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Religious Liberty in Crisis: Exercising Your Faith in an Age of Uncertainty
What was unfathomable in the first two decades of the twenty-first century has become a reality. Religious liberty, both in the United States and across the world, is in crisis.
As we navigate the coming decades, We the People must know our rights more than ever, particularly as it relates to the freedom to exercise our religion. Armed with a proper understanding of this country's rich tradition of religious liberty, we can protect faith through any crisis that comes our way. Without that understanding, though, we'll watch as the creeping secular age erodes our freedom.
In this book, Ken Starr explores the crises that threaten religious liberty in America. He also examines the ways well-meaning government action sometimes undermines the religious liberty of the people, and how the Supreme Court in the past has ultimately provided us protection from such forms of government overreach. He also explores the possibilities of future overreach by government officials. The reader will learn how each of us can resist the quarantining of our faith within the confines of the law, and why that resistance is important. Through gaining a deep understanding of the Constitutional importance of religious expression, Starr invites the reader to be a part of protecting those rights of religious freedom and taking a more active role in advancing the cause of liberty.
As we navigate the coming decades, We the People must know our rights more than ever, particularly as it relates to the freedom to exercise our religion. Armed with a proper understanding of this country's rich tradition of religious liberty, we can protect faith through any crisis that comes our way. Without that understanding, though, we'll watch as the creeping secular age erodes our freedom.
In this book, Ken Starr explores the crises that threaten religious liberty in America. He also examines the ways well-meaning government action sometimes undermines the religious liberty of the people, and how the Supreme Court in the past has ultimately provided us protection from such forms of government overreach. He also explores the possibilities of future overreach by government officials. The reader will learn how each of us can resist the quarantining of our faith within the confines of the law, and why that resistance is important. Through gaining a deep understanding of the Constitutional importance of religious expression, Starr invites the reader to be a part of protecting those rights of religious freedom and taking a more active role in advancing the cause of liberty.
215 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 13, 2021
31 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 8, 2021
Excellent review of Supreme Court cases on freedom of religion. You certainly don’t need a law school education to understand the material. It’s easy to read, even interesting. If you’re interested in our land’s law on religion and what the future could look like, I’d recommend this book. I also liked Mr. Starr’s listing of organizations which defend religion.
January 30, 2022
Still Searching for Encouragement
I read “Religious Liberty in Crisis” in anticipation of attending Ken Starr’s presentation on the subject of our freedom of religion at our church (an event which has not yet taken place as of the writing of this review). The subject, the presentation, and, hence, the book all are of great personal interest because, as a concerned Christian and American, traditional and conservative in my beliefs, I watch with alarm the rapid decline of our nation away from the principles of freedom embedded in our founding and history. First among these principles is our freedom of religion, which, along with the foundational freedom of speech (both are freedoms of expression or conscience), is under mounting attack from an intolerant Left, ironically often in the guise of attacking intolerance.
Starr lays out the jurisprudential history of this basic freedom, with emphasis on the developments of the last 75 years, a period of increased legal conflict over its meaning. Before that period, the foundational ideas were relatively broadly accepted without challenge. He covers the original meaning of “establishment” in the First Amendment, as well as the guiding principles of autonomy (interference with the religious institution’s self-governance), equality (disparate treatment of religious endeavors versus secular endeavors in the pretense of non-establishment; i.e., separationist absolutism), and accommodation (supporting, not influencing or resisting, the religious expression of the people). He uses effective synopses of the most significant cases and does a fine job of explaining nuances and corollaries to these principles. In doing so, Starr builds the reader’s comfort that mostly sound legal logic is prevailing in protection of our cherished freedom of religion. In fact, early on he promises that “the prospects for continuing protection of religious liberty are actually quite good.”
All that said, I was less encouraged than I hoped by the time I reached the concluding chapters of the book. Starr actually concludes with specific discouraging examples, caution about the reliability of the judiciary (“Inevitably the courts will fail us”), and forewarnings about the stated intentions of the Biden administration (a marked departure from President Biden’s record on the issues as a senator). His recommendations? Run for office, vote your conscience and faith, be informed and speak out, support organizations that fight for religious freedom (and he gives examples), and, finally, hope that Amy Coney Barrett comes through. Frankly, apart from running for office, there was nothing new here, and I did not feel especially encouraged. Yes, we should look to these kinds of solutions, but I hoped for more. To me the greatest encouragement remains that God’s will shall prevail.
