Faith in Politics

Americans have always been, as Justice William Douglas repeatedly pointed out in the Supreme Court opinions he wrote in the 1950s, "a religious people." According to contemporary polls, about 85 percent of Americans identify with some religious faith and more than 40 percent say they attend religious services at least once a week. In recent years, religious observance - and even religious belief - have become important factors influencing voter choice. Active participation in electoral politics by some religious groups has fueled apprehensions that the traditional separation of church and state may be threatened. A. James Reichley explores the questions and conflicting positions surrounding the relations between religion and politics in this volume, drawing upon his previous work "Religion in American Public Life". In "Faith in Politics" he explores the history of religion in American public life and considers some practical and philosophic questions affecting future participation by religious groups in the formation of public policy.