Religion and Politics in the United States: Persistence, Limitations, and the Prophetic Voice

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2006

Publication Title

Social Compass

Volume

53

Issue

3

First page number:

329

Last page number:

343

Abstract

The author provides an overview of religious politics in the contemporary United States. Possible answers are proposed to three questions: Why are Americans more religious than citizens of other Western democracies?; Why does religiously-motivated political activity seem such a frequent feature of politics in the United States?; Why is the effect of religiously-based political activity on public policy in the United States so limited? The answers given to these three questions suggest that American political religion plays a ‘‘prophetic’’ role of social critic in the United States.

Keywords

Christianity; Christianity and politics; Christian right; Christians; Christians--Political activity; Christians--Politics and government; Church–state; Church and state; Evangelicalism; Religion

Disciplines

American Politics | Christianity | Political Science | Religion

Language

English

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