Rediscovering The Religious Factor In American Politics

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Rediscovering the Religious Factor in American Politics

Author : David C. Leege
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1315485672
Total Pages : 345 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (154 download)

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Book Synopsis Rediscovering the Religious Factor in American Politics by : David C. Leege

Download or read book Rediscovering the Religious Factor in American Politics written by David C. Leege and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-09-16 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This text addresses whether and how religion and religious institutions affect American politics. For some time, analysts have argued that the conflicts of the New Deal era rendered cultural differences trivial and placed economic interests at the top of the political agenda. The authors and their collaborators - John C. Green, James L. Guth, Ted G. Jelen, Corwin E. Smidt, Kenneth D. Wald, Michael R. Welch, and Clyde Wilcox - disagree. They find that religious worldviews are still insinuated in American political institutions, and religious institutions still are points of reference. The book profits from the new religiosity measures employed in the 1990 National Election Studies. Part 1 discusses the study of religion in the context of politics. Part II examines religion as a source of group orientation. Part III takes up religious practices and their political ramifications. Part IV does the same for doctrinal and worldview considerations. Part V explores the sources of religious socialisation. In conclusion, Part VI reviews the research on religion and political behaviour and looks ahead to where work should proceed.

Catholics and Politics

Author : Kristin E. Heyer
Publisher : Georgetown University Press
ISBN 13 : 158901653X
Total Pages : 249 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (89 download)

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Book Synopsis Catholics and Politics by : Kristin E. Heyer

Download or read book Catholics and Politics written by Kristin E. Heyer and published by Georgetown University Press. This book was released on 2008-10-29 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Catholic political identity and engagement defy categorization. The complexities of political realities and the human nature of such institutions as church and government often produce a more fractured reality than the pure unity depicted in doctrine. Yet, in 2003 under the leadership of then-prefect Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a "Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life." The note explicitly asserts, "The Christian faith is an integral unity, and thus it is incoherent to isolate some particular element to the detriment of the whole of Catholic doctrine. A political commitment to a single isolated aspect of the Church's social doctrine does not exhaust one's responsibility toward the common good." Catholics and Politics takes up the political and theological significance of this "integral unity," the universal scope of Catholic concern that can make for strange political bedfellows, confound predictable voting patterns, and leave the church poised to critique narrowly partisan agendas across the spectrum. Catholics and Politics depicts the ambivalent character of Catholics' mainstream "arrival" in the U.S. over the past forty years, integrating social scientific, historical and moral accounts of persistent tensions between faith and power. Divided into four parts—Catholic Leaders in U.S. Politics; The Catholic Public; Catholics and the Federal Government; and International Policy and the Vatican—it describes the implications of Catholic universalism for voting patterns, international policymaking, and partisan alliances. The book reveals complex intersections of Catholicism and politics and the new opportunities for influence and risks of cooptation of political power produced by these shifts. Contributors include political scientists, ethicists, and theologians. The book will be of interest to scholars in political science, religious studies, and Christian ethics and all lay Catholics interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the tensions that can exist between church doctrine and partisan politics.

Secular Surge

Author : David E. Campbell
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1108918344
Total Pages : 269 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (89 download)

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Book Synopsis Secular Surge by : David E. Campbell

Download or read book Secular Surge written by David E. Campbell and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2020-12-03 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: American society is rapidly secularizing–a radical departure from its historically high level of religiosity–and politics is a big part of the reason. Just as, forty years ago, the Religious Right arose as a new political movement, today secularism is gaining traction as a distinct and politically energized identity. This book examines the political causes and political consequences of this secular surge, drawing on a wealth of original data. The authors show that secular identity is in part a reaction to the Religious Right. However, while the political impact of secularism is profound, there may not yet be a Secular Left to counterbalance the Religious Right. Secularism has introduced new tensions within the Democratic Party while adding oxygen to political polarization between Democrats and Republicans. Still there may be opportunities to reach common ground if politicians seek to forge coalitions that encompass both secular and religious Americans.

