We hear a lot recently about
Christians in America being persecuted. But most of that is an exaggeration. A
coffee company which has never claimed to be based on and operated by Christian
principles not having Christian symbols on its cups at Christmas time is hardly
persecution. We also hear a lot about separation of church and state, or that
in this age of political correctness and tolerance, that Christianity is the
only religion which is not being tolerated. The First Amendment gets talked
about a lot. Anyone can express their thoughts about Christianity and it's
freedom of speech, but when a Christian dares express Christian belief or
worldview, it seems to get labeled as a hate crime. All in all there is a lot of confusion about
what the founding fathers had in mind; and we don't have a time machine, so we
can't go back and ask them to explain themselves. Is this a "Christian nation"? Did
they intend freedom of religion, or freedom from it? How involved should the
Christina Church or any other religion be involved in setting policy at the
state or federal level. How involved should government be in religious affairs.
Can or should religious organizations be exempted from certain laws or rules,
based on religious beliefs and practices?
And those are just a few of the questions that everyday Americans, on
both sides of the issues, are dealing with on a regular basis.
Are there answers that will satisfy
everybody? Absolutely not. But scholars try to clarify the issues. They look at
where the freedoms started and where we are now. And they look ahead to what
the future holds. The second edition of First
Freedom: The Beginning and End of Religious Liberty ( Jason G. Duesing,
Thomas White, and Malcolm B. Yarnell III, B&H Academic, 2016) is a
collection of essays by noted voices in the field, addressing the religious
First Freedom, where it started, where it is, and where it's heading.
Duesing's essay on the beginning of
religious liberty opens the book, and he opens his writing by addressing Thomas
Jefferson's phrase "a wall of separation between church and state."
Duesing writes, "And if Jefferson did not have a full grasp of his
intended meaning, the subsequent generations have labored to supply it for
him--but without unanimity." And we
continue to see that lack of unanimity even, and especially today.
The book is divided into 3 parts,
starting with a historical overview of American politics and religion. Next is
"Religious Doctrine 101, covering Christian doctrine of Religious liberty, religious liberty and the
gospel, and religious liberty in the Public Square. The final section addresses
contemporary challenges to Religious Liberty.
Although Parts I and II give a lot
of information, for the most part it's historical, and provides some of the
necessary background for the challenges discussed in Part III. Challenges
including the Sexual Revolution, Christian Universities, and international law,
and what is happening in Majority-Muslim countries and how that might affect us
here.
So is the End of Religious Freedom
near? Is it already here? The book ends with an answer to that too. The end of
Religious Freedom was foretold a couple of thousand years ago. Read the book of
Revelation. Read Jesus' promises in the Gospels and in the Book of Acts. For
the Christian there is hope. But beyond that there is the knowledge that one
day religious liberty, religious freedom, freedom of religion and freedom from
religion as we know them will all end. Scripture tells us that one day every knee will bow,
and every tongue confess Jesus as Lord.
For some of us that will be a happy, joyous day, for others, it will be the
beginning of a new religious regime. Everyone will acknowledge the true
religion, the One True God, and His rule will be supreme in the new creation, the
New Jerusalem.
This is a book written by scholars
and theologians--noted voices in their field. It is written for what I perceive
to be a limited audience. That audience being Theologians, scholars, and a
probably highly underrepresented population: Christian leaders. With the laity
questioning what is happening to their church and their religion, with a generation
of people growing up without church, light on religion, but heavy on opinions
fueled by misinformation, leaders need this book.
My desire is that this information
could be presented in a way that would make sense to the members of American congregations,
those people who are questioning, but don't have the background or the patience
to read scholarly works.
I received a copy of this book from
the publisher in exchange for my review.
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