First Freedom First: A Citizen's Guide to Protecting Religious Liberty and the Separation of Church and State

I just received an email from First Freedom First that this book is on sale now. I have ordered my copy. You can find it here at Beacon Press or Amazon.com.

From Beacon Press:

A much-needed rallying cry for progressives concerned about our constitutional first freedom—to worship religion freely, or not at all.

The guarantee of religious liberty is the bedrock on which other freedoms in our nation were built. Religious liberty and its corollary of church-state separation make up our first freedom. That first freedom is now in trouble.

In First Freedom First, two of the most respected commentators on this vital national issue speak out. Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, a leader of the interfaith movement, explains how the protection of religious liberty will in turn greatly protect our very system of government, while Rev. Barry W. Lynn, a lawyer and religious figure, explains the legal history to show where we stand today. In his preface, Intel cofounder and former CEO Andrew S. Grove provides his personal story of coming to America after growing up Jewish in Hungary during the Nazi invasion and under a Communist government.

First Freedom First also includes a vital resource section with answers to frequently asked questions regarding this fundamental right and a list of easy and even fun activities readers can do to help protect religious liberty.

Quotes

“This is a book for every American. Gaddy and Lynn have provided us with a volume that informs and challenges, as well as inspires and guides us, on issues of vital importance—our founding fathers' vision for religious liberty and their constitutional guarantee of separation of church and state. I applaud this book as a tool for preserving our democracy’s greatest treasure."
—Walter Cronkite

"If we forsake our freedom of religion, it's not the kind of thing we can ask nicely to have returned to us when we realize later how much we need it. First Freedom First explains why we ought to avoid this mistake, but, crucially, also how to avoid it—how respect for the First Amendment can unify even the most disparate elements in America's spiritual life."
—Rachel Maddow, Air America Radio