Religion and American Politics

Author : Mark A. Noll
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780198043164
Total Pages : 520 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (431 download)

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Book Synopsis Religion and American Politics by : Mark A. Noll

Download or read book Religion and American Politics written by Mark A. Noll and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2007-09-13 with total page 520 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do religion and politics interact in America? How has that relationship changed over time? Why have American religious and political thought sometimes developed along a parallell course while at other times they have moved in opposite directions? These are among the many important and fascinating questions addressed in this volume. Originally published in 1990 as Religion and American Politics: From The Colonial Period to the 1980s (4921 paperback copies sold), this book offers the first comprehensive survey of the relationship between religion and politics in America. It features a stellar lineup of scholars, including Richard Carwardine, Nathan Hatch, Daniel Walker Howe, George Marsden, Martin Marty, Harry Stout, John Wilson, Robert Wuthnow, and Bertram Wyatt-Brown. Since its publication, the influence of religion on American politics--and, therefore, interest in the topic--has grown exponentially. For this new edition, Mark Noll and new co-editor Luke Harlow offer a completely new introduction, and also commission several new pieces and eliminate several that are now out of date. The resulting book offers a historically-grounded approach to one of the most divisive issues of our time, and serves a wide variety of courses in religious studies, history, and politics.

Rediscovering America's Sacred Ground

Author : Barbara A. McGraw
Publisher : State University of New York Press
ISBN 13 : 0791486958
Total Pages : 266 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (914 download)

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Book Synopsis Rediscovering America's Sacred Ground by : Barbara A. McGraw

Download or read book Rediscovering America's Sacred Ground written by Barbara A. McGraw and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2012-02-01 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Returning to the ideas of John Locke and the Founders themselves, Barbara A. McGraw examines the debate about the role of religion in American public life and unravels the confounded rhetoric on all sides. She reveals that no group has been standing on proper ground and that all sides have misused terminology (religion/secular), dichotomies (public/private), and concepts (separation of church and state) in ways that have little relevance to the original intentions of the Founders. She rediscovers a theology underlying the founding documents of the nation that is neither anyone's particular religion nor one requiring religion. Instead, it justifies freedom of conscience for all and provides a two-tiered public forum—a civic public forum and a conscientious public forum—for the debate itself and the actions that debate inspires. America's Sacred Ground—this theology and its public forum—determines the meaning of freedom and the ways in which Americans can pursue "the good": good government, good communities, good families, good relations between individuals, and good individuals from a plurality of perspectives. By exploring our past, McGraw answers the critical question, Who are we as a people and what do we stand for?

Religion in American Politics

Author : Frank Lambert
Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 1400824583
Total Pages : 309 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (8 download)

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Book Synopsis Religion in American Politics by : Frank Lambert

Download or read book Religion in American Politics written by Frank Lambert and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2010-02-01 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention blocked the establishment of Christianity as a national religion. But they could not keep religion out of American politics. From the election of 1800, when Federalist clergymen charged that deist Thomas Jefferson was unfit to lead a "Christian nation," to today, when some Democrats want to embrace the so-called Religious Left in order to compete with the Republicans and the Religious Right, religion has always been part of American politics. In Religion in American Politics, Frank Lambert tells the fascinating story of the uneasy relations between religion and politics from the founding to the twenty-first century. Lambert examines how antebellum Protestant unity was challenged by sectionalism as both North and South invoked religious justification; how Andrew Carnegie's "Gospel of Wealth" competed with the anticapitalist "Social Gospel" during postwar industrialization; how the civil rights movement was perhaps the most effective religious intervention in politics in American history; and how the alliance between the Republican Party and the Religious Right has, in many ways, realized the founders' fears of religious-political electoral coalitions. In these and other cases, Lambert shows that religion became sectarian and partisan whenever it entered the political fray, and that religious agendas have always mixed with nonreligious ones. Religion in American Politics brings rare historical perspective and insight to a subject that was just as important--and controversial--in 1776 as it is today.

Religious Ideology in American Politics

Author : Nicole Guétin
Publisher : McFarland
ISBN 13 : 0786453168
Total Pages : 223 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (864 download)

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Book Synopsis Religious Ideology in American Politics by : Nicole Guétin

Download or read book Religious Ideology in American Politics written by Nicole Guétin and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2014-01-10 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The connections between religion and political discourse in the arena of American politics are profound and longstanding. By looking at the writings of American thinkers from colonial times to the present, this work argues for the consistency and permanence of the American religious vision as it relates to political life. Ideas including Manifest Destiny, America as "God's Country" and Americans as "God's People" are explored within this framework, as is how these ideals of American exceptionalism and the "City on the Hill" have survived and mutated into the current U.S. political climate. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

