Deep Conviction: True Stories of Ordinary Americans Fighting for the Freedom to Live Their Beliefs
About this audiobook
Deep Conviction features four ordinary Americans who put their reputations and livelihoods at risk as they fought to protect their first amendment right to live their personal beliefs. Though these individuals couldn’t be more different, they share a similar conviction and determination, and the principles of religious freedom apply equally to all of them.
In 1813, a Catholic priest in New York City faced prison after a grand jury subpoenaed him for refusing to divulge the identity of a jewelry thief who admitted to the crime during the sacrament of confession.
In 1959, an atheist in Maryland was forced to choose between his job and his beliefs when the state required him, as part of the hiring process, to sign an oath that said he believed in God. The United States Supreme Court would decide his fate.
In 1989, a Klamath Indian man walked into the highest court of our nation to fight for the right to practice the central sacrament of the Native American church after the state of Oregon had declared it illegal.
And, finally, in 2017, a Christian baker and a gay couple took their case to the United States Supreme Court after the baker declined to create a custom wedding cake to celebrate the couple’s same-sex marriage, fearing it would violate his duty to God.
Chosen for their universality and for the broad principles they represent, these true stories reflect the diversity of beliefs in the United States, the conflicts between religious freedom and other interests, the perils individuals face when their right to live their beliefs is threatened, and the genius of America’s promise of religious liberty for all.
About the author
Steven T. Collis is the Chair of the Religious Institutions and First Amendment Practice Group at Holland & Hart LLP. He regularly represents religious institutions, school districts, and traditional employers nationwide regarding a broad range of religious liberty issues. He is an adjunct professor of law at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law, where he teaches courses on religious liberty law. Steven received his MFA in creative writing from Virginia Commonwealth University and his Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School. He and his wife have four children and reside in Colorado.
Richard Powers has published thirteen novels. He is a MacArthur Fellow and received the National Book Award. His book, The Overstory, won the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.
