I never send one-off emails like this, but the launch of a new book seemed like it merited its own dedicated note. Becket Senior Counsel and Vice President, Luke Goodrich, has just published a new book on religious freedom, and it is answering the questions Christians around the country are asking themselves.   

“Should Christians defend the religious liberty of non-Christians? Why? And if so, how? These are but some of the important questions on which Luke Goodrich focuses his formidable intellect in his important new book, Free to Believe. Goodrich brings to bear his experience as one of the country’s premier religious liberty litigators and his lifelong love of the Scriptures. The result is a book that no one, on any side of these questions, can ignore. And it’s a great read besides.” 

— Kevin J. “Seamus” Hasson, Founder and President Emeritus of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, author of The Right To Be Wrong.   

Luke’s book, Free to Believe, is designed to help ordinary Americans understand why religious freedom matters, how it is threatened, and how to protect it. Part 1 of the book offers a theology of religious freedom rooted in Scripture—encouraging Christians to approach religious freedom not as a political tool for maintaining our rights, but as an issue of biblical justice rooted in who God is and how He chooses to relate with us. Part 2 applies this understanding of religious freedom to the most difficult modern conflicts—including conflicts over gay rights, abortion rights, Islam, discrimination, and the public square. Part 3 offers practical steps all Americans can take to preserve religious liberty for all. 

Stanford law professor and former Tenth Circuit Judge Michael McConnell may have said it best: 

“Free to Believe is a book for Christians struggling to understand biblical principles of freedom of religion—freedom that extends to all faiths and even to unbelief. Authors who truly understand the principles of our First Amendment are rare, and those among them who know and love the Scripture are rarer still. Luke Goodrich, one of America’s top litigators in religious freedom cases and a devoted servant of Christ, is both, and his book offers insight, faith, passion, and above all clarity.” 

Luke has been promoting his book, as well as this important discussion, for the past two months. Free to Believe was featured in the Christian Post on Monday.  

We are offering a free copy of  Free to Believe  to the first 5 individuals who respond to this note. We would be delighted if you would spread the word about this groundbreaking book on social media and in your other spheres of influence. You can find the book on Luke’s website, on Amazon, and wherever books are sold. 

We hope you will share this new book with those you know and love in our shared effort to help everyone understand the importance of defending religious freedom for ALL.   

“Goodrich’s defense of religious liberty is compelling for four reasons: It’s comprehensive about today’s challenges to our First Freedom; it’s filled with both an unvarnished realism and hope grounded in a deep faith; it’s shaped throughout by the author's keen legal intellect and rich experience with the law; and it’s wonderfully readable.  The United States is a republic founded on  the common sense and fundamental rights of everyday citizens.  This is a vitally important book for all of us who value those rights and the best ideals of our nation.” 

 — +Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.,  Archbishop of Philadelphia 

“Religious liberty is too important to be just another culture-war skirmish. If the soul is not free, every other freedom is in jeopardy. We live in a time when religious freedom is rarely discussed without either alarmism or dismissal. Luke Goodrich is one of the nation’s most respected thought leaders in the arena of liberty of conscience...I hope many people, both religious and secular, will read this volume and recommit to a society where all consciences are free to believe, to worship, to serve, and to live.”

— Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention