On The Front Lines
OldSpeak Publishes Exclusive Interview With Barry Lynn, Controversial Exec. Dir. of Americans United for Separation of Church & State
Lynn Responds to Charges of Being Anti-Religious, Shares Views on www.rutherford.orgCHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.--OldSpeak, an online publication of The Rutherford Institute, hosts an exclusive interview with the Rev. Barry Lynn, executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, a religious liberty watchdog group that works to ensure there is no promotion of religion by government or government officials. While Lynn has been one of the Institute's strongest and most vocal opponents on the issue of separation of church and state, in the spirit of a free exchange of ideas, OldSpeak offers up this revealing interview in which Lynn explains why he thinks America is in danger of becoming a theocracy, characterizes his dispute with religious conservatives as a "cultural war for the soul of America," and responds to the charge that he and Americans United are really out to censor religious expression by removing God from public life.
For example, when asked what he would say to a room full of religious conservatives to assure them that he is not some kind of anti-Christ, Lynn responded: "God does not need the help of the government at any level in order to work his will in the world. If you believe that God exists, then the actions of some government bureaucrat are hardly going to interfere with that agenda. I think the very best single thing that government can ever do to religion is to simply leave it alone. We will be okay. We are thriving. And I say to secular audiences that the real threat, if there is a threat to any group in this country based on their religious beliefs, is to those in the audience that have no religious beliefs. That's a group that is still allowed to be the victim of second-class status created by government so Christians don't have to worry about losing their ability to worship. We have a dizzying level of religious freedom in this country. We have tremendous diversity. And if we just spent time talking to each other about our differences and trying to point out how we are right and somebody else is wrong on theological matters instead of trying to enlist the government in aid of our theological missions, I think we would be a lot better off." To read "Culture Warrior or Anti-Christ?" click here.
Since becoming executive director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State in 1992, Lynn has been a frequent guest on television and radio talk shows for his controversial views on church-state issues. Lynn is also a weekly commentator on church-state issues for UPI Radio and served for two years as regular co-host of "Pat Buchanan and Company." Before becoming executive director of Americans United, Lynn held a variety of positions related to religious liberty concerns. From 1984 to 1991, he was legislative counsel for the Washington office of the American Civil Liberties Union, where he frequently worked on church-state issues. From 1974 to 1980, Lynn served in a variety of positions with the national offices of the United Church of Christ, including a two-year stint as legislative counsel for the Church's Office of Church in Society in Washington, DC.
The Rutherford Institute is an international, nonprofit civil liberties organization committed to defending constitutional and human rights.
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