligated to read it and have a national conversation on its themes. No cultural commentator or politician who has not read this book should ever be taken seriously again. Let this book be the new litmus test. If you are serious about America, be familiar with its themes and expect to discuss them and to be tested on them. Rest assured that you will be, because America is now herself being tested on them. Alas, we will not be graded on a curve. This book's clarion call is both piercing and full of hope. May God help us to hear it and to take action." (Eric Metaxas, author of Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy and Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery)
"With passion and urgency Os Guinness gives a sweeping historical account of America's past and her prospects for the future. He urges us to pay serious attention to a deeper understanding of freedom and makes a compelling case for why freedom requires virtue. Weaving together a wide-ranging knowledge of classical, constitutional and contemporary history, Guinness warns of America's decline but charts a course for America's renewal. It is a straight-shooting and sober volume, yet in the end it is a hopeful book." (Michael Cromartie, vice president, Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC)
"In a passionate work that blends historical-cultural analysis with moral exhortation, Os Guinness finds at the heart of America's culture wars something different than what many observers have seen. He identifies a 'freedom war,' a struggle over the very concept of freedom itself. As the Founders well understood, it is not enough for Americans to invoke endlessly the name of 'freedom' when they no longer agree as to what it means or what ends freedom is meant to serve. Guinness warns that freedom cannot long endure unless it is consecrated to purposes beyond itself. It is a warning worth heeding." (Wilfred M. McClay, SunTrust Chair of Excellence in Humanities, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and author of The Masterless: Self and Society in Modern America)
"A Free People's Suicide is an inside view from the outside. Os Guinness has a clear eye, a quick mind, a profound grasp of political philosophy and an eloquent pen. His analysis of American freedom, what it has been, now is and is likely to become, is a clarion call for renewal of the founders' vision for a free people." (James W. Sire, author of The Universe Next Door and Václav Havel: The Intellectual Conscience of International Politics)
"Sometimes a book is so important and so timely that not to have read it is to embarrass oneself. This is such a book. Its message is so crucial and so clear that all Americans are obligated to read it and have a national conversation on its themes. No cultural commentator or politician who has not read this book should ever be taken seriously again. Let this book be the new litmus test. If you are serious about America, be familiar with its themes and expect to discuss them and to be tested on them. Rest assured that you will be, because America is now herself being tested on them. Alas, we will not be graded on a curve. This book's clarion call is both piercing and full of hope. May God help us to hear it and to take action." (Eric Metaxas, author of Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy and Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery)
"With passion and urgency Os Guinness gives a sweeping historical account of America's past and her prospects for the future. He urges us to pay serious attention to a deeper understanding of freedom and makes a compelling case for why freedom requires virtue. Weaving together a wide-ranging knowledge of classical, constitutional and contemporary history, Guinness warns of America's decline but charts a course for America's renewal. It is a straight-shooting and sober volume, yet in the end it is a hopeful book." (Michael Cromartie, vice president, Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington, DC)
"In a passionate work that blends historical-cultural analysis with moral exhortation, Os Guinness finds at the heart of America's culture wars something different than what many observers have seen. He identifies a 'freedom war,' a struggle over the very concept of freedom itself. As the Founders well understood, it is not enough for Americans to invoke endlessly the name of 'freedom' when they no longer agree as to what it means or what ends freedom is meant to serve. Guinness warns that freedom cannot long endure unless it is consecrated to purposes beyond itself. It is a warning worth heeding." (Wilfred M. McClay, SunTrust Chair of Excellence in Humanities, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and author of The Masterless: Self and Society in Modern America)
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
89 of 91 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
At the close of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, a woman asked Benjamin Franklin, "Well, Doctor, what have we got--a Republic or a Monarchy?" To which Franklin replied: "A Republic, if you can keep it." That question and Franklin's reply cut to the heart of Os Guinness's new book, A Free People's Suicide.
According to Guinness, any society that wishes to be free must accomplish three tasks: win its freedom, order is freedom, and sustain its freedom. Americans commemorate the winning of our freedom on July 4, 1776, even though peace with Britain was not formalized until 1783. We commemorate the ordering of our freedom with the adoption (1787) and ratification (1789) of the Constitution. But sustaining our freedom is an unfinished and ongoing task.
Unfortunately, Guinness argues, "freedom has a chronic habit of undermining and destroying itself." He notes three instances:
* "When freedom runs to excess and breeds permissiveness and license."
* "When freedom so longs for its own security that its love of security undermines freedom."
* "When freedom becomes so caught up in its own glory that it justifies anything and everything done in its name, even such things as torture that contradict freedom."
He then notes that "the last decade has displayed clear examples of each of these corruptions writ large in American culture and in American foreign policy."
