Liberty for All: Defending Everyone's Religious Freedom in a Pluralistic Age

“Liberty for All delivers a robust treatment of the concept of religious liberty, a notion not merely political, merely modern, or merely American, but one, as Andrew Walker expertly shows, that gets at the heart of what it means to bear God's image, to exercise moral agency, and to live with love toward all neighbors.”

“In a time when the term 'religious liberty' has become a byword for bigotry among some, Andrew Walker pushes back against this narrow-minded prejudice and argues for why honoring and defending freedom of religious conscience is essential to the public good. By defending the right to be wrong about God, both believers and nonbelievers stand up for what it means to be fully human. And, as Walker contends, Christians become more fully who Christ calls us to be. This book appears as a lighthouse in a gathering storm.”

“Walker synthesizes religious liberty, which is commonly regarded as a social rather than religious value, with the major doctrines of the Christian faith and the metanarrative of Scripture itself. Freedom of worship is indeed an inalienable right, not because of the substance of one's religious beliefs but because of the substance of one's status as God's image bearer. As hostility toward the Christian faith increases, few ideas are worth contending for with such urgency as the claim that liberty is indeed for everyone.”

“Andrew Walker provides a compelling account of Christian secularism and the case for religious liberty for all as part of Christian mission. He explains how religious liberty makes sense as an authentic expression of a Christian worldview and is indelibly tied to the biblical story. Walker has established himself as one of the preeminent Baptist public theologians of our time.”

“Religious liberty is not, first and foremost, a constitutional right. The great contribution of Walker's excellent book is to remind us that religious liberty is a doctrine grounded in the Bible--in eschatology, anthropology, and missiology. That means religious liberty's defense by Christians is an act of biblical obedience, and its observance by governments is a fundamental act of justice, a timely reminder when unconstrained visions of political life abound on all sides of the political spectrum. I do not know of a better explanation and defense of the doctrine of religious liberty. Walker's book deserves a wide hearing and a long life.”

“Americans middle-aged and older grew up taking religious liberty for granted. It was hard for us to imagine things being any other way. But in recent years, religious liberty has ceased to be a shared assumption, even in Western liberal democracies. And church history makes clear that robust support for religious liberty is hardly the consensus of the broader Christian tradition. There may be pragmatic reasons to embrace religious liberty, but Christians need to be satisfied that this is a theologically sound idea. Liberty for All is thus a timely and important work. Walker invites readers to reflect on religious liberty in light of some of the most important Christian doctrines and makes a bold case that honoring religious liberty is not merely consistent with Christian conviction but also its necessary corollary. Christians of all sorts should read this book and digest Walker's case.”

“Religious liberty has become surprisingly controversial of late. Andrew Walker's excellent book offers Christians a strong, incisive set of theological and scriptural arguments in favor of a robust religious liberty. We would do well to heed his arguments and, even better, put them into practice.”

“Is religious freedom a mere spin-off from a secularist demand that church and state be separated, so as to free people's minds from oppressive religions? Or is freedom of religion a form of special pleading by religious people who cannot defend their beliefs in rational discourse but seek some special advantage or influence? Is it perhaps a surrender to a secular age that Christians ought not to make, if they have the wherewithal to make a confessional state? Or is religious liberty, in less sinister terms, just one of the articles of peace in a pluralistic society, with only a pragmatic ground to stand on? The true answer, as Walker demonstrates in Liberty for All, is none of the above. Walker shows that the strongest case for religious freedom--including a freedom from confessional political orders--is the Christian case. In the mode of an apologetic, he demonstrates that a commitment to everyone's religious freedom is inseparable from the Great Commission itself. In Walker's account, the public square is richly garbed in the free discourse of all faiths, not stripped bare for the sake of a desiccated secularism, and the kingdom of God is advanced in a civic friendship of Christians with fellow citizens. Religious liberty, he shows us, is the essential predicate of our reasoning together about ultimate things in our penultimate time together here.”

“In this welcome and timely resource, Walker has brilliantly articulated a thoroughgoing treatment of religious liberty for our secular and pluralistic context. Shaped by a robust theological and ethical framework, Liberty for All offers eschatological, anthropological, and missiological perspectives to enable Christians to navigate deep personal and religious differences while encouraging civility and commonality in our participation in the public square. Seeking to retrieve a tradition for the common good while offering his own understanding of Baptist distinctives related to this important subject, Walker makes a convincing case for religious liberty for everyone. The foreword from Robert P. George is icing on the cake. One of the most important books on this subject in recent years, Liberty for All is a must-read, and I heartily recommend it.”

“Christian public witness--and human flourishing in general--is inseparable from a full-orbed understanding of religious liberty. In this important book, Andrew Walker rightly underscores how high the stakes truly are. As he points out, religious liberty hinges on some of the deepest questions of ethics and worship. Liberty for All will be essential reading for any thoughtful Christian eager to faithfully navigate a pluralistic and increasingly secular public square.”

“Walker has successfully demonstrated that religious liberty, vindicated by history as good public policy, is also demonstrated by Scripture to be good Christian theology. Liberty for All aids a new generation in recognizing that religious liberty enthrones Christ as King, respects people as his subjects, and promotes the Christian gospel. This book will quickly find a place on the shelves in seminary libraries. May God also bring it to church libraries and home libraries.”