(As an aside, while “Religious Liberty in Crisis” is a worthwhile reading, I recommend another book more highly: Luke Goodrich’s “Free to Believe”.)
I read “Religious Liberty in Crisis” in anticipation of attending Ken Starr’s presentation on the subject of our freedom of religion at our church (an event which has not yet taken place as of the writing of this review). The subject, the presentation, and, hence, the book all are of great personal interest because, as a concerned Christian and American, traditional and conservative in my beliefs, I watch with alarm the rapid decline of our nation away from the principles of freedom embedded in our founding and history. First among these principles is our freedom of religion, which, along with the foundational freedom of speech (both are freedoms of expression or conscience), is under mounting attack from an intolerant Left, ironically often in the guise of attacking intolerance.
Starr lays out the jurisprudential history of this basic freedom, with emphasis on the developments of the last 75 years, a period of increased legal conflict over its meaning. Before that period, the foundational ideas were relatively broadly accepted without challenge. He covers the original meaning of “establishment” in the First Amendment, as well as the guiding principles of autonomy (interference with the religious institution’s self-governance), equality (disparate treatment of religious endeavors versus secular endeavors in the pretense of non-establishment; i.e., separationist absolutism), and accommodation (supporting, not influencing or resisting, the religious expression of the people). He uses effective synopses of the most significant cases and does a fine job of explaining nuances and corollaries to these principles. In doing so, Starr builds the reader’s comfort that mostly sound legal logic is prevailing in protection of our cherished freedom of religion. In fact, early on he promises that “the prospects for continuing protection of religious liberty are actually quite good.”
All that said, I was less encouraged than I hoped by the time I reached the concluding chapters of the book. Starr actually concludes with specific discouraging examples, caution about the reliability of the judiciary (“Inevitably the courts will fail us”), and forewarnings about the stated intentions of the Biden administration (a marked departure from President Biden’s record on the issues as a senator). His recommendations? Run for office, vote your conscience and faith, be informed and speak out, support organizations that fight for religious freedom (and he gives examples), and, finally, hope that Amy Coney Barrett comes through. Frankly, apart from running for office, there was nothing new here, and I did not feel especially encouraged. Yes, we should look to these kinds of solutions, but I hoped for more. To me the greatest encouragement remains that God’s will shall prevail.
(As an aside, while “Religious Liberty in Crisis” is a worthwhile reading, I recommend another book more highly: Luke Goodrich’s “Free to Believe”.)
August 16, 2021
Excellent book written by Ken Starr about various religious liberty cases throughout the centuries. This book is very deep and written in terms that someone like me, who is not a lawyer, can understand. I read this book in one day. I would highly recommend this book if you want to learn more about religious liberty in the USA.
March 27, 2022
Excellently written but an intelligent man. Anyone who thinks that Christians don't receive any persecution needs to read this book. It's full of examples and actual lawsuits that outline how much Christians have to fight for their rights, even though those rights are clearly stated in the First Amendment.
May 23, 2022
This book is very relevant to what is going on in society today in terms of religious freedom in the United States. The author discusses abortion, prayer in school, and much more. This book takes all the arguments about why Christian’s should be concerned about our religious freedom and puts it all in one book.
August 25, 2025
This is a relatively brief, interesting book about religious freedom in the United States. The author covers some key points about the Constitution and many significant Supreme Court cases about about religious freedom. I learned some good things. This is a good, simple introduction to the topic for non-lawyers and people without much expertise in the field.
June 13, 2021
A lawyerly review of Supreme Court jurisprudence written for understanding by all. It was interesting to learn about the author’s personal involvement in many high-profile cases. I am thankful for his efforts for the advancement and protection of religious Liberty in the US.
July 22, 2021
THIS IS AN EYE-OPENING BOOK. THE ISSUES THAT MAYBE WE ALL DON'T KNOW ABOUT..EDUCATION IS EMPOWERMENT...
November 14, 2022
Great book on how liberals are fighting to end religious liberty while the
Constitution continues to guarantee it
Constitution continues to guarantee it
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews