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God and Government: Twenty-Five Years of Fighting for Equality, Secularism, and Freedom Of Conscience
A central player in every major church-state-separation battle for decades, the Rev. Barry W. Lynn understands the complexities of this divisive issue like few others. As a long-time activist, a civil rights lawyer, and an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, he offers a unique perspective and a wealth of experience on church-state controversies. In this lively book, he has compiled his writings from various sources to explore in depth the many ways religious extremists have attempted to erode individual liberties.
The topics range from publicly-promoted prayer to efforts to undermine public education and replace it with taxpayer-subsidized vouchers for religious schools, interfering with end-of-life and reproductive rights, censorship, and belligerence directed against nonbelievers and minorities.
Lynn concludes that the ultimate goal of these extremist forces—consisting mainly of the Protestant Religious Right and the Roman Catholic hierarchy—is the creation of a corporate theocracy, a decidedly undemocratic system of government in which nonconservative Christians, along with humanist, feminists, and the LGBTQ community, are relegated to second-class status in America.
The topics range from publicly-promoted prayer to efforts to undermine public education and replace it with taxpayer-subsidized vouchers for religious schools, interfering with end-of-life and reproductive rights, censorship, and belligerence directed against nonbelievers and minorities.
Lynn concludes that the ultimate goal of these extremist forces—consisting mainly of the Protestant Religious Right and the Roman Catholic hierarchy—is the creation of a corporate theocracy, a decidedly undemocratic system of government in which nonconservative Christians, along with humanist, feminists, and the LGBTQ community, are relegated to second-class status in America.
250 pages, Paperback
First published August 4, 2015
20 people are currently reading
159 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 1, 2019
Barry Lynn is a minister ordained by the United Church of Christ. I am also ordained by the UCC and am pleased that we can claim Barry Lynn as one of our own. His work is vital in maintaining the separation of church and state that, while perhaps not explicitly expressed in the U S CONSTITUTION, is implied strongly enough to inspire Thomas Jefferson to declare it so.
This book brings out the chief problem that our political system has at the moment: the focus on personalities rather than issues. If clergy would stick to preaching about issues, most, it not all of which have moral or ethical ramifications, Americans United and Mr. Lynn would have a lot less work to do.
Lynn gives us a mix of passion and humor as he fights those who would like to see our government turn into a theocracy. His legal and theological training serve him well.
There was some redundancy in his speeches, enough to drop my rating below 5.
Four stars waxing
This book brings out the chief problem that our political system has at the moment: the focus on personalities rather than issues. If clergy would stick to preaching about issues, most, it not all of which have moral or ethical ramifications, Americans United and Mr. Lynn would have a lot less work to do.
Lynn gives us a mix of passion and humor as he fights those who would like to see our government turn into a theocracy. His legal and theological training serve him well.
There was some redundancy in his speeches, enough to drop my rating below 5.
Four stars waxing
January 13, 2020
An important read. A good reminder how important it is to keep church and government separated. I didn't know that some "christians" pray for the demise of others.
August 15, 2016
A fantastic look into national watchdog agency AU's (Americans United) select cases over the past quarter century in the context of the author (who is also the Director of AU)'s overall message of vigilance when it comes to religious freedoms in America. He tackles quite a few organizations and leaders: namely, players who make up the so-called Religious Right like Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, faith-based lobbying organizations, and a few well-known religious Congressmen and local governors.
While the book has no linear timeline, it neatly presents a variety of encroaching issues that threaten to undermine the First Amendment's freedoms of religion that non-Christians enjoy. School vouchers, the Faith-Based charity initiative implemented by G. W. Bush, school prayer, sex-ed curricula, Creationist teachings in public schools, religious monuments on public lands, pulpit politicking, religiously-motivated refusals of civil laws, the Right-to-Die debate, and more. All are presented in a memoir-type format from Lynn, summarizing AU's victories and failures. He ends with his guarded optimism on what the future will hold, and makes his strong point that the price of freedom is always vigilance.
