Why Secularism is Good for Religion and its Perversion Bad for Everyone, with Dr Michael Bird

<p>Michael Bird returns to the show for a discussion about secularism. Jonathan and Michael cover the Christian origins of secularism, why it is in the interests of religious people to have a secular government, the threat to the secular compact by militant secularism and the inimical impact of the contemporary perversion of genuine secularism.</p> <p><br></p> <p>Dr Michael Bird is Academic Dean and Lecturer in New Testament at Ridley College, Melbourne, Australia. He is the author and editor of more than thirty books, including <a href="https://www.zondervan.com/search-results/?q=Michael%20bird"><em>Religious Freedom in a Secular Age: A Christian Case for Liberty, Equality, and Secular Government</em></a>. He writes at <a href="https://michaelbird.substack.com">michaelbird.substack.com</a>.</p> <p><br></p> <p>The Political Animals is hosted by Dr <a href="https://www.jonathancole.com.au/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jonathan Cole</a>, a scholar, writer and translator specialising in political theology: the intersection of religion and politics. Jonathan was a senior terrorism analyst at Australian intelligence agency the Office of National Assessments where he worked on Islamist terrorism and the global jihadist movement. He is the author of <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/au/reign-of-god-9780567707468/">The Reign of God: A Critical Engagement with Oliver O'Donovan's Theology of Political Authority</a> and <a href="https://wipfandstock.com/9781532679346/christian-political-theology-in-an-age-of-discontent/" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Christian Political Theology in an Age of Discontent: Mediating Scripture, Doctrine, and Political Reality</a>.</p> <p>You can follow the show on <a href="https://twitter.com/polanimalspod" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/pol_animals_podcast/">Instagram</a>.</p>