Having been recommended various books at church over the years — many of which I have found worthwhile to read — I thought it worth drawing attention to Losing Liberty, Finding Freedom by Yorkshire-based midwife and evangelist Laura Brett:
The book is based around Brett’s recent travels to the US and back, via the Netherlands, following in the steps of the Pilgrim Fathers of the early 1600s. According to the blurb, Losing Liberty, Finding Freedom is “a modern-day pilgrimage of awakening, revelation and searching for the truth… an encouraging and hope-filled reminder of what it means to be wholly set apart for God and living a life of hope, surrender and adventure.” Which, having read the book, I think is a fair description.
Below are some excerpts that stood out for me, beginning with Brett’s reflections on the need for patience while she and her family waited to be able to enter the US without taking covid mRNA injections1 (p4):
When we are patient for the things the Lord puts on our heart, trusting God’s sovereign timing rather than rushing ahead to do it ourselves with a quick fix or to do it our own way because we’re not willing to wait it out — the worldly systems telling us, “You can have it now if you just do this” — the Lord blesses us abundantly, and that patience then produces good character and “palace training” in us [a reference to Joseph in Genesis 37ff] that we wouldn’t have learned otherwise.
The waiting game is hard and counter-cultural; having patience is not easy — but that’s the whole point.
She quotes these words of the apostle Paul:
We also have joy with our troubles, because we know that these troubles produce patience. And patience produces character, and character produces hope. And this hope will never disappoint us, because God has poured out his love to fill our hearts. He gave us his love through the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to us. (Romans 5:3-5, New Century Version, emphasis added)
In between the details of her travels, Brett describes how she came to faith in the 1990s, and how she knew she was being called as an evangelist, something she says has been confirmed and affirmed by various encounters with God in the years since. And in the context of a discussion of the Puritans of the late 1500s and 1600s, she reflects (p52-53) on recent years, and the way in which, as she sees it:
…the state church in England… has… aligned itself with immoral, illegal, illiberal, and unethical government dictates and ungodly and worldly agendas [particularly in 2020].
It has clearly forgotten it is under the directive of the Magna Carta — the religious freedom of the Church, and her liberty to worship at all times.
The Magna Carta 1297 is still celebrated as the foundation stone of English democracy and rule of law. Its very first chapter reads:
FIRST, We have granted to God, and by this our present Charter have confirmed, for Us and our Heirs for ever, that the Church of England shall be free, and shall have all her whole Rights and Liberties inviolable…
Most of the other provisions of Magna Carta have been repealed by now; but not this one.
Congregants should not have been separated due to a medical choice
Priests and pastors should not have been cautioned, fined, or arrested for giving pastoral care to their parishioners and opening their churches for worship
And describes her own personal experience:
In the United Kingdom, many people during that time tried to fight back with a form of civil disobedience, but the reality is that they were made to feel intimidated, unclean, unwanted, and under persecution.
Adding:
I was one of those people.
From my own experience at church during the covid hysteria, I can identify with elements of what she says.
She continues:
Has the state church apologised or learned from its unlawful actions?
Not yet.
Is there hope that it will?
There is always hope.
And reflects that (p60):
The last few years in particular have felt like a perpetual battle for us as a family — physically and spiritually — and it is a concept that many new believers and those who are exploring and questioning the Christian faith have frequently reported to me.
She recalls sharing her own faith journey at the height of the national lockdowns. And how one woman — a new believer — replied:
Laura, I never realised that God existed until I was faced with the presence of pure evil.
Brett notes:
As an evangelist, I love how new believers see things so simply and so clearly.
Brett draws inspiration from Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa Parks (p64-66):
…King [as] a civil rights leaders, committed to promoting equality and peace, regardless of race, culture, economic status, or ethnicity, and teaching people to love one another and to treat each other with dignity.
…Parks [as] a true freedom fighter… prepared to commit civil disobedience for something she felt strongly about… [with a] simple act of peaceful non-compliance [that] changed history.
She observes that:
The Bible has numerous accounts of standing up to power and authority when that authority is corrupt and ungodly.
And says that it is perhaps because she is a midwife that she is:
…particularly fond of the story of the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah (Exodus 1:15-21) who rejected any fear of man they may have had and did the Lord’s work instead.
The king of Egypt had ordered the male Hebrew babies to be killed at birth, but the midwives refused to obey him.
She argues that:
…speaking truth to power and standing up to corrupt and tyrannical authority is part of our call to faith.
And adds:
Being a dissenter is certainly a sacrificial posture; long-established friendships may cease; you can be mocked… people will try to deplatform you, even pull your mental health into question.
