The Routledge Handbook of Politics and Religion in Contemporary America

The Routledge Handbook of Politics and Religion in Contemporary America is a comprehensive reference source to this significant, controversial and consistent topic in America’s politics. It examines the copious research conducted to date, evaluates what we know, identifies what is less clear because of differing research findings and pursues important but under-researched questions. Comprising 34 chapters by a team of international contributors, the Handbook is divided into four parts: History and context; Theoretical debates and methodological perspectives; Actors, policies and institutions; and Contemporary debates and controversies. The Handbook addresses three key questions: (1) How is religion politically important in the USA? (2) Why does religion retain political and social prominence in the USA? and (3) Is the USA secularising? If so, what does it mean for the relationship between religion and politics? Chapters explore central issues, debates and problems within politics and religion in the USA, including citizenship, secularism, the law, religious diversity, atheism, political economy, religious minorities, discrimination, the US presidency, nationalism, public opinion, gender and sexuality, foreign policy, Congress, religious freedom, party politics, human rights, public institutions, civil society, populism, feminism, LGBTQ+ rights, political violence, hate speech, inequality and immigration. This Handbook will be essential reading for students and researchers of politics and religious studies. Professionals (policy-oriented, government, corporations) will also find the Handbook useful, especially for research purposes. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of Figures List of Tables Contributors Introduction: Religion and politics in the contemporary USA culture wars and the Christian Right Culture wars and secularisation Note References Part I: History and context Chapter 1: Religion and the founding of America Notes References Chapter 2: Culture, religion, and American political life Introduction Key themes A democratic nation and democratic crisis The unique historical factors influencing religion, culture, and politics in the USA The role of Protestant Christian congregations in US political culture Secularity and religious pluralism in the USA The “culture wars” Negotiating democracy, knowledge, and identity Democracy Knowledge Identity The origins of the culture wars frame The “culture wars” today Conclusion Bibliography Chapter 3: Religion, church, and state in America References Part II: Theoretical debates and methodological perspectives Chapter 4: Why religion and politics divide America 4.1 Overarching shifts in religion 4.2 Overarching shifts in politics 4.3 E pluribus unum 4.4 Religious freedom and separation 4.5 Never in polite company 4.6 1950s homogeneity to 2020s extreme polarization 4.6.1 Politics became the defining characteristic 4.6.2 There is a big shift 4.7 When big money entered politics 4.7.1 But perception is not reality 4.7.2 Not everything is broken 4.7.3 What about civil religion? Bibliography Chapter 5: Religion and citizenship Introduction Liberalism, from the beginning: the political is already metaphysical Rawls’s overlapping consensus: a secular foundation for religious dialogue Rawls: metaphysical after all Rawls and religion Religion, civil society, and political life Conclusion Notes References Chapter 6: Secularism and the post-secular in American political thought Introduction Secularism as political doctrine Political liberalism Pragmatism Critique of secularism Formations of the post-secular Civil religion Prophetic Christianity and racial justice Christian nationalism References Chapter 7: Religion and the law The “American constitutional experiment” The Establishment Clause and religious institutions’ access to public support The Establishment Clause and religious messages The Establishment Clause and religious displays The Free Exercise Clause The future of religious freedom Church autonomy Concluding remarks Notes References Chapter 8: Non-religion and religious diversity Introduction: the rise of the “Nones” Religious “diversity” as political ideology From “civil religion” to “polarization” “Nones” scholarship: from Vernon to Burge The “Strange Rites” of the unreligious Evangelical atheism? Conclusion Notes References Chapter 9: Politics of atheism 9.1 Understanding ‘atheism’ 9.2 Hostile context 9.2.1 Moral/social 9.2.2 Legal 9.2.3 Political 9.3 Atheist agency 9.4 Atheist challenges 9.5 Conclusion References Chapter 10: The market and marketization of religion and politics Branding religion Christian Nationalism Televangelism Manifestations of religious commercialism Notes References Chapter 11: Religion and political economy 11.1 From the colonial period to the gilded age 11.2 From economic anarchy to a mixed economy 11.2.1 Roman Catholicism and the “option for the poor” 11.2.2 Protestantism and the Social Gospel Tradition 11.2.3 Judaism and the social safety net 11.3 From the Cold War to the War on Poverty 11.3.1 Black Protestants, civil rights, and economic equality 11.3.2 From the War on Poverty to the War on Government References Chapter 12: Liminality, decolonization, and Indian American Christianity Introduction A brief history of Nasranis as an anticolonial entity The Synod of Diamper: an important experience of the colonialization of the church Envisioning decolonial futures for Indian American Christianity Nepantlas of faith: liminality as decoloniality Transformative agency for Eastern Christianity Conclusion Notes Bibliography Part III: Actors, policies and institutions Chapter 13: Religion and the US presidency References Chapter 14: Religion and nationalism Conceptualizing religious nationalism The historical roots of contemporary religious nationalism in the USA Key turning points in contemporary American religious nationalism The rise of the Religious Right 9/11 and its aftermath Race and religious nationalism during the Obama and Trump presidencies Conclusion References Chapter 15: Religion and public opinion Religion, party loyalties, and vote choice in America Religion and opinion on social/moral issues Religion and opinion on economic issues Religion and opinion on foreign policy Conclusions Notes References Chapter 16: Religion and conservative politics Introduction The early days Split and internal warfare The Religious Right The transactional Trump years The present day and looking forward The future of American religion and conservative politics Notes References Chapter 17: Awareness of and support for the religious left in the United States: Another reflection of political polarization? Background: what is the religious left? The state of the literature An empirical analysis: hypotheses, data, and method Results Conclusion Notes References Chapter 18: Religion, gender, and sexuality Gender and sexuality “Gender” and “women” Sex and gender Hijra Travesti Kathoey Third sex and two-spirit Gender difference Social theorizing Patriarchy Feminism and women’s studies Michel Foucault Judith Butler on gender Revisiting sex and gender Feminist cultural studies and queer theory Gender ideology Gender and religion Sexuality and religion References Chapter 19: Religion and foreign policy: From Bush to Biden Introduction The Bush presidency The Obama presidency The Trump presidency Conclusion: the Biden presidency and the future Notes Bibliography Chapter 20: Religion and liberal politics in the USA since 1980: Fields of activism and influence Introduction The mid-century “restructuring” of religious attitudes and identities Movements, community organizing, and social change Conclusion Bibliography Part IV: Contemporary debates and controversies Chapter 21: Religion and Congress Studying religiosity for members of Congress Religion and legislative work Religion and voting behaviour Religion and agenda setting in Congress Religion and representation in Congress Religious rhetoric and Congress Religion’s impact on Congressional elections Which way does the causal arrow flow? Looking into the future of scholarship on religion and Congress Note References Chapter 22: Religious freedom in the United States Introduction Religious freedom in the US political system Historical origins of religious freedom Legal reinterpretations of religious freedom Religious policy Societal religious discrimination Contemporary domestic controversies The equal treatment of religious worldviews Secularism The politicization of religious freedom Subnational religious freedom The anti-religious use of anti-Catholic provisions Sharia law bans Same-sex bans Religious freedom as a foreign policy priority Concluding remarks Notes Bibliography Chapter 23: Religion and party politics: Evangelicals, the Republican Party, and Christian nationalism Introduction Religious traditions and evangelical alignment with the Republican Party Religious traditions Defining evangelicals Christian nationalism Defining Christian nationalism Issues and considerations Creating a Christian nationalism scale Results and discussion Conclusion and considerations References Chapter 24: Religion and human rights: From culture war clashes to common ground on one of the most challenging issues – transgender athletes Introduction An increasingly plural America Blending civil rights in the same law: Civil rights complementarity Sports participation as a case study of blending rights Laws nationally Hallmarks of Utah’s data-driven commission approach The process of shaping a law The mechanics of inclusion Biden Administration’s Approach Both Mirrors Utah’s Sports Participation Law and Importantly Departs from It Conclusion Note Bibliography Chapter 25: Religion and the Supreme Court Introduction Background A constitutional definition of religion The expansion of free exercise The public role of religion in civil society An inconsistent approach to religious distinctiveness References Chapter 26: Important debates and current challenges in American civil religion today Introduction: Civil religion in uncivil times Section I: Origins of the ACR – a tale of two theories Section II: Framing debates Definition: Function or substance? (Un)civil religion: Unity or division? Worship: Priestly or prophetic? Section III: Current challenges Challenge 1: Religio-political polarization Challenge 2: Demographic change Challenge 3: One nation under God(?) The promise of future research Notes References Chapter 27: Religion and American conservative populism Introduction Populism and American conservative populism The traits of American conservative populism The role of religion in American conservative populism A direct approach to determining religious influences on conservative populism A final question: Religious activation of conservative populism? Conclusions and questions Note References Chapter 28: Faith and feminism and American politics Introduction Religion, politics, and gender: From the secular to the post-secular and beyond Feminism and the ambivalence of religion ‘Politics from the margins’: Gender, religion, and feminism in post-Cold War America The complicated intersections of gender and religion ‘Doing’ feminism and religion in the USA and beyond Breaking binaries and (scholarly) orthodoxies: Feminism and the ‘lived religion’ approach ‘Doing’ feminism and religion Transnationalism, feminism, and religion in the USA Conclusion References Chapter 29: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer rights and religion Introduction Buddhism Hinduism Islam Judaism Christianity Anti-stance A middle way stance Pro-stance Conclusion References Chapter 30: Political violence and religion Introduction Understanding different types of political violence Understanding the relationship between politics and political violence Political violence and democracy in the USA Christian nationalism in the USA Christian nationalism and political violence: The 6 January 2021 attack on the Capitol Conclusion Notes Bibliography Chapter 31: Religion and hate speech The rise of hate speech in the United States The First Amendment Clause Regulation of speech vs. non-speech Where does hate speech fall? Evolution of Supreme Court tests The protection of hate speech Religion and hate speech Politics and hate speech Undermining religious freedom Social media and the spread of misinformation Conclusion Notes Bibliography Chapter 32: Christianity and racial resentment in the contemporary United States Introduction Racism, Black people, and Christianity Racism in contemporary America The intentional decisions for religion-backed racial inequity in early America Declaration of independence United States Constitution Narratives of working harder Christianity and racial resentment Results and discussion Conclusion and future research Notes References Chapter 33: Religion and immigration: The viewpoints of religious elites, clergy, and the mass public Religious organizations and immigration during the Trump Presidency Executive order on travel limitations Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals (DACA) protections “Zero tolerance” and family separation at the border Clergy and immigration The mass public and immigration Conclusion Appendix Notes References Chapter 34: Islam and America Introduction: Testing the limits of American tolerance Religion, race, and racialization in America Finding belonging in Islam: African American Muslims in white America The Moorish Science Temple of America The Nation of Islam Immigrant Muslims in America: Ambiguous insiders? 9/11, the Global War on Terror, and the making of the brown Muslim terrorist Epilogue Note Bibliography Bibliography Index