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The Power of Religious Publics Staking Claims in American Society
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William H. Swatos, James K. Wellman
Book Code: C6478
ISBN: 0-275-96478-7
ISBN-13: 978-0-275-96478-8
248 pages, figures
Praeger Publishers
Publication: 8/30/1999
List Price: $110.95 (UK Sterling Price: £65.00)
Availability: Print on demand
Media Type: Hardcover
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects: Reviews:
  • This is a thought-provoking book....[U]seful in graduate classes on organizational theory and, of course, religion. General Rev Srce Contemporary Sociology
    —Contemporary Sociology
  • The essays in the collection are accessible and well written, and reflect the level of scholarship brought by the contributing authors. [T]he collection is a pleasure to read, and provides much food for thought about the ramifications of religion engaged in the world. An important subject for anyone interested in the life and interaction of religious bodies, this collection will also provide those engaged in public life religious communities much to think about.
    —Sociology of Religion
  • Endorsement From Mark Silk
    Director, Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life
    Trinity College, Hartford:     Public religion is the central ideological conundrum in American society today, and this excellent set of essays provides the best overview of the subject that I know.
Description: 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:
  • Preface
  • The Public and the Public's Publics by Martin E. Marty
  • Can Religion Be Religious in Public? by Phillip Hammond
  • Public Religion vis-á-vis the Prophetic Role of Religion by James E. Wood, Jr.
  • Multiculturalism and Public Religion: Is There a Common American Culture? by Robert N. Bellah
  • Why Study About Religion? The Contribution of the Study of Religion to American Public Life by Jacob Neusner and William Scott Green
  • Table Manners: Sitting Around the Public Table by Peggy L. Shriver
  • Public Religion and Economic Inequality by James D. Davidson and Ralph E. Pyle
  • Religious Identity and Public Discourse: On the Importance of Common Ground in the Public Church by James R. Kelly
  • Religion Out of the Closet: Public Religion and Homosexuality by James K. Wellman, Jr.
  • Public Religion and New Religions by James T. Richardson
  • Public Religion and Hegemony: Contesting the Language of the Common Good by Rhys H. Williams
  • The Public and the Pubic: Is Nothing Private Any More? by William H. Swatos, Jr.
  • Selected Bibliography
  • Index
LC Card Number: 98-53393
LCC Class: BL2525
Dewey Class: 200
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