We live in a world increasingly hostile toward opposition of any kind while popular culture demands adherence to a fragmented form of tolerance that values total acceptance above mutual respect for differing worldviews.

In his new book, "The Dignity Revolution: Reclaiming God's Rich Vision for Humanity," author Daniel Darling, vice president of communications for the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, argues we can tamp down some of that hostility by recognizing one another's innate worth and value.

For Christians, Darling told Faithwire, it's important to relink the Gospel message to the moral truths it promotes, chief among them the intrinsic and unflinching dignity of human beings.

"Too often, we confuse a generic American Christianity with true Gospel Christianity," he said. "It just calls us to return to Biblical Christianity and realize that to be a faithful follower of Jesus means we're at some point going to be at odds with the prevailing culture."

Faithwire spoke with Darling about his new book. It should be noted some of his answers featured below have been edited for both length and clarity.

What inspired the book and why did you decide to write it now?

Every generation sees assaults on human dignity, but I think in our generation, we see it more because we're more aware of the news. It gives us an opportunity to speak out.

My political convictions were formed and shaped by the pro-life movement. I think, more than anything, the pro-life movement has introduced a moral vocabulary into society by saying the most vulnerable among us, who can't defend themselves—there's a person there. It's not a fetus; it's not a clump of cells; it's a person.

What would that ethic look like if we continue to think about that across a wide range of issues?

Jesus says to love your neighbor as yourself, so if we're to properly love our neighbor, we should care about the world in which our neighbor lives. We should care about policies that shape our neighbor's flourishing. How can we say we love our neighbor if we're not speaking up for our unborn neighbors, or for our immigrant neighbors, or for our elderly neighbors, or for our minority neighbors who face racism and discrimination?

In our political discourse, there seems to be a great lack of dignity. How can we restore some of that?

I think we do it on a number of levels. I think, one, we need to remember whose we are—that we represent another King and another Kingdom.

We have to make voting decisions, we have to choose what institutions we'll be a part of, what political parties we'll be a part of. That's just the way our republic works. But if we're to be sojourners and strangers, as 1 Peter says we are, then we should never feel completely at home in any earthly movement. There should always be a little bit of dissonance, a little bit of discomfort—whether you're a Republican or Democrat—with the overall party.

Secondly, more importantly, even in the way we talk to each other, the rhetoric we use. Can we have robust disagreements about public life and yet consider the person who disagrees with us as a human created in the image of God [worthy of] dignity and respect?

When we make arguments online, we're not just arguing with an avatar. We're having a discussion with a human being. God doesn't just care that we make the right arguments and that we stand up for truth, but also in the way we do it.

I can't help but think about this in the context of #MeToo and #ChurchToo. What role do Believers have in those movements?

We're seeing across Christianity a kind of revelation that some of our power structures, some of our institutions have not protected the vulnerable among us. You just think about the horrific child sexual assault that, quite often, our institutions have been more interested in protecting the reputation than protecting the innocent and the vulnerable... Subscribe for free to Breaking Christian News here.

Click here to continue reading.

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

'Resurrection of the Christ' Writer Reveals Mel Gibson's Spiritual Warfare Warning about the 'Passion' Sequel

Second Family Welcomes Their New Baby Boy

FDA: That Recalled Lettuce from Taylor Fresh Farms Turned Out to Be a 'False Positive' for Cyclospora

About Those Burn Bags President Trump Mentioned in His Address to the Nation

'Poor Little Grandma' Green Card Holder Arrested by ICE Revealed to Be Convicted Meth Trafficker

US War Department Identifies the 2 US Soldiers Killed in IRGC Attack in Jordan

Former Clinton Advisors Slam Socialist Takeover

Democratic Socialism: 10 Realities to Rescue You from Its Diabolical Deception

'We've Seen Incredible Revival': Nearly 70 Inmates Transformed by the Power of God

UK Denies Entry to Christian MP Convicted of Hate Speech for Pamphlet That Spoke against Homosexuality

'You Could Hear the Sobs of a Widow': Inside Charlie Kirk's Murder Trial

Must Watch: Rubio Goes Hard on the 'Unique Evil' of Far-Left Terrorism, Promises More to Come

Iran Targets Us Allies' Civilian Infrastructure While US Strikes Around Strategic Port City

Trump: China Accessed 220 Million US Voter Files, Deep State Hid Evidence

Archaeologists Uncover Hidden 1,600-Year-Old Christian Church Buried for Centuries

Canadian Wildfire Smoke Chokes Northern US as Flooding Slams Texas

UC San Fran Chancellor Refuses to Say If Men Can Have Babies

Former Historic Baptist Church Becomes a Mosque in This Virginia Town, and Mayor Celebrates Muslim Call to Prayer

Islamunist Mamdani's Claim that Sexual Assaults in NYC are Rising Because of 'Expanded Definition' Dismisses 'R*pe Jihad' in the Big Apple

GOP Grills AG Nominee on Abortion Drug and Trump Admin Priorities