Rediscovering America's sacred ground : public religion and pursuit of the good in a pluralistic America / Barbara A. McGraw.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McGraw, Barbara A.

Series:

SUNY series, religion and American public life

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Civil religion--United States.

Civil religion.

United States.

United States--Religion.

Religion.

Physical Description:

xviii, 241 pages ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Albany : State University of New York Press, [2003]

Summary:

Sees a way out of the contentious debates over the role of religion in American public life by looking back to the ideas of John Locke and the nation's Founders.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Toward a Debate on Common Ground 1

At the Crossroads of the Twenty-First Century 1

Roots of the Conflict 3

Original Intent and the Religion Clauses: At the Core of the Debate 5

Entering the Fray 10

On Looking Back to Rediscover America's Moral Foundations 15

A Few Definitions 19

Part I Looking Back to Rediscover America's Sacred Ground

Chapter 2 Rediscovering the Roots of America's Sacred Ground in John Locke 23

John Locke: Prophet of America 23

Locke's Political Theology: Locating the Sacred Center in Each Individual's Relationship with God 25

The Social Contract as Society's Sacred Ground 34

Aiming for the Kingdom of God Requires "Just Bounds" between Civil Government and Churches 41

Rediscovering the Individual as the Sole Authority over Conscience and the Authentic Religious Community as a Free and Voluntary Call to Conscience 45

Setting the "Just Bounds" between Individual Conscience's Moral Choice and the State 47

Rethinking the Private/Public Dichotomy in Locke's Political Theology and the "Public" Role of Religion 50

Rediscovering the Moral Ground of Locke's Political Theology 54

Distinguishing Locke's Reasonable Christianity from His Political Theology 57

Creating the Political Context for the Realization of the True and the Good 59

Chapter 3 The United States Constitution: Establishing America's Sacred Ground 61

Rediscovering John Locke in the Revolutionary Spirit 61

Rediscovering the Religious Roots of the American Political System 66

The States: Toward Government that Ensures Freedom of Conscience and Seeks to Promote a Good Society 73

The United States: Toward Government that Ensures Freedom of Conscience and Creates the Context for the Search for the True and the Good 80

Exploring the Theological Terrian of America's Sacred Ground 88

Comparing the Moral Terrain of America's Sacred Ground with the Moral Order of Overarching Worldview Approaches to Government 91

The Civic and Conscientious Morality of the Two-Tiered Public Forum 94

The Role of Religion in the Public Forum and in the Pursuit of the Good 99

America's Sacred Ground: The Foundation for Pluralism and Multiculturalism that Refutes the Claims of Moral Relativity 102

America's Sacred Ground as the Common Good: Where Religious Voices are Prominent and Truth Can Shift for Herself 105

Part II Rooting the Contemporary Debate in Sacred Ground

Chapter 4 Taking Sides and Looking Left 109

Unraveling the Contemporary Debate 109

Embracing the Fears at the Extremes: Left and Right 110

Reconsidering the Secular Left from the Perspective of America's Sacred Ground 119

John Rawls: Compromising America's Sacred Ground with Public Reasons 128

Chapter 5 Looking Right 137

Reconsidering the Religious Right from the Perspective of America's Sacred Ground 137

Accommodation: Compromising America's Sacred Ground by Mediating the Extremes 152

Chapter 6 Grounding the Debate 167

Sifting through the Confusion in the Contemporary Debate 167

Reorienting the Debate to Aim for the Good 173

Conclusion: America's Sacred Ground: Our Civic Faith 175

Appendix A A Few Definitions 185

Appendix B Freedom of Conscience in Revolutionary Period Constitutions and Declarations of Rights 193

Appendix C Drafts of the Religion Clauses Proposed in the Debates of the First Congress 199.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 231-233) and index.

ISBN:

0791457052

0791457060

OCLC:

51059089