Balmer offers just what we need right now: an unapologetic, full-throated defense of separation of church and state as the best vehicle to protect and promote religious freedom in America.

There’s no doubt President Donald Trump’s courting of the Religious Right has been bad for secular government, and we’ll long remember the myriad ways Betsy DeVos, William Barr, Mike Pompeo and others pushed their form of Christian nationalism upon us.

As the Pew report makes clear, our country is changing. When it comes to religion, we’re more diverse than ever. While far-right fundamentalists who are convinced that only their narrow version of faith is 'true' may tremble at this news, the rest of us should celebrate it.