Bound to be Free - Print

Bound to be Free
The Paradox of Freedom

By Graham Tomlin

[2 copies only in stock at this reduced price 2 July 2026.
We won't be re-ordering this title when they have sold.]

A thoughtful Christian exploration of true freedom, showing how liberty can be found not in limitless choice, but in rightly ordered love, relationship and community.

This book will help you:

• Understand why freedom is such a powerful and contested idea in Western culture
• Explore the tensions between personal liberty and social responsibility
• Consider the limitations of purely secular visions of freedom
• Reflect on how Christian theology offers a richer account of human flourishing
• Think more deeply about freedom, happiness, desire and the common good
• Engage with contemporary cultural debates from a thoughtful Christian perspective
• Discover how commitment, belonging and self-giving love can lead to a deeper freedom

Features

• Accessible and intellectually engaging treatment of a major cultural theme
• Written by a respected theologian, author and former Bishop of Kensington
• Explores freedom through Christian theology, philosophy and contemporary culture
• Suitable for thoughtful general readers, church leaders, students and discussion groups
• A valuable resource for conversations about liberty, community and human flourishing

Softcover, 224pp
14.15 cm W x 21.16 cm H x 1.84 cm D (weight not listed)
ISBN 9781472939500
Bloomsbury Continuum (2017)

Description

Freedom is one of the great promises of modern life, yet it is also one of its deepest puzzles. We want to be free to choose, speak, believe and live as we wish, but we also long for belonging, stability, meaning and community.

When personal liberty and social cohesion pull against each other, the result can be confusion, fragmentation and dissatisfaction. This thoughtful and accessible book asks whether our culture’s most common ideas of freedom are strong enough to bear the weight we place upon them.

Rather than treating freedom as simple independence or the absence of restraint, this book explores the paradox that true freedom may require commitment, discipline, relationship and love. It argues that a Christian vision of freedom offers a compelling alternative to the individualism of much contemporary culture, showing how human beings flourish not by escaping all bonds, but by being bound to what is good, truthful and life-giving.

The discussion is both timely and deeply rooted. It speaks into a polarised age in which freedom is often claimed as a personal right while shared moral frameworks become harder to sustain. By bringing theology into conversation with culture, philosophy and public life, the book helps readers think more clearly about liberty, fulfilment, responsibility and the common good.

Ideal for Christians wanting to engage thoughtfully with contemporary society, as well as for readers interested in theology, ethics and cultural criticism, this is a wise and searching account of one of the defining questions of our time: what kind of freedom actually makes us fully human?

About the Author

Rev Dr Graham Tomlin is a British theologian, author and former Bishop of Kensington in the Church of England. He is Director of the Centre for Cultural Witness and President of St Mellitus College. He has taught theology at Oxford and in London, with particular expertise in historical theology, the Reformation, mission and contemporary culture. He is the author of numerous books and is widely recognised for bringing Christian theology into conversation with public life and modern cultural questions.

Contents

Introduction: The Puzzle and Promise of Freedom

Part One: Freedom in Contemporary Culture
Chapter 1: Why Freedom Matters
Chapter 2: The Crisis of Modern Liberty
Chapter 3: Personal Choice and Social Cohesion 

Part Two: The Limits of Secular Freedom
Chapter 4: Desire, Autonomy and the Self
Chapter 5: Happiness, Fulfilment and the Common Good
Chapter 6: When Freedom Becomes Fragmentation

Part Three: A Christian Vision of Freedom
Chapter 7: Freedom as Gift
Chapter 8: Freedom, Love and Belonging
Chapter 9: Being Bound to What Gives Life
Chapter 10: Freedom for Community and Human Flourishing

Conclusion: The Paradox of Being Bound to Be Free