Demanding Liberty: An Untold Story of American Religious Freedom

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Publishers Weekly: “In this enjoyable history, O’Brien . . . proposes that born-again activist Isaac Backus (1724–1806) will have to be thanked for the development of religious freedom within the US. . . . Those interested in the origins of The us’s policy on religious regulations will enjoy this assured history of the battles Backus fought when freedom of belief used to be no foregone conclusion.”

Religious liberty is without doubt one of the most contentious political issues of our time. How will have to people of faith engage with the public square in a pluralist era? Some citizens hope to reclaim a more Christian vision of national identity, whilst others withstand any religious presence at all.

This dispute isn’t new, and it goes back to the founding era of American history. As the country used to be 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 the 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 safe religious liberty and freedom of moral sense for all Americans, not just for one particular denomination or religious tradition. Backus’s theological ideas had social consequences, giving us insights 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. Then and now, people fiercely argue about the role of government and the limits of liberty. The past speaks into the present as we continue to demand liberty and justice for all.

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