Now, Guinness is a Brit, so it's easy--too easy--for freedom-loving patriots to dismiss his analysis as so much anti-American twaddle. But Guinness is an America-loving Brit. He doesn't critique America in order to defame it but to improve it. Indeed, he argues that the sustainability of our freedom depends on our ability to appropriate the wisdom of the Founders for the present day.
A crucial component of that wisdom is what Guinness calls "the Golden Triangle of Freedom": "Freedom requires virtue, which in turn requires faith of some sort, which in turn requires freedom." The Constitution cannot secure American freedom in the absence of the character of its citizens. A government for free people requires self-government. But the source of self-government transcends the self and cannot be appropriated by means of coercion. Freedom requires virtue requires faith requires freedom. These qualities are symbiotic and mutually reinforcing.
Like Abraham Lincoln, Guinness doubts that America can be conquered by external foes. In Lincoln's words, "As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide." Rather, the real threat to the American experiment in ordered liberty is internal. In Guinness's pithy words, "The problem is not wolves at the door but termites in the floor." Sustainable freedom begins with renewal at the level of our nation's moral foundation.
If I have any criticism of this otherwise excellent book, it is that Guinness, like the American Founders before him, is vague about the faith that virtue requires. Freedom requires virtue which requires faith of some sort. Those last three words should remind Christian readers--Guinness himself is an evangelical, and IVP Books is an evangelical publishing house--that Americans have always viewed religion in terms of social utility and been hesitant in the face of exclusive truth claims or spiritual practices. Christians in America, then, can contribute to the sustenance of their nation's freedom, but must beware lest their Kingdom agenda be sacrificed upon a national altar.
According to Guinness, any society that wishes to be free must accomplish three tasks: win its freedom, order is freedom, and sustain its freedom. Americans commemorate the winning of our freedom on July 4, 1776, even though peace with Britain was not formalized until 1783. We commemorate the ordering of our freedom with the adoption (1787) and ratification (1789) of the Constitution. But sustaining our freedom is an unfinished and ongoing task.
Unfortunately, Guinness argues, "freedom has a chronic habit of undermining and destroying itself." He notes three instances:
* "When freedom runs to excess and breeds permissiveness and license."
* "When freedom so longs for its own security that its love of security undermines freedom."
* "When freedom becomes so caught up in its own glory that it justifies anything and everything done in its name, even such things as torture that contradict freedom."
He then notes that "the last decade has displayed clear examples of each of these corruptions writ large in American culture and in American foreign policy."
Now, Guinness is a Brit, so it's easy--too easy--for freedom-loving patriots to dismiss his analysis as so much anti-American twaddle. But Guinness is an America-loving Brit. He doesn't critique America in order to defame it but to improve it. Indeed, he argues that the sustainability of our freedom depends on our ability to appropriate the wisdom of the Founders for the present day.
A crucial component of that wisdom is what Guinness calls "the Golden Triangle of Freedom": "Freedom requires virtue, which in turn requires faith of some sort, which in turn requires freedom." The Constitution cannot secure American freedom in the absence of the character of its citizens. A government for free people requires self-government. But the source of self-government transcends the self and cannot be appropriated by means of coercion. Freedom requires virtue requires faith requires freedom. These qualities are symbiotic and mutually reinforcing.
Like Abraham Lincoln, Guinness doubts that America can be conquered by external foes. In Lincoln's words, "As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide." Rather, the real threat to the American experiment in ordered liberty is internal. In Guinness's pithy words, "The problem is not wolves at the door but termites in the floor." Sustainable freedom begins with renewal at the level of our nation's moral foundation.
If I have any criticism of this otherwise excellent book, it is that Guinness, like the American Founders before him, is vague about the faith that virtue requires. Freedom requires virtue which requires faith of some sort. Those last three words should remind Christian readers--Guinness himself is an evangelical, and IVP Books is an evangelical publishing house--that Americans have always viewed religion in terms of social utility and been hesitant in the face of exclusive truth claims or spiritual practices. Christians in America, then, can contribute to the sustenance of their nation's freedom, but must beware lest their Kingdom agenda be sacrificed upon a national altar.
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful
By E. Ritzema
Format:Paperback
We Americans love to talk about freedom.
We call ourselves "the land of the free"; our Declaration of Independence talks about liberty as an "inalienable right"; there are few things that can get an American riled up like the threat of a loss of freedom.
But our freedom is in jeopardy, says Os Guinness. Guinness doesn't find the primary threat to our freedom in an external source, like another nation, or even "big government" or "big business" or special interests. No, the enemy is us. Freedom cannot be won for all time and then left alone; it needs to be sustained. And, Guinness writes, Americans are failing to sustain the freedom our nation's founders worked so hard to win: "The problem is not wolves at the door but termites in the floor. Powerful free people die only by their own hand, and free people have no one to blame but themselves" (37). The vision of freedom we Americans are pursuing is "short-lived and suicidal" (29).
(Side note: The title A Free People's Suicide might seem bombastic, but it comes from a quote from Abraham Lincoln: "If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.")
The problem with our vision of freedom is that the freedom we love to talk about and claim for ourselves focuses exclusively on freedom from external constraints. There are two kinds of freedom: freedom from constraint (negative freedom) and freedom for cultivating virtue and becoming the people we ought to be (positive freedom). Modern Americans are only interested in negative freedom. We claim rights and entitlements for ourselves, but do not care about duty, virtue, character, or pursuing excellence. Negative freedom alone is unsustainable. Freedom from external restraint, without self-restraint, undermines itself.
What can be done? Guinness argues that we need to return to the founders' vision of freedom, which he calls the "Golden Triangle of Freedom." He demonstrates that the founders did not have a vision of freedom that stopped with freedom from constraint. Rather, their vision of freedom was part of an interdependent triangle: freedom requires virtue; virtue requires faith; faith requires freedom.
Perhaps the most controversial part of this triangle of freedom in our time is faith. The point for Guinness, and I agree, is not necessarily that the founders were Christians (though some were). Rather, the point is that the founders (even the Deists) were unanimous in their approval of faith of any kind, because faith fosters virtue, and only a virtuous people can remain free.
Guinness' book is intended not just for Christians or religious people, but for all Americans who care about freedom. For that reason, I understand his arguing for faith as part of the golden triangle of freedom on pragmatic grounds (he follows the founders in adopting this tactic). Nevertheless, I think his argument ought to have particular force for Christians. The Bible also understands freedom as not merely freedom from constraint.
Seven times in the book of Exodus, God (through Moses) says, "Let my people go so that they may serve me." (Exod 5:1; 7:16; 8:1, 20; 9:1, 13; 10:3). Jesus said, "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36), but he also said, "Take my yoke upon you" (Matt 11:29). One of the earliest Christians' favorite self-designations was "slave of Christ" (Rom 1:1; 1 Cor 7:22; Gal 1:10; Phil 1:1; Titus 1:1; Jas 1:1; 2 Pet 1:1; Jude 1; Rev 1:1). Freedom, for the Christian, can never be merely about freedom from external constraints. It begins with freedom from constraint, but doesn't stop there. Christian freedom is not just freedom from, but freedom for: freedom to serve God and others. From a Christian perspective, those who begin by thinking freedom is merely the absence of external constraints end by becoming slaves to their own appetites: greed, lust, and desire for power.
I applaud Guinness' effort to prod Americans to do the hard work of sustaining freedom. I hope his argument gains a wide hearing. In particular, I hope his argument gains traction among Christians, who are just as prone to only care about negative freedom as anyone else, but who have the least reason for doing so.
Note: Thanks to InterVarsity Press for a review copy.
We call ourselves "the land of the free"; our Declaration of Independence talks about liberty as an "inalienable right"; there are few things that can get an American riled up like the threat of a loss of freedom.
But our freedom is in jeopardy, says Os Guinness. Guinness doesn't find the primary threat to our freedom in an external source, like another nation, or even "big government" or "big business" or special interests. No, the enemy is us. Freedom cannot be won for all time and then left alone; it needs to be sustained. And, Guinness writes, Americans are failing to sustain the freedom our nation's founders worked so hard to win: "The problem is not wolves at the door but termites in the floor. Powerful free people die only by their own hand, and free people have no one to blame but themselves" (37). The vision of freedom we Americans are pursuing is "short-lived and suicidal" (29).
(Side note: The title A Free People's Suicide might seem bombastic, but it comes from a quote from Abraham Lincoln: "If destruction be our lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide.")
The problem with our vision of freedom is that the freedom we love to talk about and claim for ourselves focuses exclusively on freedom from external constraints. There are two kinds of freedom: freedom from constraint (negative freedom) and freedom for cultivating virtue and becoming the people we ought to be (positive freedom). Modern Americans are only interested in negative freedom. We claim rights and entitlements for ourselves, but do not care about duty, virtue, character, or pursuing excellence. Negative freedom alone is unsustainable. Freedom from external restraint, without self-restraint, undermines itself.
What can be done? Guinness argues that we need to return to the founders' vision of freedom, which he calls the "Golden Triangle of Freedom." He demonstrates that the founders did not have a vision of freedom that stopped with freedom from constraint. Rather, their vision of freedom was part of an interdependent triangle: freedom requires virtue; virtue requires faith; faith requires freedom.
Perhaps the most controversial part of this triangle of freedom in our time is faith. The point for Guinness, and I agree, is not necessarily that the founders were Christians (though some were). Rather, the point is that the founders (even the Deists) were unanimous in their approval of faith of any kind, because faith fosters virtue, and only a virtuous people can remain free.
Guinness' book is intended not just for Christians or religious people, but for all Americans who care about freedom. For that reason, I understand his arguing for faith as part of the golden triangle of freedom on pragmatic grounds (he follows the founders in adopting this tactic). Nevertheless, I think his argument ought to have particular force for Christians. The Bible also understands freedom as not merely freedom from constraint.
Seven times in the book of Exodus, God (through Moses) says, "Let my people go so that they may serve me." (Exod 5:1; 7:16; 8:1, 20; 9:1, 13; 10:3). Jesus said, "If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8:36), but he also said, "Take my yoke upon you" (Matt 11:29). One of the earliest Christians' favorite self-designations was "slave of Christ" (Rom 1:1; 1 Cor 7:22; Gal 1:10; Phil 1:1; Titus 1:1; Jas 1:1; 2 Pet 1:1; Jude 1; Rev 1:1). Freedom, for the Christian, can never be merely about freedom from external constraints. It begins with freedom from constraint, but doesn't stop there. Christian freedom is not just freedom from, but freedom for: freedom to serve God and others. From a Christian perspective, those who begin by thinking freedom is merely the absence of external constraints end by becoming slaves to their own appetites: greed, lust, and desire for power.
I applaud Guinness' effort to prod Americans to do the hard work of sustaining freedom. I hope his argument gains a wide hearing. In particular, I hope his argument gains traction among Christians, who are just as prone to only care about negative freedom as anyone else, but who have the least reason for doing so.
Note: Thanks to InterVarsity Press for a review copy.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
By G. Woodard
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This short book was the most bracing, insightful and enlightening book that I have read in a long time. Eric Metaxas writes this in a back cover blurb:
"Sometimes a book is so important and timely that not to have read it is to embarrass oneself. This is such a book ... This book's clarion call is both piercing and full of hope. May God help us to hear and to take action."
This book should be read by all Americans who care about our country. Guinness argues that the American experiment at freedom is at risk. He writes that winning freedom is not enough, freedom must be sustained. The book is simply outstanding. One may not agree with all of what Dr. Guinness has to say in this book, but it is worth the effort to work through.
"Sometimes a book is so important and timely that not to have read it is to embarrass oneself. This is such a book ... This book's clarion call is both piercing and full of hope. May God help us to hear and to take action."
This book should be read by all Americans who care about our country. Guinness argues that the American experiment at freedom is at risk. He writes that winning freedom is not enough, freedom must be sustained. The book is simply outstanding. One may not agree with all of what Dr. Guinness has to say in this book, but it is worth the effort to work through.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
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This book was recommended by a friend, who heard the author speak at a local function. The book covers an interesting subject, but the author writes in a style that is over my... Read more
Published 1 day ago by OTBrass
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necessary
a good view of our culture from outside. good advice, too.....but will we heed it? should be read by all
Published 9 days ago by David A. Pulzetti
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Os Guinness is a great writer. I have read a number of his books through the years. However, I don't think he has written a more important book than this one. Read more
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Published 19 days ago by A. Morgan
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Should be read by all voters who are concerned with the decline of our American Culture
Should be read by all voters who are concerned with the decline of our American Culture
Published 28 days ago by Myron W Stutzman
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must Read
This book should be required reading of every American. It is certainly a warning, but it is a warning given with both hope and a plan to change the trajectory of our nation in a... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Steven L. Dornbusch
4.0 out of 5 stars
Genius at work
Guinness is a genius on many levels. His keen observations about culture and humanity are consistently astute and spot on. This book is just further testimony to his genius.
Published 1 month ago by Richard Bersett
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Free People's Suicide
I selected this book because I admire Eric Metaxas who had
suggested reading it. I have not been disappointed with the
analysis of the author. Read more
suggested reading it. I have not been disappointed with the
analysis of the author. Read more
Published 1 month ago by florence
5.0 out of 5 stars
Required reading for 2k+ Americans.
The best tome on postmodern Americans and their heinous failure to intelligently comprehend time, space, wealth, and the "whys" of freedom and liberty. Read more
Published 1 month ago by jeff schabowski
4.0 out of 5 stars
important book to read
This book tells a lot that online college courses & professors are missing. The title should not scare a reader away. Read more
Published 1 month ago by M. Beavers
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