Religion and Politics in America

Author : Allen D. Hertzke
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 0429947356
Total Pages : 378 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (299 download)

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Book Synopsis Religion and Politics in America by : Allen D. Hertzke

Download or read book Religion and Politics in America written by Allen D. Hertzke and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-08-06 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Religion and politics are never far from the headlines, but their relationship remains complex and often confusing. This book offers an engaging, accessible, and balanced treatment of religion in American politics. It explores the historical, cultural, and legal contexts that motivate religious political engagement and assesses the pragmatic and strategic political realities that religious organizations and people face. Incorporating the best and most current scholarship, the authors examine the evolving politics of Roman Catholics; evangelical and mainline Protestants; African-American and Latino traditions; Jews, Muslims, and other religious minorities; recent immigrants and religious "nones"; and other conventional and not-so-conventional American religious movements. New to the Sixth Edition • Covers the 2016 election and assesses the role of religion from Obama to Trump. • Expands substantially on religion’s relationship to gender and sexuality, race, ethnicity, and class, and features the role of social media in religious mobilization. • Adds discussion questions at the end of every chapter, to help students gain deeper understanding of the subject. • Adds a new concluding chapter on the normative issues raised by religious political engagement, to stimulate lively discussions.

The Future of Religion in American Politics

Author : Charles Dunn
Publisher : University Press of Kentucky
ISBN 13 : 081312929X
Total Pages : 282 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (131 download)

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Book Synopsis The Future of Religion in American Politics by : Charles Dunn

Download or read book The Future of Religion in American Politics written by Charles Dunn and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2010-09-12 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Should parents receive vouchers to send their children to religious schools? What limits—if any—should the government place on abortion? Should the government permit and fund stem cell research? Should religious organizations have the right to prohibit the employment of homosexuals? Should public schools teach both creationism and evolution? How does religion influence our political stances on gay marriage? The death penalty? Immigration? The issues are real. The emotions are intense. The solutions are difficult to reach and often problematic. From the White House to the courthouse, from governors’ mansions to the United States Supreme Court, religion factors into many contemporary legal controversies. Efforts to establish the proper balance between church and state create heated debates in America and raise seemingly insoluble questions. Politicians and their advisers walk a fine line when addressing religious issues in an increasingly pluralistic society where religious factions attempt to impose their values on the electoral and legislative processes. The Future of Religion in American Politics presents thoughtful, wide-ranging essays by twelve eminent public intellectuals and scholars, offering rich and stimulating views on one of the most divisive issues of our time. Editor Charles W. Dunn and the contributors assess the impact of religion on American politics in four distinct time periods: the founding, the Civil War, the New Deal era, and the modern era. Dunn out lines seven propositions that characterize the interaction of religion and politics during these time periods and describes how and why religion continues to influence politics in America. Contributors to this volume argue that whereas religion in the founding era held society together in a shared belief of the biblical portrayal of humanity, today’s pluralistic religious interpretations of God appear to be tearing society apart. The rise of Islam and other world religions poses perplexing questions about the issue of tolerance. Can America survive as a free society without commonly accepted morals that are based in religion? Is America a secular society with a clear separation of church and state, or a government created and informed by ever-changing religious values? The Future of Religion in American Politics includes essays about religion in the public square, evangelical, and faith-based politics in presidential elections. The authors investigate many thought–provoking questions about the extent of religious influence in the U.S. government today and its likely impact in the future. Lucid and accessible, this book covers a wide range of issues and will be invaluable to students of politics, religious studies, and history.

Religion and Politics in the United States

Author : Kenneth D. Wald
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780742540408
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (44 download)

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Book Synopsis Religion and Politics in the United States by : Kenneth D. Wald

Download or read book Religion and Politics in the United States written by Kenneth D. Wald and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Religion and Politics in the United States, Fifth Edition, offers a comprehensive account of the role of religious ideas, institutions, and communities in American public life. While maintaining that religion is too politically potent to be left out or consigned to the margins in accounts of American politics, Wald and Calhoun-Brown also argue against the common tendency to treat religion as the dominant force in politics today. Early topics include the nature and persistence of religion in the United States, its contribution to the Founding, and the continuing debate over the role of religion in government and law. Following a discussion of how religious factors encourage political action, the book concludes by discussing basic political attitudes and behavior among members of mainstream American religious traditions and minority religious communities defined by ethnicity, race, gender, and sexual orientation. The new edition greatly expands coverage of various religious minorities with a new chapter on politics and religion among African-Americans, Latinos, Muslim Americans, Latter Day Saints (Mormons), and other faith traditions. There is larger focus on how religion influences the politics of local communities.