I’m sad to write this, but fellow believers — Christians — can be the worst for this.
That is alas consistent with my experience.
Many of Brett’s reflections are made in the context of the history of the United States, including in relation to events around the time of the 1776 US Declaration of Independence. She notes (p115-116) that:
When I read the history of the Boston Tea Party, it evoked things in my mind:
protest
tyranny
governmental outreach
greed
non-compliance
corruption
control
civil disobedience
the people
freedom
liberty
unity
war
She reflects:
There really is nothing new under the sun [cf. Solomon’s words in Ecclesiastes 1:9]
And that:
It always appears to be the minority… who are the ones to stand up to tyrannical leadership, corruption and evil
She adds that:
It is this minority group that is perceived to be radical and a nuisance by authority and the mass population — these people who are disrupting the status quo and causing conflict and disharmony between power and the people.
But it is often this same group who bring about the change that is needed, abolish the evil, and bring light and justice into corruption situations in this world.
And:
Somebody once said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,” and that is true.
The phrase warns against complacency and inaction against evil, as it allows it to continue or proliferate.
Scripture speaks about the minority overcoming evil (even when the odds were stacked against them) and the remnant army of believers who will be raised up to fight the satanic powers and principalities of darkness in the last days.
She cites several examples from the Old Testament: Elijah (1 Kings 19), Gideon (Judges 7) and the faithful remnant of Israel (Isaiah 10:20-23).
Brett draws parallels (p122-123) between recent times and events from the 17th century:
I smiled at the similarities between what William Brewster [the leader of the Plymouth Colony] encountered in the early 1600s and what many Christians had recently journeyed through over 400 years later:
Parts of the Church leaving the confines of an established church building and gathering in smaller numbers in people’s homes for Spirit-filled worship and biblically based teaching
The simplicity of the Christian faith; following the teaching of Jesus Christ; losing the religiosity and ceremonial man-made additions
When restrictions and political pressure began to threaten gatherings of worship, believers would naturally seek refuge elsewhere
The writing and sharing of truth and biblically-based literature, used in rebellion against the propaganda and unsound teaching from authority
Wisdom when to stay in a place and when to move under the advancement of tyranny, persecution, and segregation
The pursuing of liberty, freedom and truth
She adds that:
During the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, many small gatherings took place in homes, under canvas, and in woodland areas when the churches followed governmental recommendation to close their doors to the people…
No man was going to stop us from worshipping the God of the angel armies and exercising our right to worship, which is, of course, a fundamental human right.
Many biblical tracts were published speaking out against the incoming tyranny and deception. These were given out at organised freedom protests to thousands of spiritually searching individuals who had tasted evil and were in search of God.
Monthly newspapers [e.g. The Light] were written sharing the truth about what was really going on in the world behind the mainstream media smoke screen; facts and data were shared all over social media, and a family of like-minded people from all across the world were brought together.
Brett observes (p127-128) that:
When [God’s people] get things wrong and they truly repent for their error, He forgives them, and He promises to heal their land.
She quotes God’s words to Solomon in 2 Chronicles 7 following the dedication of the temple:
…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land
And adds:
I truly believe we are at a crucial 2 Chronicles 7:14 moment in history. Those reading this who are in church leadership and part of the Body of Christ need to humble themselves before God and repent (or turn away) from all wickedness and ungodly decisions, repent of any collaboration with the evil world systems, and repent where they have knowingly or naively been deceived.
And she reminds us (p131) that:
As Christians, we, and the whole of creation, inwardly groan for the return of King Jesus as depicted in the Book of Revelation; we will be finally set free from the slavery and deception of this dark and corrupt world, knowing that when Christ appears on the clouds, then we also will appear with Him in glory.
Meanwhile, she urges her readers:
Be alert.
Keep watch.
Stay awake.
The blurb on the book’s back cover ends with the words: “[this book] will stir you, challenge you and prepare you for the days to come.” And I for one can identify with that. If you are looking for a readable Christian book for the beach — or anywhere else — this summer, then Losing Liberty, Finding Freedom is well worth considering.
See these two related posts for reflections on some of the actions of UK churches and church leaders during the covid era:
As Brett puts it: “Freedom of choice? Absolutely. Freedom to live like everyone else? Absolutely not. We had a two-tier medical apartheid for a while. As a midwife, who had worked as an autonomous practitioner advocating the freedom of choice for pregnant and intrapartum women in her care, this was particularly hard for me to understand. Had the world gone completely mad?”
