Religion and Politics in the United States

by Kenneth D. Wald, Allison Calhoun-Brown

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538105139
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	01/23/2018
Edition description:	Eighth Edition
Pages:	432
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Kenneth D. Wald is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Samuel R. “Bud” Shorstein Professor Emeritus of American Jewish Culture & Society at the University of Florida.

Allison Calhoun-Brown is Associate Professor of Political Science and Associate Vice President of Student Success at Georgia State University.

Table of Contents

1. A Secular Society?
2. Religion in the American Context
3. Religion and American Political Culture
4. Religion and the State
5. Mobilizing Religious Interests
6. Religion and Political Action
7. Religion and Public Opinion
8. Religion and Conservative Political Mobilization
9. Religion and Centrist Political Mobilization
10. Religion and Liberal Political Mobilization
11. The Struggle for Minority Rights: Gender and Sexuality
12. Religion and American Political Life

Editorial Reviews

I look forward to each new edition of this text. I have long recommended it to undergraduate and graduate students, and to colleagues who want to better understand the relationship between religion and politics in the United States. Now a classic has gotten even better, with expanded coverage of religion and gender politics, and the politics of sexual diversity. I recommend this highly to political scientists, sociologists, historians, and anyone interested in the myriad ways that politics and religion influence one another.” —Clyde Wilcox, Georgetown University

“This is a strong, accessible textbook for upper division religion and politics courses. The book may be used as a stand-alone text and complements supplementary material well including magazine articles, religious group websites and U.S. Supreme Court opinions.” —Terri Susan Fine, University of Central Florida

“Long the standard by which other volumes on religion and politics are measured, this new edition continues to provide not only up-to-date coverage but an excellent breadth and depth of such coverage as well.” —Corwin E. Smidt, Calvin College

From the Publisher

This is a strong, accessible textbook for upper division religion and politics courses. The book may be used as a stand-alone text and complements supplementary material well including magazine articles, religious group websites and U.S. Supreme Court opinions.

Terri Susan Fine

Long the standard by which other volumes on religion and politics are measured, this new edition continues to provide not only up-to-date coverage but an excellent breadth and depth of such coverage as well.

Corwin E. Smidt

I look forward to each new edition of this text. I have long recommended it to undergraduate and graduate students, and to colleagues who want to better understand the relationship between religion and politics in the United States. Now a classic has gotten even better, with expanded coverage of religion and gender politics, and the politics of sexual diversity. I recommend this highly to political scientists, sociologists, historians, and anyone interested in the myriad ways that politics and religion influence one another.

Clyde Wilcox

Religion and Politics in the United States is the best single analysis of the topic to be found. It carefully covers the various ways in which politics and religion are implicated by each other, incorporating a wealth of data which are analyzed with great clarity. The research literature on which Wald and Calhoun-Brown draw is completely documented to facilitate further research, and the book is nicely written. Undergraduate students manage it easily, but it will also serve well graduate students and others looking for a comprehensive treatment of this area of study.

F. David Levenbach

Religion and Politics in the United States offers a comprehensive survey of the complex relationship between religion and politics in America. It provides an empirically rich up-to-date portrait of public opinion regarding morally or religiously based issues and variations in attitudes among religious groups toward these issues. It also shows how attitudes have changed over time. The authors situate their discussion in a balanced review of competing theories about the status of religion and the role it plays in the politics of advanced democracies, and give particular attention to explanations of why the U.S. is different. Moreover, they provide a nuanced deliberation of both the positive and ill effects of religion on American democracy. It is an invaluable text for both students and scholars of religion and politics in the U.S.

Goldie Shabad

This new edition of Wald and Calhoun-Brown’s classic text retains all the strengths of earlier editions, yet with crucial updates to data on court cases, election results, and the political impulses of the many different denominations engaged in political discourse. Along the way the authors’ analysis of the interplay between religious values and secular ones in the American political arena is enlightening and even surprising. They don’t force their conclusions, but let the data speak for itself.

Richard Foster

This book provides an excellent foundation for why religion in politics matters in the United States today. The authors use a wide range of sources in explaining why and how the U.S. is exceptional in the impact of religion in politics and on society more generally. The text references a wide array of primary source documents, U.S. Supreme Court cases, and public opinion data, all of which helps students explore religion and politics through multiple lenses. The text provides an excellent foundation to be used in different course modalities, such as on-line and face-to-face in that the text is strong as a stand-alone text, but is also flexible enough to complement outside readings and other materials.

Terri Fine

I look forward to the seventh edition of Religion and Politics in the United States. Having used the fifth and sixth editions in my class, it is reassuring to know that Wald and Calhoun are keeping pace with the dynamic, ever-changing political impact of religion in our pluralistic society. Their research is thorough, current, and prudently balanced, providing a comprehensive perspective on this significant topic while, at the same time, recognizing the interaction of religion with many other factors.

James O'Hara

[This book is an] introductory college [textbook] on the subject of religion and politics in the United States. [This book takes] a serious social science approach to religion . . . [The] new [edition] incorporate[s] and reflect[s] recent research and emerging trends; [it is] well written; [it covers] the major topics and use[s] tables and illustrations well; and . . . could be successfully used in the classroom. . . .[I]t provides theoretical groundings to contextualize the material, and second, it is simply . . . engaging. . . .Wald takes time to situate individual discussions within [large] contexts and thus to provide ways to make sense out of the wealth of information and to appreciate its importance. . . . [Religion and Politics in the United States is] excellent and worthy of serious consideration. Professors of religion and politics are fortunate to have [this] extremely worthy [choice], and students will be well served.

Journal of Church and State

This book is an excellent and thorough guide to religion and politics in the United States, and would be useful for any student or interested reader. . . .Wald and Allison provide a detailed and almost forensic examination of the ways in which religion interacts with politics.

Faith and Freedom

One of the staples in the field.

David Claborn

Wald and Calhoun-Brown have updated and extended one of the leading texts in religion and politics. This timely new volume uncovers one of the most important yet understudied phenomena in American life: how citizens' religious beliefs and institutions both promote and constrain their involvement in politics. As religion emerges at the center of debates in American politics, now more than ever this volume is critical to students as they attempt to unravel the complexity of religion as both a diversionary and liberating force in the body politic.

Fredrick Harris

Religion and Politics in the United States is among the premier texts on the subject, expanded and improved in this edition. Clear and comprehensive, I can think of no better introduction to the place, promises—and perils—of faith in the American political process.

John C. Green