Religion and politics in the United States / Kenneth D. Wald, University of Florida, Allison Calhoun-Brown, Georgia State University.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wald, Kenneth D., author.

Calhoun-Brown, Allison, 1966- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Religion and politics--United States--History--21st century.

Religion and politics.

Politics and government.

History.

United States--Religion--1960-.

United States.

Religion.

United States--Politics and government--21st century.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xiii, 418 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

Eighth Edition.

Place of Publication:

Lanham, Maryland : Rowman & Littlefield, [2018]

Summary:

Using an Evidenced-Based, Social Scientific Approach to Religion. Kenneth D. Wald and Allison Calhoun-Brown challenge the perception that religious influence in American politics is a problem to be solved. Instead, they contend that religion is a form of social identification that not only shapes our ideas about politics, but it also shapes the behavior of political elites and ordinary citizens, the interpretation of public laws, and the development of government programs. Ultimately, the authors show how religion plays a fascinating and crucial role in our nation's political process and in our culture at large. The eighth edition of Religion and Politics in the United States has been fully updated to include the latest scholarship and coverage of the 2016 presidential election. It also features a new discussion of the religious right, center, and left, as well as the impact of religion on the fight for equality based on gender and sexual orientation. Additional student resources include all new discussion questions and further readings at the end of each chapter, as well as a companion website featuring self-quizzes. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 A Secular Society? 1

The Puzzle of Religious Vitality 3

The Persistence of Religion 7

Stability or Change? 12

Possible Explanations 15

Why the United States? 16

2 Religion in the American Context 21

Understanding Religion 22

Patterns of Religious Affiliation 24

Basic Political Tendencies 31

Conclusion 38

3 Religion and American Political Culture 39

The Puritan Imprint on Colonial Thought 40

Covenant Theology and the Right to Revolt 43

Puritanism and Democracy: A Qualification 45

"Total Depravity" and Institutional Restraint 47

Human Nature and the Constitution 49

One Nation under God: A Civil Religion 51

Two Forms of Civil Religion 53

Civil Religion as a Double-Edged Sword 55

One of Many Influences 58

4 Religion and the State 61

The Genesis of Church-State Conflict 62

Overview of Church-State Relations 65

How Far Can Government Go? 70

The Judicial Record 74

The Separationist Era (1940s-1970s) 79

The Accommodationist Era (1980s-Present) 85

The Politics of Church-State Relations 90

The Constitutional Revolution in Perspective 92

The Cutting Edge 94

5 Mobilizing Religious Interests 99

Studying Religious Interests 100

Establishing Motive 102

Establishing Means 115

Conclusion 128

6 Religion and Political Action 131

Religious Cultural Environment 133

Institutional Contexts 136

Partisan Political Alignments 140

Influential Allies 142

Policy Domain 150

Conclusion 154

7 Religion and Public Opinion 157

Economic Liberalism 159

Moral-Cultural Issues 179

Social Justice 179

Foreign Policy 185

What Happened to the Culture War? 186

8 Religion and Conservative Political Mobilization 191

The Political Background 192

Roots of the New Christian Right 196

Building a National Movement 197

Evangelical Political Action 198

Organizational Transformation: The Second Generation 199

Theories of Evangelical Mobilization 202

The Impact of the Christian Right 205

The Consequences for Public Policy 206

Good Times? The Christian Right and the Bush Administration 207

Assessing the Christian Right 208

Strategic Realities 212

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints 216

Conclusion 223

9 Religion and Centrist Political Mobilization 225

Catholicism: Conflicting Political Impulses 226

The Conservative Political Heritage 228

The Transformation of Catholic Attitudes 230

Abortion: The Catholic Response 233

Is Abortion a Catholic Issue? 236

The Political Traditions of Mainline Protestants 243

Changes in Mainline Activism 246

10 Religion and Liberal Political Mobilization 249

African American Protestants 250

Latino Catholics and Protestants 259

Muslim Americans 264

American Jews 271

Other Faith Traditions 278

Religious Nones 280

Conclusion 281

11 The Struggle for Minority Rights: Gender and Sexuality 283

Women, Religion, and Politics 286

Sexuality 299

Religion and Sexuality 301

Conclusion 314

12 Religion and American Political Life 317

The Case against Religious Influence in Politics 318

Magnitude of Threats Posed by Religious Extremism 320

What Does Social Science Have to Say? 321

Assessing the Evidence 324

The Case for Religion in Politics 329

Does Religion Mitigate Threats to Freedom? 332

Religion in Public Conversation 336.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Wald, Kenneth D., author. Religion and politics in the United States

ISBN:

9781538105122

1538105128

9781538105139

1538105136

OCLC:

1005795774