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The always-readable E.J. Dionne has a particularly thought-provoking column on Gen. Boykin, fundamentalists, and religious freedom today.

Taking Satan Seriously:
But without intending to, Boykin has revealed the difficulties with our usual arguments on behalf of religious liberty.

For the administration, it's not just that Boykin presents a political problem, because the most loyal part of Bush's base is made up of evangelical Christians, many of whom share Boykin's views. Even more important, it is highly likely that Bush himself, a genuinely devout Christian by all accounts, agrees with at least some, perhaps much, of what Boykin said. In particular, it's pretty certain that Bush believes that Satan is in some way implicated in the troubles the United States now faces. That is not an eccentric view among Christians. It is rather orthodox.

It covers some very important ground about the difference between how fundamentalists and those of us with more liberal theological views (and non-believers) view the idea of "religious liberty", which could help us all understand each other a little bit better.