Religion and Politics in the United States

by Kenneth D. Wald, Allison Calhoun-Brown

Religion and Politics in the United States, Fifth Edition, offers a comprehensive account of the role of religious ideas, institutions, and communities in American public life.

Genres: Politics, History, Nonfiction, Religion, American History

Paperback

First published November 1, 1986

Reviews

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the way this guy thinks, his introduction and first chapter were probably the best part of this book though. If only I lived in Florida and could take his course. I think the rest seemed to be more case study specific.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The linkage between religion and politics is the focus of this book. It features a variety of essays that illuminate many aspects of this issue. When this book first came out, it was one of the better resources on the subject. While dated, there is still relevance for this volume.

[Jack Markman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I wasn't impressed.

For someone who is not from the US, this could be a good primer (though I'd say it's essential readers fine the most updated copy; I read the seventh edition published a decade ago, and those ten years were felt in the tenor and statistics). Still, it felt almost too basic, too reductive, and like this was written by someone who has very little actual, lived experience of religion. In my opinion, that's a problem, as a nonreligious description of religion will at least partially miss the mark. Did not learn a single thing I didn't already know reading this, other than the nature of the book itself.