Faith in the New Millennium : The Future of Religion and American Politics

In the last few decades, all major presidential candidates have openly discussed the role of faith in their lives, sharing their religious beliefs and church commitments with the media and their constituencies. And yet, to the surprise of many Americans, God played almost no role in the 2012 presidential campaign. During the campaign, incumbent Barack Obama minimized the role of religion in his administration and in his life. This was in stark contrast to his emphasis, in 2008, on how his Chicago church had nurtured him as a person, community organizer, and politician, which ultimately backfired when incendiary messages preached by his liberationist pastor Jeremiah Wright went viral. The Republican Party faced a different kind of problem in 2012, with the increasing irrelevance or absence of founders of the Religious Right such as Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell. Furthermore, with Mormon Mitt Romney running as the GOP candidate, party operatives avoided shining a spotlight on religion, recognizing that vast numbers of Americans remain suspicious of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The absence of God during the 2012 election reveals that the United States is at a crossroads with regards to faith, even while religion continues to play a central role in almost every facet of American culture and political life. The separation of church and state and the disestablishment of religion have fostered a rich religious marketplace characterized by innovation and entrepreneurship. As the generation that launched the culture wars fades into history and a new, substantially more diverse population matures, the question of how faith is functioning in the new millennium has become more important than ever. In Faith in the New Millennium historians, sociologists, and religious studies scholars tackle contemporary issues, controversies, and policies ranging from drone wars to presidential campaigns to the exposing of religious secrets in order to make sense of American life in the new millennium. This melding of past and present offers readers a rare opportunity to assess Americans' current wrestling with matters of faith, and provides valuable insight into the many ways that faith has shaped and transformed the age of Obama and how the age of Obama has shaped American religious faith. In 'faith In The New Millennium', Matthew Avery Sutton And Darren Dochuk Bring Together A Collection Of Essays From Renowned Historians, Sociologists, And Religious Studies Scholars That Address The Future Of Religion And American Politics. Politics -- The Founding Fathers In Modern America / By Kate Carté Engel -- Race And Religion In (not Just) A Christian Nation / By Edward J. Blum -- Religion And The Outsider Candidates / By Charles F. Irons -- African American Religious Conservatives In The New Millennium / By Anthea Butler -- Barack Hussein Obama : America's First Muslim President? / By Rebecca Anne Goetz -- Policy -- From Drone War To Indian War : Protecting (and Liberating) Innocent Women And Children / By Jennifer Graber -- Crude Awakenings In The Age Of Oil / By Darren Dochuk -- The Welfare Of Faith / By Alison Collis Greene -- Latino/a Religious Communities And Immigration In Modern America / By Arlene Sánchez-walsh -- Teaching About Religion In Red State America / By Mark Chancey -- America's World Mission In The Age Of Obama / By Andrew Preston -- Religion -- Between Hope And Despair : Obama And Evangelical Politics / By Steven P. Miller -- Secrets And The Making Of Mormon Moments / By J. Spencer Fluhman -- Preparing For Doomsday / By Matthew Avery Sutton -- The Rise Of The Nones / By Matthew S. Hedstrom -- The Blessings Of American Pluralism And Those Who Rail Against It / By Kevin M. Schultz. Edited By Matthew Avery Sutton And Darren Dochuk. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The Statue of Liberty -- depicted on a roadside billboard -- did not carry her customary torch and tablet. Instead, she shielded her eyes from words that towered beside her, words that highway drivers could not possibly avoid: "We are no longer a Christian nation." Underneath was the name of the man who spoke them, the nation's president, Barack Obama. He had made the original statement -- "Whatever we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation, at least not just"--Four years earlier. Since then those words had appeared, in one form or another, not just on billboards but in a host of other venues, a visible symbol of America's divide over religion and politics. In Faith in the New Millennium, a group of leading historians explores the shifting role of religion in American politics in the age of Obama, shedding new and fascinating light on the interplay of faith and politics. Each of the sixteen contributors examines a contemporary issue, controversy, or policy through a historical lens. In an age of the 24-hour-news-cycle, where complexity is often buried under bluster, these essays make a powerful case for understanding the stories behind the news. They tackle such topics as immigration reform, racial turmoil, drone wars, foreign policy, and the unstoppable rise of social media. Taken together, they reveal how faith is shaping modern America, and how modern America is shaping faith List of Contributors Introduction I. POLITICS 1. The Founding Fathers in Modern America by Kate Carte Engel 2. Slavery and Religion in (Not Just) a Christian Nation by Edward J. Blum 3. Religion and the "Outsider" Candidates by Charles F. Irons 4. African American Religious Conservatives in the New Millennium by Anthea Butler 5. Barack Hussein Obama: America's First Muslim President? by Rebecca Anne Goetz II. POLICY 6. From Drone War to Indian War: Protecting (and Liberating) Innocent Women and Children by Jennifer Graber 7. Crude Awakenings in the Age of Oil by Darren Dochuk 8. The Welfare of Faith by Alison Collis Greene 9. Latino/a Religious Communities and Immigration in Modern America by Arlene Sanchez-Walsh 10. Teaching about Religion in Red State America by Mark Chancey 11. America's World Mission in the Age of Obama by Andrew Preston III. RELIGION 12. Between Hope and Despair: Obama and Evangelical Politics by Steven P. Miller 13. Secrets and the Making of Mormon Moments by J. Spencer Fluhman 14. Preparing for Doomsday by Matthew Avery Sutton 15. The Rise of the Nones by Matthew S. Hedstrom 16. The Blessings of American Pluralism and Those Who Rail Against It by Kevin M. Schultz Afterword: Amanda Porterfield