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Authority can become tyranny, of course—when Jesus died unjustly, a Roman centurion watched over the execution. Our present-day world, not least the Muslim world, offers plenty more cautionary examples of the abuse of religious and political power.

But people who fly American Airlines more often than Saudi Arabian Airlines are more at risk from the tyranny of aimless autonomy—able to travel anywhere, but pilgrims to nowhere. Americans, and American Christians, don't lack freedom—we lack a Qibla, a direction that both constrains our freedom and makes it worth having.

Until we find one, it's unlikely that Jesus—or a curious world, or our own children—will be astonished by our faith. They may be more impressed by those who, like the centurion, never meet him at all.

Copyright © 2004 Christianity Today.Click for reprint information.

Earlier Andy Crouch columns for Christianity Today include:

Glittering Images | A profound Christian rethinking of power is overdue (Feb. 17, 2004)

Before the Deluge | All of us have a sexual orientation that bends toward the self. (Dec. 03, 2003)

Two Weddings and a Baptism | It's still impossible to predict what will advance the gospel in Hollywood. (Oct. 15, 2003)

Wrinkles in Time | Botox injections as a spiritual discipline. (Aug. 11, 2003)

Rites of Passage | Self-improvement is our culture's most durable religion. (June 6, 2003)

Christian Esperanto | We must learn other cultural tongues. (June 4, 2003)

We're Rich | But why is it so hard to admit? (Feb. 20, 2003)

Blinded by Pop Praise | To see God "high and lifted up," just open your eyes. (Dec. 17, 2002)

The Future Is P.O.D. | Multicultural voices have an edge in reaching a rapidly changing America. (October 12, 2002)

Rekindling Old Fires | We can resist technology's chilling effects on how we spend time together. (August 2, 2002)

Interstate Nation | The national highway system is a lesson in how to transform a nation. (June 21, 2002)

Amplified Versions | Worship wars come down to music and a power plug. (April 17, 2002)

Thou Shalt Be Cool | This enduring American slang leaves plenty out in the cold. (March 18, 2002)

Borrowing Against Time | We live in a fallen world. We will die. We need to face that. (Jan. 17, 2002)

Grounded | Our technologies give us an illusion of omnipresence—most of the time. (Nov. 15, 2001)

Zarathustra Shrugged | What apologetics should look like in a skeptical age. (Sept. 5, 2001)

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April 2004, Vol. 48, No. 4