Religious Freedom and Human Flourishing

IFWE SELECTS DUKE TO JOIN TEMPLETON PROJECT ON RELIGIOUS FREEDOM

The Institute for Faith, Work & Economics (IFWE) is pleased to announce that Barrett Duke has been selected to join the “Moral Foundations of Freedom and Human Flourishing” book project, an IFWE initiative that is funded in part by the John Templeton Foundation. As one of thirteen contributing scholars, Duke will provide a chapter to a book that will explore the biblical roots and history of religious freedom and how Christians can become more engaged in preserving it, not just for Christians but for people of all faiths. The book will also explore the relationship between religious freedom, economic freedom, and political freedom. It is scheduled for release in the fall of 2019 by Abilene Christian University Press.

Barrett Duke is the executive director and treasurer of the Montana Southern Baptist Convention. Barrett moved to Montana from Washington, D.C., where he served as Vice President for Public Policy and Research for the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. Duke has worked with legislators and various government agencies on many legislative and public policy issues, including religious liberty. He speaks regularly on Christian worldview and related topics in many religious and civic settings. Barrett earned his Ph.D. in religious and theological studies from the joint Ph.D. program of the University of Denver and the Iliff School of Theology, where he studied biblical interpretation.

Duke’s contribution to the IFWE book on religious freedom will target the next generation through Christian colleges and universities, as well as current thought leaders and policy makers.

IFWE executive director Hugh Whelchel indicated that more educational material and marketing will be needed to help the IFWE project reach a larger audience of Christians in schools, churches, and in the marketplace. “Please keep this religious freedom project in prayer and consider joining us in this effort financially. Our prayer is that Christians would grasp the biblical roots of religious freedom and see how religious freedom is a prerequisite for human flourishing; where it doesn’t exist or is threatened, economic and political progress and freedoms have difficulty taking root.”

Please prayerfully consider making an end-of-year contribution toward the work of IFWE and this religious freedom project today.