The Power of Religious Publics

Staking Claims in American Society

William H. Swatos Jr., James K. Wellman

• Publisher: Praeger
• Year: 1999
• Print ISBN: 9780275964788
• eBook ISBN: 9780313371325
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

Currently, public religion is in a time of flux and the notion of the common good—once associated with the Protestant voice in America—is openly contested by new religious coalitions seeking to communicate their version of the truth and plant their stake in the public domain. This edited volume reflects on the changing tone and form of the public voice of religion, on its function in American society, and on its relationship to the private world of religion. It proposes that public religion, when exercised in a civil and accountable way, can be a responsible and prophetic voice in public life and enrich the American experiment in liberal democracy. The contributors—first-rate scholars including Martin Marty and Robert Belah—focus on public religion's influence on controversial issues such as multiculturalism, economic inequality, abortion, and homosexuality.

Table of contents

• Contents
• Preface
• 1 The the Public and the Public's Publics
• 2 Can Religion Be Religious in Public?
• 3 Public Religion Vis-à-Vis the Prophetic Role of Religion
• 4 Is There a Common American Culture? Diversity, Identity, and Morality in American Public Life
• 5 Why Study About Religion? The Contribution of the Study of Religion to American Public Life
• 6 Table Manners: Sitting Around the Public Table
• 7 Public Religion and Economic Inequality
• 8 Conserving Religious Identity While Doing Public Theology: On Public Churches and Common Ground
• 9 Religion Out of the Closet: Public Religion and Homosexuality
• 10 Public Religion and New Religions
• 11 Public Religion and Hegemony: Contesting the Language of the Common Good
• 12 The Public and the Pubic: Is Nothing Private Anymore?
• Notes
• Selected Bibliography
• Index
• About the Contributors