The Future of Religion in American Politics

From City Hall to the White House, from local courthouses to the Supreme Court, religion is indisputably influential in American politics. Finding the proper relationship between church and state has given rise to difficult questions and heated debates in such disparate arenas as education, abortion, immigration, medicine, warfare, and sexuality. Even though the United States Constitution expressly forbids a direct relationship between the two, religion and politics… (plus)

From City Hall to the White House, from local courthouses to the Supreme Court, religion is indisputably influential in American politics. Finding the proper relationship between church and state has given rise to difficult questions and heated debates in such disparate arenas as education, abortion, immigration, medicine, warfare, and sexuality. Even though the United States Constitution expressly forbids a direct relationship between the two, religion and politics in America are inextricably linked. Charles W. Dunn's The Future of Religion in American Politics traces the history of religion in America's political sphere and explores the issues concerning its continuing relevance. An examination of four eras -- the founding, the Civil War, the New Deal, and the modern -- suggests the appropriate interaction of religion and politics in the twenty-first century. The widely recognized contributors raise many thought-provoking questions about the extent of religious influence on the U.S. government, today and in the future.