Finding a proper balance between freedom and responsibility is a problem that has faced every serious Christian. For those raised in a highly structured religious environment, balancing loyalties to a religious organization, family, and personal conscience may raise difficult issues. Raymond Franz's first-hand account of the issues with which he struggled forms the theme of his first book, Crisis of Conscience. In Search of Christian Freedom, the sequel to Crisis of Conscience, provides even more comprehensive study. The issues and options discussed herein, although relating particularly to the structure of Jehovah's Witnesses, are not so very different from issues other Christians have faced and continue to face when they seek to reconcile considerations for conscience, loyalty, responsibility and freedom. This work will mover readers — of any religion — to consider seriously how much they value Christian freedom and to ask how genuine their own freedom is.

Religious freedom is so often presented as a timeless American ideal and an inalienable right, appearing fully formed at the founding of the United States. That is simply not so, Tisa Wenger contends in this sweeping and brilliantly argued book. Instead, American ideas about religious freedom were continually reinvented through a vibrant national discourse--Wenger calls it "religious freedom talk--that cannot possibly be separated from the evolving politics of race and empire. More often than not, Wenger demonstrates, religious freedom talk worked to privilege the dominant white Christian population. At the same time, a diverse array of minority groups at home and colonized people abroad invoked and reinterpreted this ideal to defend themselves and their ways of life. In so doing they posed sharp challenges to the racial and religious exclusions of American life. People of almost every religious stripe have argued, debated, negotiated, and brought into being an ideal called American religious freedom, subtly transforming their own identities and traditions in the process. In a post-9/11 world, Wenger reflects, public attention to religious freedom and its implications is as consequential as it has ever been.

Have you ever walked away from a conversation thinking "Agh! I wish I had said?"In the moment, we sometimes struggle to respond with clear and concise answers to the many questions we are asked on everything from faith to politics. This can be especially true when the topic is faith and politics. In Faith Seeking Freedom: Libertarian Christian Answers To Tough Questions, the Libertarian Christian Institute has gathered together some of the brightest minds at the intersection of Christianity and Libertarianism to answer over 100 of the most commonly asked questions on the topic.

The True Bounds of Christian Freedom is a clear, scriptural exposition that explores the role of the law in the life of a Christian. It stands as one of the few works available that highlights the dangers of Antinomianism while also avoiding legalism. In this thought-provoking book, Bolton addresses questions such as whether Christian freedom exempts believers from all obedience to men and whether performing duties out of respect for reward aligns with true Christian liberty. A valuable resource for those seeking a balanced perspective on the relationship between grace, law, and Christian living.

From one of the leading historians of Christianity comes this sweeping reassessment of religious freedom, from the church fathers to John Locke In the ancient world Christian apologists wrote in defense of their right to practice their faith in the cities of the Roman Empire. They argued that religious faith is an inward disposition of the mind and heart and cannot be coerced by external force, laying a foundation on which later generations would build. Chronicling the history of the struggle for religious freedom from the early Christian movement through the seventeenth century, Robert Louis Wilken shows that the origins of religious freedom and liberty of conscience are religious, not political, in origin. They took form before the Enlightenment through the labors of men and women of faith who believed there could be no justice in society without liberty in the things of God. This provocative book, drawing on writings from the early Church as well as the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, reminds us of how "the meditations of the past were fitted to affairs of a later day."

Discover how to responsibly defend religious freedom for all without compromising your personal beliefs. Religious freedom is a bitterly contested issue that spills over into political, public, and online spheres. It's an issue that's becoming ever more heated, and neither of the global political polarities is interested in protecting it. While the political left is openly hostile toward traditional religion, the political right seeks to weaponize it. How can we ensure that "religious freedom" is truly about freedom of one's religion rather than serving an ethno-nationalist agenda? In Religious Freedom in a Secular Age, Michael Bird (New Testament scholar and author of Evangelical Theology) has four main goals: To explain the true nature of secularism and help us to see it as one of the best ways of promoting liberty and mutual respect in a multifaith world. To dismantle the arguments for limiting religious freedom. To outline a biblical strategy for maintaining a Christian witness in a post-Christian society. To encourage Christians to participate in a new age of apologetics by being prepared to defend not only their own believes but also the freedom of all faiths. While Bird does address the recent political administrations in the US, his focus is global. Bird—who lives in Melbourne, Australia—freely admits to his anxiety of the militant secularism surrounding him, but he also strongly critiques the marriage of national and religious identities that has gained ground in countries like Hungary and Poland. The fact is that religion has a lot to contribute to the common good. Religious Freedom in a Secular Age will challenge readers of all backgrounds and beliefs not only to make room for peaceable difference, but also to find common ground on the values of justice, mercy, and equality.