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CHURCH-STATE
ISSUES IN
AMERICA TODAY
CHURCH-STATE
ISSUES IN
AMERICA TODAY
Volume 1: Religion and Government
Edited by
Ann W. Duncan and Steven L. Jones
PRAEGER PERSPECTIVES
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Church-stateissuesinAmericatoday/editedbyAnnW.DuncanandStevenL.Jones.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN978-0-275-99367-2(set:alk.paper)—ISBN978-0-275-99368-9(vol.1:alk.
paper)—ISBN978-0-275-99369-6(vol.2:alk.paper)—ISBN978-0-275-99370-2(vol.
3:alk.paper)
1. Churchandstate—UnitedStates. 2. UnitedStates—Churchhistory.
I. Duncan,AnnW.,1978– II. Jones,StevenL.,1971–
BR516.C4925 2008
322′.10973—dc22 2007030692
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationDataisavailable.
Copyright2008byAnnW.DuncanandStevenL.Jones
Allrightsreserved.Noportionofthisbookmaybe
reproduced,byanyprocessortechnique,withoutthe
expresswrittenconsentofthepublisher.
LibraryofCongressCatalogCardNumber:2007030692
ISBN:978-0-275-99367-2(set)
978-0-275-99368-9(vol.1)
978-0-275-99369-6(vol.2)
978-0-275-99370-2(vol.3)
Firstpublishedin2008
PraegerPublishers,88PostRoadWest,Westport,CT06881
AnimprintofGreenwoodPublishingGroup,Inc.
www.praeger.com
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
Thepaperusedinthisbookcomplieswiththe
PermanentPaperStandardissuedbytheNational
InformationStandardsOrganization(Z39.48–1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Preface vii
Ann W. Duncan and Steven L. Jones
Introduction: Church and State in Context 1
Barbara A. McGraw
1 Historical Perspectives on Church and State 41
Richard Bowser and Robin Muse
2 Religion, Rhetoric, and Ritual in the U.S. Government 63
Ann W. Duncan
3 Public Expression of Faith by Political Leaders 103
W. Jason Wallace
4 The Internationalization of Church-State Issues 135
Zachary R. Calo
5 The Status of Faith-Based Initiatives in the Later
Bush Administration 167
Douglas L. Koopman
6 Political Endorsements by Churches 195
Mary C. Segers
7 The Relevance of State Constitutions to Issues of Government
and Religion 227
David K. Ryden
vi • Contents
8 The Limits of Free Exercise in America 257
Timothy J. Barnett
Appendix: Selected Cases 291
About the Editors and Contributors 301
Index 305
Preface
Ann W. Duncan and Steven L. Jones
Atfirstglance,theseparationofchurchandstateintheUnitedStatesseems
aratherstraightforwardandclear-cutconcept.TheU.S.governmentshould
neither establish a certain religion nor limit the free exercise of religion by
its citizens. However, the broad spectrum of church and state issues hotly
debated in Washington, D.C., and in American communities suggests that
thisseparationcarrieswithitabitofambiguity.Themostrecognizedappli-
cations of this doctrine come when religion surfaces in our schools or spe-
cific policy decisions that affect the lives of ordinary Americans. Yet, it is
in the context of the government itself that some of the most interesting
tensions arise in negotiating the relationship between religion and politics
in the American government.
Indeed, the complexities of church and state issues in the United States
of America began with the founding of the nation. While the founding
fathersarerememberedfortheirparticularinsistenceonmaintainingasepa-
ration between religion and the government, they were also very religious
men who would never have denied the importance of faith in God for a
just government. In this time of increasing diversity, the question arises: in
a nation still primarily Christian, to what extent is latent influence or tradi-
tional reference to God acceptable? Clearly, the government cannot estab-
lish a national church, but can it incorporate prayer into its regular rituals?
Clearly, the government cannot endorse a particular religion, but can a
president express particular doctrinal beliefs? What are the limits of estab-
lishment? How do the state and national governments rectify sometimes
viii • Preface
conflicting views on the subject? To what extent can or should the United
States seek to spread its ideas about morality and the proper relations be-
tween church and state throughout the world?
It is to these questions that the first volume of this three-volume collec-
tionturnsbyfocusingonintersectionsofreligionandpoliticsinthefederal,
state, and local governments. Covering topics including international rela-
tions, the rhetoric of political leaders, and the use of religion to support
governmental candidates and programs, this volume demonstrates the diffi-
culties in defining establishment of religion. Barbara McGraw’s intro-
duction provides a theoretical framework for understanding the variety of
particular issues presented in these three volumes. Examining the role of
religion in American identity and at its founding, McGraw suggests an
inclusive yet deeply meaningful foundation on which to build the national
identity. The first chapter, by Richard Bowser and Robin Muse, discusses
strategies of interpretation of the Establishment and Free Exercise Clauses
of the Constitution. Bowser and Muse outline the surprisingly varied per-
spectives on the meanings of these clauses and the ramifications of these
perspectives for public policy and judicial decision. Ann Duncan’s chapter
highlights some of the subtle and, in many cases, unlegislated intersections
of church and state in the U.S. government. Elaborating on one such inter-
section, W. Jason Wallace focuses on expressions of faith by political lead-
ers. Taking a historical and sociological approach, Wallace surveys the
changes in such expressions and their reception by the American public.
Zachary Calo then moves beyond the domestic legal issues addressed in
other chapters to take an international perspective on issues of church and
state through a discussion of U.S. policy regarding international religious
freedom and human rights laws. Douglas Koopman discusses faith-based
initiatives by examining their effectiveness in comparison to their secular
counterparts and presents an overview of the recent controversies and court
cases. In a chapter on political endorsement by churches, Mary Segers sur-
veys the varieties of ways in which religious leaders can and have issued
endorsements of politicians through voting instructions from the pulpit,
voting guides,and allowingpolitical candidatesaccess tochurch directories.
Segers discusses the competing rights of individuals, religious or not, to
express political preference and engage in free religious expression and the
constitutional constraints of the Establishment Clause. In his chapter on
the future of federalism, David Ryden highlights what he anticipates to be
acentralissueintherealmofchurchandstateforthefuture:theapplicabil-
ity of state constitutional religion clauses to church/state issues and the
interplay between state and federal constitutions in this arena. In an inter-
esting turn from chapters dealing primarily with either free exercise or es-
Description:Church and state issues are in the news now more than ever before. Political and religious leaders alike are negotiating shaky ground as they balance their religious/moral and political perspectives with their roles as leaders. New technologies push the boundaries of moral consensus by creating new
