When Liberty Enslaves: The Toxic Blend of Faith and Politics offers a detailed look at how the intersection of faith and politics has shaped the course of American history, particularly through the lens of liberty. Why was this an important book for you to write?

The death of George Floyd on May 25, 2020, dramatically impacted the viewing world at the time. Watching George Floyd’s life seep away while his cries of not being able to breathe were ignored did something to me. Watching the replayed video of a police officer continuing to kneel on the neck of a handcuffed Black man for nine minutes and 29 seconds opened my eyes. For the first time, I could “see” the plight of Black people in our nation’s history. This was the genesis of the inspiration for writing this book.

How much research did you undertake for this book and how much time did it take to put it all together?

Being trained as an engineer my appetite for learning and understanding our nation’s history was never compelling. After a thirty-year avocation as a lay minister in various Christian denominations, it took a spiritual “awakening” to take on the broad spectrum of topics covered in trying to describe the intersection of faith and politics. Over approximately eighteen months I used the writings of contemporary historians, ministers, journalists, and authors to pull together a diverse approach to the subject.

What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?

The first critical idea of this writing is to point out that the blending of faith and politics is not a new concept. To illustrate the point, I suggest that there was a deliberate blending of faith and politics even during Christ’s earthly ministry. The primary point of the writing is to compare the dramatic similarities between our times and those immediately before the Civil War. The implied emphasis with that comparison is that the possibility of a Civil War occurring in our nation again is very possible.

The second critical idea of this writing is that these efforts to blend faith and politics are deliberate. The current experience of blending faith and politics in our nation began with a concerted effort in the early 1970s. I can attest to being part of that movement in the 1980s when I was part of Jerry Falwell Sr.’s ministry in Northern Virginia.

What is one thing that people point out after reading your book that surprises you?

I was pleased to hear the reader is drawn into the case being made through the personalization of the story. My experiences make the points being made credible to the reader. Additionally, the many references used in the writing illustrate that the case being made is not only my opinion. This writing is a compilation of the prevailing thoughts of many contemporary historians, authors, ministers, and journalists.

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There is a common experience between our experiences today and those before the Civil War many years ago. The effect of the intersection of faith and politics during these two experiences has had on our elections and our governance is uncanny in their similarities. Both times an election insurrection was stopped by the sitting vice president. Both times had people of the same faith on both sides of the social issues of the day claiming God’s favor and willing to divide the nation over those competing positions.

Part 1 of this writing focuses on the Civil War era and how liberty centered around the issue of equality. Some people of faith believed all men were equal, some did not. Part 2 focuses on our present times and how liberty centers on the sanctity of life concerning abortion and gun control. Some in our nation feel enslaved by the liberty of others. Part 3 describes methods for closing the divide in our nation beginning with the faith communities.