Politically Incorrect

Author : Ralph Reed
Publisher : W Publishing Group
ISBN 13 : 9780849911729
Total Pages : 340 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (117 download)

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Book Synopsis Politically Incorrect by : Ralph Reed

Download or read book Politically Incorrect written by Ralph Reed and published by W Publishing Group. This book was released on 1994 with total page 340 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Today's multicultural elite seem to want every voice to be heard - except that of conservative Christians and other people of faith. Yet our nation was founded on principles of faith, morality, and conscience - values that suddenly have been deemed politically incorrect.

Religion and Politics in America

Author : Robert Booth Fowler
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 0429972792
Total Pages : 362 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (299 download)

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Book Synopsis Religion and Politics in America by : Robert Booth Fowler

Download or read book Religion and Politics in America written by Robert Booth Fowler and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-05-04 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Religion and politics are never far from the headlines, but their relationship remains complex and often confusing. In this fifth edition of Religion and Politics in America, the authors offer a lively, accessible, and balanced treatment of religion in American politics. They explore the historical, cultural, and legal contexts that underlie religious political engagement while also highlighting the pragmatic and strategic political realities that religious organizations and people face. Incorporating the best and most up-to-date scholarship, the authors assess the politics of Roman Catholics; evangelical, mainline, and African American Protestants; Jews; Muslims and other conventional and not-so-conventional American religious movements. The author team also examines important subjects concerning religion and its relationship to gender, race/ethnicity, and class. The fifth edition has been revised to include the 2012 elections, in particular Mitt Romney's candidacy and Mormonism, as well as a fuller assessment of the role of religion in President Obama's first term. In-depth treatment of core topics, contemporary case studies, and useful focus-study boxes, provides students with a real understanding of how religion and politics relate in practice and makes this fifth edition essential reading for courses in political science, religion, and sociology departments.

The Oxford Handbook of Religion and American Politics

Author : Corwin Smidt
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199734364
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (997 download)

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Book Synopsis The Oxford Handbook of Religion and American Politics by : Corwin Smidt

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Religion and American Politics written by Corwin Smidt and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2009-08-19 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Religion is, and has always been, a powerful force in American politics. Over the past three decades, the study of religion and politics has gone from being ignored by the scholarly community to being a major focus of research. Yet, because this important research is not easily accessible to nonspecialists, much of the analysis of religion's role in the political arena that we read in the media is greatly oversimplified. This Handbook seeks to bridge that gap by examining the considerable research that has been conducted to this point and assessing what has been learned, what remains unsettled due to conflicting research findings, and what important questions remain largely unaddressed by current research endeavors. This volume enlists noted scholars in the field to write essays that examine a particular subject area that: (a) assess the "state of the art" within that area; (b) review important findings, insights, and theoretical advances; (c) outline the current debates that engage scholarly attention; and, (d) raise some important, but currently understudied, questions. Thus, the authors review previous work, explain the findings of that research, and speculate about the bases of the various findings related to that topic, with each essay containing an excellent bibliography. The Handbook is unique to the field of religion and American politics and should be of wide interest to scholars, students, journalists, and others interested in the American political scene.

The Christian Right in American Politics

Author : John C. Green
Publisher : Georgetown University Press
ISBN 13 : 9781589014299
Total Pages : 308 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (142 download)

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Book Synopsis The Christian Right in American Politics by : John C. Green

