#howcanwebefree — Public Fediverse posts

Tupac Shakur’s “How Can We Be Free?” [A Guest Post by The Rev. Anthony Stevenson]

During the summer session I taught for BSK Theological Seminary this summer, I asked the students to submit weekly 300-word responses on the weekly assigned readings. For the last week, I assigned some poetry and lyrics by Tupac Shakur and a speech by Malcolm X (“The Ballot or the Bulelt”, 1964). The responses–across the board–were powerful; potentially the best week of responses of the seven (and, tbh, each week collected strong responses!). With that said, the following response about Tupac Shakur’s poem “How Can We Be Free” written by The Rev. Anthony Stevenson (pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church in Cynthiana, KY) demanded a wider audience. With his permission, I am honored to be featuring it here.

I love the impact of my theological education and my pastoral experiences, but what do I say to people who feel stretched thin by political division, economic pressure, and the relentless weight of social unrest? The question of what it means to be free is suspended in the air with new urgency. We live in a climate where people constantly speak of freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of choice, freedom to live without fear, yet many still feel locked up by temporal forces shaped by a lack of feeling free. Where is my liberty in a world shaped by racialized poverty, surveillance of the Black community, and generational trauma? Tupac argues that “freedom” becomes a slogan rather than an experience. Tupac’s poem, “How Can We Be Free,” challenges me to recognize how societal structures, economic, political, and cultural divisions, have and continue to produce a kind of invisible imprisonment.

As I speak from a pastoral, sanctified voice that speaks honestly to the world’s realities while immersing people in the deeper freedom that God offers, I stand boldly before God. My pastoral leadership cannot ignore the pressures shaping people’s lives; it must acknowledge the exhaustion, the frustration, and the longing for something fresh and reviving. Tupac’s question, “How can we be free?” is not just poetic; it is prophetic. Yet I must also send a high alert to the Black community that freedom is not merely a political condition or a social achievement; it is a spiritual reality rooted in truth, justice, and the liberating love of Jesus Christ. In a world where many people feel ensnared by circumstances that seem beyond their control, they find themselves overwhelmed by the rising costs of food, gas, and a decent standard of living. I confess that many feel caught in generational cycles of debt, struggling to break free. As racial inequities continue to limit our opportunities, there is little space left for rest or meaningful reflection. The everyday tension between the promise of freedom, liberty, and justice for all humankind feels fragile, incomplete, or unevenly distributed. In this fork-in-the-road moment, Tupac’s question remains unanswered: “How can we be free?”

This pastoral moment invites me to invite us to imagine freedom not as a distant belief but as a present possibility. If “[t]his so called ‘Home of the Brave, / why isn’t anybody backing us up!” (lines 9-10), “How can we be free?” to live authentically, to stand against injustice, to walk with dignity, and to have faith that God can break every chain. In this pastoral moment, allow me to back you up.  I am thrilled to declare that the gospel offers holistic liberation, freedom from sin, fear, injustice, and every burden that confines us, restoring God’s love within all humanity.

Tupac Shakur’s “How Can We Be Free?” [A Guest Post by The Rev. Anthony Stevenson]

During the summer session I taught for BSK Theological Seminary this summer, I asked the students to submit weekly 300-word responses on the weekly assigned readings. For the last week, I assigned some poetry and lyrics by Tupac Shakur and a speech by Malcolm X (“The Ballot or the Bulelt”, 1964). The responses–across the board–were powerful; potentially the best week of responses of the seven (and, tbh, each week collected strong responses!). With that said, the following response about Tupac Shakur’s poem “How Can We Be Free” written by The Rev. Anthony Stevenson (pastor of Macedonia Baptist Church in Cynthiana, KY) demanded a wider audience. With his permission, I am honored to be featuring it here.

I love the impact of my theological education and my pastoral experiences, but what do I say to people who feel stretched thin by political division, economic pressure, and the relentless weight of social unrest? The question of what it means to be free is suspended in the air with new urgency. We live in a climate where people constantly speak of freedom, freedom of speech, freedom of choice, freedom to live without fear, yet many still feel locked up by temporal forces shaped by a lack of feeling free. Where is my liberty in a world shaped by racialized poverty, surveillance of the Black community, and generational trauma? Tupac argues that “freedom” becomes a slogan rather than an experience. Tupac’s poem, “How Can We Be Free,” challenges me to recognize how societal structures, economic, political, and cultural divisions, have and continue to produce a kind of invisible imprisonment.

As I speak from a pastoral, sanctified voice that speaks honestly to the world’s realities while immersing people in the deeper freedom that God offers, I stand boldly before God. My pastoral leadership cannot ignore the pressures shaping people’s lives; it must acknowledge the exhaustion, the frustration, and the longing for something fresh and reviving. Tupac’s question, “How can we be free?” is not just poetic; it is prophetic. Yet I must also send a high alert to the Black community that freedom is not merely a political condition or a social achievement; it is a spiritual reality rooted in truth, justice, and the liberating love of Jesus Christ. In a world where many people feel ensnared by circumstances that seem beyond their control, they find themselves overwhelmed by the rising costs of food, gas, and a decent standard of living. I confess that many feel caught in generational cycles of debt, struggling to break free. As racial inequities continue to limit our opportunities, there is little space left for rest or meaningful reflection. The everyday tension between the promise of freedom, liberty, and justice for all humankind feels fragile, incomplete, or unevenly distributed. In this fork-in-the-road moment, Tupac’s question remains unanswered: “How can we be free?”

This pastoral moment invites me to invite us to imagine freedom not as a distant belief but as a present possibility. If “[t]his so called ‘Home of the Brave, / why isn’t anybody backing us up!” (lines 9-10), “How can we be free?” to live authentically, to stand against injustice, to walk with dignity, and to have faith that God can break every chain. In this pastoral moment, allow me to back you up.  I am thrilled to declare that the gospel offers holistic liberation, freedom from sin, fear, injustice, and every burden that confines us, restoring God’s love within all humanity.