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Religious Freedom is a universally recognized human right, but this right is often treated as second tier in the secular west and as a threat to authoritarian regimes. In fact, the 2018 Department of State Report on International Religious Freedom found that 80% of the world’s population lives in an area where religious freedom is highly restricted. In this episode, I discussed the state of religious liberty around the world (including in the United State, China, Africa, the Middle East, and in former Soviet Republics) with former Ambassador Sam Brownback; and he explained why he launched the International Religious Freedom Summit and why the United States should promote this important right around the world.
Sam Brownback formerly served as Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom and continues to work with coalitions around the globe to promote and protect the fundamental human right to religious liberty. As a fellow for the Center for Religious Liberty (The Center) for the 2021-2022 academic year, he will teach a course in international religious liberty at Catholic Law in the spring of 2022. Brownback was the 46th Governor of Kansas. He was first elected in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. He left office after being confirmed to the position of Ambassador-at-Large in January 2018. Prior to becoming governor, Brownback served in a number of elected government offices in Kansas. After one term in the House of Representatives, he served as Senator for Kansas from 1996-2011
Key Takeaways:
- His call into public life.
- Lessons from his time in Congress and as Governor of the state of Kansas.
- The state of religious freedom in the United States and around the world.
- A story from Dante’s Inferno about politicians in the lowest level of hell.
- Why the US should promote religious freedom as a key foreign policy goal.
- Link to the International Religious Freedom Summit.
- Other encouragements to Christians working in the public square, including an encouragement to “live like a 5th grader.”