The connection between the fundamental values of American democracy and Orthodox Christian teaching was highlighted by Archbishop Elpidophoros of America in his message for Independence Day, marking the 250th anniversary of the United States Declaration of Independence. As he emphasized, freedom, equality, and the dignity of every human being stem from the fact that each person is created in the image of God.
The Archbishop described the anniversary as “a very special one,” noting that the Declaration of Independence laid the foundations for the United States as the “land of the free and home of the brave.” He further stressed that, despite the imperfections inherent in every human society, the United States has sought throughout its history to remain faithful to the principles of the Declaration and to the conviction that “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” are intrinsic rights of every human being.
At the same time, he linked these principles to Christian teaching, underscoring that every person is created in the image of God and possesses inherent worth and dignity. As he noted, the fundamental idea that all people are equal before God is a truth that the Founding Fathers of the United States regarded as “self-evident.”
The Archbishop called upon the faithful to uphold the rights of all people regardless of their differences, emphasizing that the value of the human person does not derive from origin, language, culture, or personal characteristics, but from being created in the image of God.
Concluding his message, Archbishop Elpidophoros expressed gratitude for the opportunity of Greek Orthodox Christians to live and prosper in the United States. He urged all faithful to remain united and to continue building upon the “self-evident truths of faith and freedom,” which, he said, form the foundation of democracy, human flourishing, and the pursuit of happiness.
Read here the full encyclical:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident….”
(The Declaration of Independence)
My Beloved Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
This Fourth of July is a very special one – for we celebrate a quarter of a millennium since the Declaration of Independence that inaugurated our “land of the free and home of the brave,” the United States of America. Two hundred and fifty years is approximately ten generations of Americans, and though there were some who arrived earlier, and many who arrived much later, no matter how you became an American, we are all endowed with the same blessing of citizenship in this amazing Country.
While there has never been a perfect society, empire, or nation in the history of the world, our United States has endeavored through these generations to be true to its Declaration – not only of Independence, but its avowal that “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” are intrinsic rights of every human being. As Orthodox Christians, we recognize that every person is endowed with the image of God, even if that image is obscured and marred by sin. Thus, like the Founders of our Country who signed the Declaration of Independence, we acknowledge that we are bestowed by our “Creator with certain unalienable Rights….”
The fundamental equality of every human being before God is a truth that the Founders declared “self-evident,” yet we often see in our world radical inequities and imbalances. Thus, all of us – true to the American spirit – are called to affirm the rights of all others, no matter how different they may seem. For it is not in the exterior signs and marks of locality, culture, language, and personality that the ultimate value of the human person derives. But from the image of God in which they were created. Our mission, is to encourage and work for that image to become the likeness – meaning, for the potential of that shared humanity to find its fulfillment in the ever-aspiring reach toward theosis, toward the life divine by living lives of love, compassion, mercy, forgiveness, and grace, following in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Beloved Brethren in the Lord: we are so very blessed to live and thrive in this Land where the values of our self-governance converge with our faith. In the Semiquincentennial of our Nation’s founding, let us ever rise up to build on the self-evident truths of Faith and freedom, which are the very foundation of our life, our liberty, and our pursuit of happiness. Happy Fourth of July!
With paternal love in Jesus Christ,
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†ELPIDOPHOROS
Archbishop of America
