Federalist Radio Hour

Protecting Religious Freedom In An Age Of Secularism

Oct 24, 2025
Dr. John D. Wilsey, a church history and philosophy professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, discusses crucial issues around religious freedom in modern America. He unpacks the decline of patriotism and religion, linking it to historical changes and the rise of secularism. Wilsey emphasizes the importance of belief in the transcendent for true freedom and critiques modern interpretations of autonomy that mirror Jacobin ideologies. He also suggests that cultivating personal virtue is essential for a republic's survival against cultural turmoil.
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INSIGHT

Limits Liberate True Freedom

  • Conservatism values limits as liberating conditions that enable genuine human flourishing.
  • John Wilsey argues freedom rooted in just law and transcendent order beats freedom defined as overcoming limits.
INSIGHT

Religion And Freedom In America

  • Tocqueville saw American stability as a product of combining religion and freedom harmoniously.
  • Wilsey says Christian morality shaped American mores, preventing the French-style descent into anarchy.
INSIGHT

Founding Mixed Enlightenment And Faith

  • The founding blended English/Scottish Enlightenment ideas with Christian belief rather than a hostile secularism.
  • Wilsey insists America had a Christian founding grounded in transcendent principles and law.
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