Today, I discuss a book that goes to the heart of why religious freedom matters and how protecting its exercise confounds the forces of disintegration and violence. My guest is Allen D. Hertzke, whose book Why Religious Freedom Matters is an indispensable resource for not only showing the true value of religion, but also why it remains so important that people of all stripes band together to protect it from forces of coercion and restriction.

Allen is professor emeritus of political science at the University of Oklahoma. He is author or editor of ten books, including Freeing God's Children and The Future of Religious Freedom. He served a ten-year term on the prestigious Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences at the Vatican.

Cross & Gavel is a production of CHRISTIAN LEGAL SOCIETY. The episode was produced by Josh Deng, with music from Vexento.