Download or read book The Christian Right in American Politics written by John C. Green and published by Georgetown University Press. This book was released on 2003-05-06 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the first rumblings of the Moral Majority over twenty years ago, the Christian Right has been marshalling its forces and maneuvering its troops in an effort to re-shape the landscape of American politics. It has fascinated social scientists and journalists as the first right-wing social movement in postwar America to achieve significant political and popular support, and it has repeatedly defied those who would step up to write its obituary. In 2000, while many touted the demise of the Christian Coalition, the broader undercurrents of the movement were instrumental in helping George W. Bush win the GOP nomination and the White House. Bush repaid that swell of support by choosing Senator John Ashcroft, once the movement's favored presidential candidate, as attorney general. The Christian Right in American Politics, under the direction of three of the nation's leading scholars in the field of religion and politics, recognizing the movement as a force still to be reckoned with, undertakes the important task of making an historical analysis of the Christian Right in state politics during its heyday, 1980 to the millennium. Its twelve chapters, written by outstanding scholars, review the impact and influence of the Christian Right in those states where it has had its most significant presence: South Carolina, Virginia, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Colorado, California, Maine, and Oregon and Washington. Since 1980, scholars have learned a good deal about the social characteristics, religious doctrine, and political beliefs of activists in and supporters of the Christian Right in these states, and each contribution is based on rigorous, dispassionate scholarship. The writers explore the gains and losses of the movement as it attempts to re-shape political landscapes. More precisely, they provide in-depth descriptions of the resources, organizations, and the group ecologies in which the Christian Right operates-the distinct elements that drove the movement forward. As the editors state, "the Christian Right has been engaged in a long and torturous 'march toward the millennium,' from outsider status into the thick of American politics." Those formative years, 1980-2000, are essential for any understanding of this uniquely American social movement. This rigorous analysis over many states and many elections provides the clearest picture yet of the goals, tactics, and hopes of the Christian Right in America.

The Diminishing Divide

Author : Andrew Kohut
Publisher : Brookings Institution Press
ISBN 13 : 9780815723592
Total Pages : 204 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (235 download)

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Book Synopsis The Diminishing Divide by : Andrew Kohut

Download or read book The Diminishing Divide written by Andrew Kohut and published by Brookings Institution Press. This book was released on 2001-09-19 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution forbids the creation of an official state church, and we hear the phrase "separation of church and state" so frequently that it may surprise us to note that no such barrier exists between religion and politics. Religion is, and always has been, woven into the fabric of American political life. In the last two decades, however, the role of religion in politics has become more direct—almost a blunt, self-conscious force in the political process. The national consequences of this "diminishing divide" between religion and politics have brought new groups into politics, altered party coalitions, and influenced campaigns and election results. Churches and other religious institutions have become more actively engaged in the political process, and religious people have increased the level and broadened the range of their political participation. While the public is more accepting of the role of religion in shaping today's political landscape, the issue of how much political power certain religious groups enjoy continues to provoke concern.Drawing on extensive survey data from the Pew Research Center, the National Election Studies, and other sources, The Diminishing Divide illuminates the historical relationship between religion and politics in the United States and explores the ways in which religion will continue to alter the political landscape in the century before us. A historical overview of religion in U.S. politics sets the tone as the book examines the patchwork quilt of American religion and the changing role of religious institutions in American political life since the 1960s. The book explores the complex relations between religion and political attitudes, as well as that of religion and political behavior—particularly with respect to party affiliation and voting habits. Finally, The Diminishing Divide offers a look at the future. As candidates and elected officials increasingly air their personal faith in pub

The Oxford Handbook of Religion and American Politics

Author : Corwin Smidt
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0190657871
Total Pages : 599 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (96 download)

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Book Synopsis The Oxford Handbook of Religion and American Politics by : Corwin Smidt

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Religion and American Politics written by Corwin Smidt and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017 with total page 599 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past three decades, the study of religion and politics has gone from being ignored by the scholarly 7ommunity to being a major focus of research. Yet, because this important research is not easily accessible to nonspecialists, much of the analysis of religion's role in the political arena that we read in the media is greatly oversimplified. This Handbook seeks to bridge that gap by examining the considerable research that has been conducted to this point andassessing what has been learned, what remains unsettled due to conflicting research findings, and what important questions remain largely unaddressed by current research endeavors. The Handbook is unique to the field of religion and American politics and should be of wide interest to scholars, students, journalists, and others interested in the American political scene.

Religion and American Politics

Author : Amy Black
Publisher : Addison-Wesley Longman
ISBN 13 : 9780136038146
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (381 download)

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Book Synopsis Religion and American Politics by : Amy Black

Download or read book Religion and American Politics written by Amy Black and published by Addison-Wesley Longman. This book was released on 2011 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Debuting it its first edition, Religion and American Politics incorporates both original content from leading scholars and excerpts from classic and contemporary writings that will help you explore connections between religion and political culture, movements, institutions, and actors. Its collection of readings offer a broad and diverse overview of central debates about religion's influence on American political history, political life, governing institutions, and public policy.