First Fruits has completed work on a 40-day devotional about Christian Freedom written by faculty, staff, and administrators of Asbury Theological Seminary. It is our offering as a spiritual reflection on our country’s 250th anniversary, so we would like to get it promoted a bit before the 4th of July and encourage people to use it.
This collection of devotionals offers a daily rhythm of prayer and reflection for individuals, families, and congregations as North America marks the 250th anniversary of its founding. Altars of Freedom extends the legacy of Dr. Thomas Carruth, whose devotional guide of the same title was written for the nation’s bicentennial celebration. Carruth believed that humanity’s universal longing for freedom ultimately leads to a confrontation with God, with neighbor, and with the world itself. As he wrote, “Christian religion helps create Altars of Freedom on the inside of people. A truly democratic movement is interested in setting up Altars of Freedom on the outside. Those two different altars work together in helping human beings realize their personal and corporate freedom.”
In a cultural moment often marked by division, slogans, and competing claims about liberty, we offer these reflections as an invitation to recover a deeper vision of freedom—one rooted in the grace of Jesus Christ and expressed through love of neighbor and responsibility for the common good. We hope this collection will serve parents, pastors, worship leaders, educators, and all who seek a faithful Christian witness that rises above flag-waving and political rhetoric.
Our gratitude goes to the many contributors who have lent their voices to this project. Together they testify that the gospel of Jesus Christ brings true freedom to every person—from those who labor in ordinary and often unseen vocations to those entrusted with positions of public influence and authority. May these devotions help readers cultivate both the inward altars of freedom formed by God’s transforming grace and the outward altars of freedom that bless the communities we are called to serve.
To download a free copy, click here. If you would like to purchase a physical copy, you can do so at this link.