“All of this started when they took prayer out of schools.” This is a line that host B.T. Irwin heard many times over the years from Christians trying to explain bad things that seem to be getting worse in the United States. While their opinion has elements of truth about it, is their solution — to restore Christianity to a preferred place of power and privilege at the center of American institutions — truly what is best for America and for Christians in America? In his book, “Religious Freedom in a Secular Age,” New Testament scholar and theologian Michael F. Bird argues that conservative Christians who want to hold onto their traditional Christian practices are better off embracing secularism — religious freedom for all and shared power among people of many faiths — than amassing exclusive political power for themselves. In this episode, Bird answers questions about his book and proposes a better way for Christians to protect their religious freedom by protecting the religious freedom of others.
Link to Michael F. Bird biography
Link to Michael F. Bird author page at amazon.com
Link to Religious Freedom in a Secular Age at amazon.com
Link to Christian Chronicle book review of “Religious Freedom in a Secular Age”
Link to christianchronicle.org
Link to donate to The Christian Chronicle
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Tags
Michael F. Bird, religious freedom, politics, secularism, pluralism, militant secularism, LGBTQI+, LGBTQ, traditional marriage, traditional sexuality, gender, sexuality, marriage, Donald Trump, progressivism, Republican Party, Democratic Party, conservatism, liberalism, conservatives, liberals, polarization, Christian nationalism, civil religion, apologetics, religious liberty, liberty, Christian witness, post-Christian society, Australia, United States, United Kingdom, Thessalonian Strategy, BT Irwin
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