Featuring a cast of thousands--from Tyndale, Henry VIII, Oliver Cromwell, Luther, and Calvin to Thomas Jefferson and James Madison--this sweeping epic traces the history of America's religious rights. Farris looks at both sides of the battle for freedom of worship, exploring which biblical ideas led to liberty and which served the forces of oppression.
Early American advocates of freedom did not believe in religious liberty in spite of their Christianity, but explicitly because of their individual faith in Christ, which had been molded and instructed by the Bible. The greatest evidence of their commitment to liberty can be found in their willingness to support the cause of freedom for those different from themselves. The assertion that the Enlightenment is responsible for the American Bill of Rights may be common, but it is devoid of any meaningful connection to the actual historical account. History reveals a different story, intricately gathered from the following: Influence of William Tyndale's translation work and the court intrigues of Henry VIII Spread of the Reformation through the eyes of Martin Luther, John Knox, and John Calvin The fight to establish a bill of rights that would guarantee every American citizen the free exercise of their religion. James Madison played a key role in the founding of America and in the establishment of religious liberty. But the true heroes of our story are the common people whom Tyndale inspired and Madison marshaled for political victory. These individuals read the Word of God for themselves and truly understood both the liberty of the soul and the liberty of the mind. The History of Religious Liberty is a sweeping literary work that passionately traces the epic history of religious liberty across three centuries, from the turbulent days of medieval Europe to colonial America and the birth pangs of a new nation.
Rives details all the allegations whether Calvin as complainant, witness and prosecutor in 1553 of Servetus for heresy murdered Servetus contrary to Calvin's own stated principles in Calvin's Institutes.
This book evaluates the democratic theory of America’s Christian Right (CR). The CR has been examined extensively in academic literature. However, most analyses focus on its origins, policy preferences, or successful mobilization. Hudson instead examines the normative assumptions about governance that inform CR activism. The CR has its own answers to the core questions asked in democratic theory, such as “What legitimizes power?” and “What is the proper relationship between the state and the individual?” The author outlines ten normative assumptions of the CR and compares each to its counterpoint in liberal democratic theory. Much of what the CR believes about democracy comes from the same authors as modern and postmodern democratic theory but differs in its interpretation and application. The book describes in detail the theory of CR and demonstrates how the CR operates from a different view of governance than is usually associated with the United States.
For graduates whose foremost question is likely, "What comes next?" esteemed educator and constitutional lawyer Michael Farris gathers historic commencement speeches from the early days of America, an era marked by great dreams and much uncertainty. "I believe that these speeches possess timeless qualities. And there is absolutely no doubt that America needs future leaders whose character and convictions parallel those of these early American graduates," writes Farris in American Commencement. Farris adds an introduction to each of these seventeen speeches plus a biography for every speaker. They include: Samuel Davies: "Heroes Who Inspire" John Witherspoon: "Principles of Greatness" Chauncey Whittlesey: "Sowing and Reaping" William Smith: "Consecrated to God" Barnabas Binney: "On Religious Liberty" John Wheelock: "The Value of Art" Josiah Stebbins: "The Importance of Character" Paul Allen: "The Call to Patriotism" Benjamin Allen: "Battle for Truth" Timothy Dwight: "The Folly of Intellectualism" David Tappan: "A Discourse on Liberty" Jonathan Maxcy: "Attack on Atheism" Otis Thompson: "On Religion and Government" Asa Messer: "In Defense of the Bible" Jedidiah Morse: "A Faithful Guide" Ebenezer Fitch: "Truth versus Reason" Tristam Burges: "A Time to Fight"
Get out! Run! We must leave this place! They are going to destroy this whole place! Go, children, run first! Go now! These were the final shouts nine year-old Kim Phuc heard before her world dissolved into flames—before napalm bombs fell from the sky, burning away her clothing and searing deep into her skin. It’s a moment forever captured, an iconic image that has come to define the horror and violence of the Vietnam War. Kim was left for dead in a morgue; no one expected her to survive the attack. Napalm meant fire, and fire meant death. Against all odds, Kim lived—but her journey toward healing was only beginning. When the napalm bombs dropped, everything Kim knew and relied on exploded along with them: her home, her country’s freedom, her childhood innocence and happiness. The coming years would be marked by excruciating treatments for her burns and unrelenting physical pain throughout her body, which were constant reminders of that terrible day. Kim survived the pain of her body ablaze, but how could she possibly survive the pain of her devastated soul? Fire Road is the true story of how she found the answer in a God who suffered Himself; a Savior who truly understood and cared about the depths of her pain. Fire Road is a story of horror and hope, a harrowing tale of a life changed in an instant—and the power and resilience that can only be found in the power of God’s mercy and love.
