How is freedom born?

The American founders said that all men are created equal and are endowed with certain unalienable rights—that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. They called this a self-evident truth. Eighty-seven years later, Abraham Lincoln reaffirmed this idea on the Civil War battlefield of Gettysburg. And in 1963 these same words echoed from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial as Martin Luther King, Jr. urged America to fulfill the promise of its founding.

But humans are separated by enormous differences in talent and circumstance. Why would anyone believe that all men are created equal? That all should be free? That all deserve a voice in choosing their leaders? Why would any nation consider this a self-evident truth?  How is freedom born?

For the millions around the world who have never tasted liberty, the question cries for an answer.

This exceptional DVD program and accompanying study guide trace the roots of the concept of true freedom based on the Judeo-Christian understanding of man as made in God's image.  Filmed in high definition, this moving documentary contrasts the ancient civilizations such as Greece and Rome and their lack of respect for the individual with the cataclysmic social changes brought forth by Christian teaching.  The development of freedom is then traced through Western civilization's history leading into the American experiment founded on these principles.  Freedom is not the right of Americans, it is the right of all human beings.  Now more than ever we need to be reminded of the roots of true freedom in order to safeguard what so often we take for granted.

The DVD includes a companion study guide which is an invaluable tool for discussion, whether in family or large group settings.  Highly recommended as a supplement for high school civics classes.

Author: Acton Media
Year: 2008
Length: 58 minutes