June 2025 Faculty Spotlight

Professor Hoffman, what’s new and exciting?
For me personally? Well, I have a new book coming out with Johns Hopkins University Press on June 17. It’s called American Freethought: The History of a Social Movement, 1794–1948. It traces the history of the American freethought movement, which has fought for the separation of church and state and religious freedom in America since the late 18th century.

Why is that important?
Until the middle of the 20th century, some states required that public officials swear an oath concerning their religious beliefs before they were able to take office, and people could be prosecuted for blasphemy if they publicly stated that they did not believe that the Bible is the word of God. Freethinkers fought against these discriminatory practices. They also fought against those who denied equal right for women on religious grounds and against the prosecution of doctors for sending contraceptives and even medical advice about contraception through the US mail. Without the American freethought movement, some or all of these injustices might still be taking place. Freethinkers even headed off an attempt to add a “Christian Amendment” to the US Constitution that would have made America an official Christian nation.

Is it all just history?
Unfortunately not. Today there is a resurgence of Christian nationalism, a movement that would weaken or abolish the separation of church and state and give Christians special privileges under the law and use public institutions to promote a Christian world view.

Such as “love thy neighbor as thyself” or “turn the other cheek”?
Answer: No, if it was just that I would not have much objection. But sadly, Christian nationalists don’t put much stock in Christian teaching about unconditional love and self-sacrifice. Instead, they promote a radically conservative form of Christianity that seeks “dominion” over public institutions, aims to “reconstruct” America as an explicitly Christian nations, and even seeks to make the Old Testament the basis of US law.  Christian nationalists use the Bible to support arguments that the first duty of women is to raise children in the home, and that homosexuality is immoral. Of course, it is the right of any American to hold such opinions if that is what they believe, but would you want these and other Bible-based teachings to be given the force of law because they are supported by the Old Testament? Christian nationalists have succeeded in passing a law in Louisiana that requires that the ten commandments be displayed in every public school classroom. That law is legally embattled, but similar policies are pending in many other states.

Freethought has always thrived in times of adversity. Its most expansive period was in the 1870s and 1880s following an attempt to add a Christian Amendment to the constitution and during a time when doctors could be jailed for offering advice about contraception. Sometimes it takes developments like these to wake people up.

The good news is that freethought is as deep and enduring a part of American culture as the Christian nationalist tendency is.