This book was a great read for me. I was both amazed and appalled at some of the documented actions many religious right activists have attempted without many Americans knowing. It became relieving and inspiring reading the outcomes of many of those actions that were defeated by the AU with others. It highlighted the importance of these watchdog nonprofit organizations. I have become a Barry Lynn fan, to say the least.
Any citizen who is feels patriotic and would like to learn about the legislative/political ups and downs of those who fight for American secularism should read this book. It is well-written, lucid, convincing and inspiring.
While the book has no linear timeline, it neatly presents a variety of encroaching issues that threaten to undermine the First Amendment's freedoms of religion that non-Christians enjoy. School vouchers, the Faith-Based charity initiative implemented by G. W. Bush, school prayer, sex-ed curricula, Creationist teachings in public schools, religious monuments on public lands, pulpit politicking, religiously-motivated refusals of civil laws, the Right-to-Die debate, and more. All are presented in a memoir-type format from Lynn, summarizing AU's victories and failures. He ends with his guarded optimism on what the future will hold, and makes his strong point that the price of freedom is always vigilance.
This book was a great read for me. I was both amazed and appalled at some of the documented actions many religious right activists have attempted without many Americans knowing. It became relieving and inspiring reading the outcomes of many of those actions that were defeated by the AU with others. It highlighted the importance of these watchdog nonprofit organizations. I have become a Barry Lynn fan, to say the least.
Any citizen who is feels patriotic and would like to learn about the legislative/political ups and downs of those who fight for American secularism should read this book. It is well-written, lucid, convincing and inspiring.
April 16, 2016
This is a 3.5 star review.
I don't particularly find Rev. Barry Lynn to be that gripping of a writer, and the stuff of his speeches is pretty vanilla, as well. He uses the word "indeed" for dramatic effect waaaay too often, for instance. Still, he's coherent, and, most importantly, factually and historically correct.
In a time when people deign to state there's "Christian persecution" or a "war on Christianity" in America - or repeat the lie that America is a "Christian Nation" - those are actually the folks who should be reading this (though I fear the words will fall on "blind eyes").
Lynn and his editors do a fine job sorting his writings and speeches into subject categories, rather than going chronologically. Still, they chronicle the church-state separation battles such as reproductive rights, same-sex marriage, school voucher programs, and theocratic curricula in public schools (e.g. 'intelligent design') through the lens of the U.S. Constitution as a gauge of the progress (or not) being made toward religious liberty for all.
Again, secularists like myself who have been following church-state issues for years are not really reading anything new. I recommend this book for younger audiences just entering voting age and would say that it should be required reading for people who don't understand why public buildings cannot display holiday decorations or religious materials (unless it's open to all religious - not just Christianity).
I don't particularly find Rev. Barry Lynn to be that gripping of a writer, and the stuff of his speeches is pretty vanilla, as well. He uses the word "indeed" for dramatic effect waaaay too often, for instance. Still, he's coherent, and, most importantly, factually and historically correct.
In a time when people deign to state there's "Christian persecution" or a "war on Christianity" in America - or repeat the lie that America is a "Christian Nation" - those are actually the folks who should be reading this (though I fear the words will fall on "blind eyes").
Lynn and his editors do a fine job sorting his writings and speeches into subject categories, rather than going chronologically. Still, they chronicle the church-state separation battles such as reproductive rights, same-sex marriage, school voucher programs, and theocratic curricula in public schools (e.g. 'intelligent design') through the lens of the U.S. Constitution as a gauge of the progress (or not) being made toward religious liberty for all.
Again, secularists like myself who have been following church-state issues for years are not really reading anything new. I recommend this book for younger audiences just entering voting age and would say that it should be required reading for people who don't understand why public buildings cannot display holiday decorations or religious materials (unless it's open to all religious - not just Christianity).
March 21, 2016
This is an extraordinary look at the way religious zealots are trying to force their religion down the throats of everyone else ... through practice and legislation. Scary as the dickens and I'm glad there are organizations dedicated to preserving separation of church and state.
January 6, 2016
Illuminating and well written
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews