Religion and Congress : The Intersection of Faith and Politics.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dulio, David A.

Contributor:

Campbell, Colton C.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Congress.

United States.

United States. Congress--Chaplains.

Legislators--Religious life--United States.

Legislators.

Religion and politics--United States.

Religion and politics.

Church and state--United States.

Church and state.

United States--Politics and government.

United States--Religion.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (305 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Boulder, CO : Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2025.

Summary:

The US Congress has long reflected the intersection of faith and politics, with religious convictions often informing legislative agendas. The authors of Religion and Congress examine that complex relationship, focusing on its historical foundations, contemporary congressional behavior, and policy outcomes. Drawing on both in-depth research and firsthand experience, they explore how religious beliefs and institutions have shaped--and continue to shape--US legislative politics.

Contents:

Cover

Title Page

copyright page

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Ch 1- The Religious Landscape of Congress

Historical Underpinnings of Religion and Congress

Legislation and Religion

Religiosity of Members of Congress

Clergy in Congress

Plan of the Book

Notes

Ch 2- The Founding Fathers and Religious Freedom

Reimagining Religion and Politics in the Age of the American Revolution

The Secular Constitution

The 1st Congress and First Amendment

Conclusion

Ch 3- A History of the US House Chaplaincy

British House of Commons Chaplaincy

Prayer in North American Colonial Assemblies

Continental Congresses

Chaplains in the Early US House, 1789-1830s

The Late Antebellum and Civil War Chaplaincies

The Modern House Chaplaincy

Ch 4- The Evolution of the Senate Chaplaincy

The Senate Chaplaincy

Early Controversy with Chaplains

Enter the Abolitionists

Attempts to Abolish the Chaplaincy

Depoliticizing the Chaplaincy

Chaplaincy and Partisanship

Chaplains and the Public Sphere

Ch 5- Catholic Senators and Abortion Politics: The Cases of Joe Biden and Ted Kennedy

Ted Kennedy and the Defiance of Catholic Leaders

Joe Biden and the Pursuit of Compromise

Ch 6- Religion and Factionalism in the House

Religion in US Politics

The House, 1953-2011: Changing Ethnoreligious Alignments

Table 6.1 Religious Traditions in the House, 1953-2013 (percent by Congress)

Ethnoreligious Traditions and Voting Behavior, 2011-2013

Table 6.2 Religious Traditions and Ideology in the US House, 112th Congress

Religion in the House, 112th Congress: The Impact of Religious Restructuring

Table 6.3 Religious Salience, Religious Activity, Theology, and Partisanship in the House, 112th Congress.

Table 6.4 Religious Salience, Religious Activity and Ideology, US House, 112th Congress

Religion and Party Factionalism: Two Assessments

Table 6.5 Religious Characteristics of House Republican and Democratic Factions, 112th Congress

Table 6.6 Factional Locations of House Republican and Democratic Caucuses, 112th Congress

Table 6.7 Religious Characteristics of House Republican and Democratic Caucuses, 112th Congress

Table 6.8 Religious Predictors of Party Factionalism, US House, 112th Congress: Standardized Regression Coefficients (betas)

The Freedom and Progressive Caucuses Today

Table 6.9 Ethnoreligious Traditions and Religious Salience by Caucus Membership (percent)

Ch 7- Evangelicals and Trump Loyalty in Congress

Theory and Hypotheses

Figure 7.1 Share of Evangelical Republicans, Nonevangelical Republicans, and Democrats by Chamber and Congress, 2017-2021

Table 7.1 Trump Support Scores 115th-116th Congress (2017-2021)

Table 7.2 OLS Regression of Trump Support Scores, House Republicans, 2017-2021

Table 7.3 OLS Regression of Trump Support Scores, Senate Republicans, 2017-2021

Table 7.4 Percent of Republicans Agreeing with the President's Position, 115th Congress (2017-2019)

Table 7.5 Percent of Republicans Agreeing with the President's Position, 116th Congress (2019-2021)

Table 7.6 Percent of Republicans Agreeing with the President's Position, 117th Congress (2021-2023)

Table 7.7 Logit Estimation of Likelihood of Supporting Trump on Key Votes in 2021

Ch 8- Religious Lobbying on Capitol Hill

Background: Religion in US Politics

Precursors to Religious Lobbying

In the Beginning There Was the Constitution

Before Religious Lobbying in Congress: Or, Religion in Congress, Literally.

The First Congressional Religious Lobbying: Antislavery and Temperance

The Development of Religious Lobbying

Religious Lobbying Today

Figure 8.1 Growth of Washington, DC-Based Religious Advocacy Organizations

Figure 8.2 Most Frequent Advocacy Methods of Religious Advocacy Groups

The Complexity of Lobbying Today

Conclusion: Lessons Learned and Future Projections

Ch 9- Faith and Foreign Policy

The Impulse to Isolate and Contain Religion

After Secularism: Decentering US Definitions of Religion

US Foreign Policy and the Politics of Religious Freedom

Ch 10- The Role of Guest Chaplains in the People's House

Legislative Prayer in Congress

Congressional Chaplaincy

Guest Chaplains and Representation

Data

Figure 10.1 House Opening Prayers: Percentage by Elected and Guest Chaplains, 2000-2023

Figure 10.2 Percentage of Prayers Offered by Type of Guest Chaplains, 2000-2023

Figure 10.3 Most Common State of Residence of Guest Chaplains

Figure 10.4 Count of Christian and Non-Christian Chaplains

Figure 10.5 Count of non-Christian Chaplains, by Religion

Figure 10.6 Five Most Common Christian Denominations of Chaplains

Table 10.1 Other Christian Denominations of Chaplains

Observations on Guest Chaplains

Table 10.2 Selected Examples of House Chaplain "Firsts"

Ch 11- Congressional Prayer and Bible Study Groups

A Short History of Congressional Prayer

Public Religious Practice in Congress

Congressional Staff

Prayer Affected by a Larger Climate

Ch 12- Congress and Religion: A Lifetime of Tension and Coexistence

Bibliography

Contributors

Index

About the Book.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

979-88-96160-15-1