Demanding Liberty: An Untold Story of American Religious Freedom by Brandon J. O’Brien (IVP Books, 2018) is a book that may surprise many people. It’s the story of how Freedom of Religion became part of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.
The Book
I didn’t choose to review this book since most of what I review concern Christian Apologetics and various ‘worldviews.’ However, one of my sons gave this to me for Christmas last year, so I read it. I’m glad I did.
It deals with what I view as both a sensitive and important subject in our country right now. Many people have a problem with the way our country was founded. They question the ‘founders,’ the ‘founding documents,’ and what some call ‘systemic’ failure in how our country began.
Other people have expressed full confidence in the ‘founders’ and ‘founding documents.’ Since the focus of this book is ‘religious freedom,’ I’ll limit my comments to that topic for this review.
It is true that the Pilgrims and Puritans crossed the Atlantic Ocean in search of freedom to worship as they believed, not according to how a government or government-controlled ‘Church’ told them to worship. However, what happened with religious practices in America were not necessarily a lot different than what people had left on the other side of the ocean.
The author focuses much of his attention on one man, Isaac Backus. If you’ve never heard of him, join the club. Many Americans probably have not heard his name mentioned, especially in light of the quest for religious freedom in the 17th and 18th centuries. However, Backus is a man whose story we all need to know. His deep beliefs in the right of all citizens to worship according to their personal beliefs led him to fight for that freedom for decades. It wasn’t an easy fight and Backus found himself opposed on every side by the religious and political establishments of his day.
Here’s how the author explained his reasons for writing Demanding Liberty –
The approach I’ve chosen for this book assumes a certain kind of reader. This book is for people who care about the issues surrounding religious liberty today and believe, as I do, that some historical perspective can help us consider our current situation from a new angle. It is for people who fear things are worse now than they ever have been, that our rights are more violated or that freedom is more fragile, and they need courage to face the future. It is for people who crave a theological framework for understanding religious liberty. They will not find answers to all their questions here, but they can begin the journey here. I’m assuming that you, reader, are a thoughtful and intelligent person who is not an expert in American history or religious liberty. My goal is to introduce you to this fascinating person, Isaac Backus, and his extraordinary work. I hope his story inspires you to engage the world today in new and creative ways. pp. 12-13
Without giving too much away, I will tell you that Backus played a unique and important role in the religious rights we have in our country – The Free of Religion – as codified in the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. This is a story every American should know and consider. Were it not for people like Isaac Backus and others, religious ‘freedom’ in the United States might look different than it does. I hope you will read Demanding Liberty. I think you will find it enlightening and helpful as you speak with others about the Gospel of Christ.
Publisher’s Description
Religious liberty is one of the most contentious political issues of our time. How should people of faith engage with the public square in a pluralist era? Some citizens hope to reclaim a more Christian vision of national identity, while others resist any religious presence at all.
This dispute is not new, and it goes back to the founding era of American history. As the country was being formed, some envisioned a Christian nation where laws would require worship attendance and Sabbath observance. Others advocated for a thoroughly secular society where faith would have no place in public life. But neither extreme won the day, thanks to the unsung efforts of a Connecticut pastor who forged a middle way.
Historian Brandon O’Brien unveils an untold story of how religious liberty came to be. Between the Scylla and Charybdis of theocracy and secularism, Baptist pastor Isaac Backus contended for a third way. He worked to secure religious liberty and freedom of conscience for all Americans, not just for one particular denomination or religious tradition. Backus’s ideas give us insight into how people of faith navigate political debates and work for the common good.
Backus lived in an age of both religious revival and growing secularism, competing forces much like those at work today. The past speaks into the present as we continue to demand liberty and justice for all.
Reviews
“Brandon O’Brien has done us a great service. He has addressed the current, hot issue of religious liberty by reminding us of one of its greatest American champions, Isaac Backus. He brings to life the contentions of Backus’s day to illumine our own and helps us pursue a liberty that will be a blessing to unbelievers and religious alike. As is often the case, looking backward is the soundest way to go forward.”
Mark Galli, editor in chief, Christianity Today
“In this enjoyable history, O’Brien, content director for the N.Y.C.-based Christian leadership organization Redeemer City to City, proposes that born-again activist Isaac Backus should be thanked for the development of religious freedom within the United States. . . . O’Brien provides strong evidence that government and traditional churches have long used each other to maintain authority and illustrates that civil disobedience has been necessary since the Colonial era to advocate for minority rights. Those interested in the origins of America’s policy on religious regulations will enjoy this assured history of the battles Backus fought when freedom of belief was no foregone conclusion.”
Publishers Weekly, February 26, 2018
“Brandon O’Brien’s Demanding Liberty reintroduces us to a forgotten hero who deserves to be remembered and emulated. Isaac Backus found the courage through his faith and earnest conviction to pursue religious liberty for all Americans. He was willing to work with Deists and anyone else who would help to ensure that all Americans could choose to either worship God or not based on the dictates of their conscience rather than the demands of the majority. In these days of hyper-partisanship, it is important to be reminded that we can only secure freedom for ourselves when we secure it for all. Brandon O’Brien achieves this and more in his excellent popular biography of Isaac Backus. I recommend it for your reading pleasure as we prepare to celebrate our nation’s birth.”
Scott Culpepper, in all things, July 3, 2018
About the Author
Brandon J. O’Brien (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is director of content and distribution for Redeemer City to City in Manhattan. He is coauthor, with E. Randolph Richards, of Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes and Paul Behaving Badly, as well as the author of The Strategically Small Church.
Demanding Liberty: An Untold Story of American Religious Freedom by Brandon J. O’Brien (IVP Books, 2018, 192 pages)
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