6. Faith & Politics Resource Reviews
(Keep scrolling down to skip this introduction and go directly to the list of current reviews)
About This Section
This section contains my reviews of the resources that are making significant contributions to healthy forms of faith & politics. For me, "healthy forms" means that they are grounded in center-left or center-right faith values, actions and beliefs in dialectical relationship with each other. What makes those positions "centrist" is that while they are primarily located one side of the left/right faith & politics spectrum, they also have significant secondary commitments to positions on the other side. This is what makes them "principled centrisms" (see page 2.2 for my understanding of what makes these different from "superficial centrisms".)
Some of the ideas that together constitute my basic understanding of "healthy" relationships between faith & politics:
(under construction - keep scrolling to see current reviews)
principled compromise (therefore, center-left/center right) -
1st Amendment (establishment clause and .... clause) -
Some of the ideas that together constitute my basic understanding of "healthy" relationships between faith & politics:
(under construction - keep scrolling to see current reviews)
principled compromise (therefore, center-left/center right) -
1st Amendment (establishment clause and .... clause) -
Navigation Note: Clicking a title in the list below takes you to the Quick Look webpage for that resource. There you'll find some basic information about its author and a list of its main contributions to the goals of this website.
For some resources there will also be a link on the bottom of the page to either a Highlights Review PDF or a Detailed Review PDF (both external to the website) which provide my interpretation and evaluation of its main contributions. The only links to the review PDFs are on the bottom of Quick Look webpages. (When you finish with a PDF, you'll need to click the back arrow on your browser to come back to this website.)
For some resources there will also be a link on the bottom of the page to either a Highlights Review PDF or a Detailed Review PDF (both external to the website) which provide my interpretation and evaluation of its main contributions. The only links to the review PDFs are on the bottom of Quick Look webpages. (When you finish with a PDF, you'll need to click the back arrow on your browser to come back to this website.)
Faith & Politics Resource Reviews
(For an alphabetical list by author of all the reviews on this website, see Section 8--Resource Reviews Index)
(Note: I encourage you to start with the first two books on the list. One of my goals for this website is for you to become familiar with the main points of these two scholarly books that have formed a significant part of the foundation of my understanding of healthy faith and politics. Since they are fairly complex academic works written by authors who are not all that well known, it’s likely only scholars are familiar with them. However, they were written by students of some the most influential persons in the field of Christianity and politics in the U.S., and I think it’s vital for the health of our democracy that more and more of the general public know something about them.)
(For an alphabetical list by author of all the reviews on this website, see Section 8--Resource Reviews Index)
(Note: I encourage you to start with the first two books on the list. One of my goals for this website is for you to become familiar with the main points of these two scholarly books that have formed a significant part of the foundation of my understanding of healthy faith and politics. Since they are fairly complex academic works written by authors who are not all that well known, it’s likely only scholars are familiar with them. However, they were written by students of some the most influential persons in the field of Christianity and politics in the U.S., and I think it’s vital for the health of our democracy that more and more of the general public know something about them.)
Toulouse, Mark G. (2006) God in Public: Four Ways American Christianity and Public Life Relate. 6.1
The author provides a helpful typology of four ways that religion related to politics during the last half of the 20th
century in America, judging two to be healthy and two to be unhealthy.
Pasewark, Kyle A. and Paul, Garrett E. (1999) The Emphatic Christian Center: Reforming Christian Political Practice. 6.2
This is an excellent resource for showing how the public square playing field is leveled now for both religious and
secular witnesses, since in our postmodern world there is no such thing as a universal reason that grounds the
latter, making it more reasonable.
Crossan, John Dominic (2007) God & Empire: Jesus Against Rome, Then and Now. New York: HarperSanFrancisco. 6.3
Crossan provides a Christian utopian grounding for healthy politics, a major paradigm shift in how to view the
healthy and unhealthy aspect of the Bible and a Christian critique of the American Empire.
Obama, Barack (6/26/06) "Call to Renewal, Keynote Address." Sojourners/Call to Renewal "Building a Covenant for a New America" conference in Washington, D.C., June 26, 2006. 6.4
In this speech our center-left president makes an very important contribution to the postmodern understanding of
healthy interrelationships between faith and politics in America.
Brooks, David and Dionne, E.J. (8/13/09) "Obama’s Theologian: David Brooks and E.J. Dionne on Reinhold Niebuhr and the American Present,” a dialogue mediated by Krista Tippett at the Berkley Center, Georgetown University on August 13, 2009. 6.5
This dialogue demonstrates how 20th-century public theologian Reinhold Niebuhr is a major influence on Obama's
realistic idealism, as he also is on Brooks and Dionne themselves--two of our most important American
commentators, one center-right and one center-left.
Jones, Robert P. (2008) Progressive & Religious: How Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist Leaders Are Moving Beyond the Culture Wars and Transforming American Public Life. 6.6
Jones provides ample evidence that the commonly accepted idea that religious America is basically limited to far-
right, exclusionist Christianity is far from the truth.
Gushee, David P. (2008) The Future of Faith in American Politics: The Public Witness of the Evangelical Center. 6.7
Many are unaware that, since 2004, evangelical Christianity has developed a strong center-right challenging its
own far-right that had turned off so many Americans, especially the younger generations.
Crossan, John Dominic (2010) The Greatest Prayer: Rediscovering the Revolutionary Message of the Lord's Prayer. New York: HarperOne. 6.8
Many Christians who basically see the Lord's Prayer only in a conventional, devotional sense, will be challenged by
Crossan to experience it in an even more transformative way--as an important means of being empowered to
collaborate with God in bringing greater distributive justice for all--the core of the biblical tradition for Crossan.
Holder, R. Ward and Josephson, Peter B (2012) The Irony of Barack Obama: Barack Obama, Reinhold Niebuhr and the Problem of Christian Statecraft. Ashgate Publishing Company: Burlington, VT. 6.9
The authors provide a detailed examination of exactly how Reinhold Niebuhr--who President Obama's has called his
favorite theologian--has shaped the President's understanding of faith and politics, and why it's crucial to grasp the
difference between the conflicting roles of prophet, evangelist and statesman when evaluating his presidency.
Thompson, Keith (2017) "Stand Up for Truth and Reality: Helping to Restore a Strong Truth/Reality-Based Majority in America." Four Handouts for a Class. 6.10
Will we, in our significant communities and not just as individuals, answer the call to stand up for Truth and Reality
at this crucial time when the very existence of our liberal democracy is at stake in America? These handouts are
designed to help us see concrete ways forward and actually begin taking steps that will make a difference.
The author provides a helpful typology of four ways that religion related to politics during the last half of the 20th
century in America, judging two to be healthy and two to be unhealthy.
Pasewark, Kyle A. and Paul, Garrett E. (1999) The Emphatic Christian Center: Reforming Christian Political Practice. 6.2
This is an excellent resource for showing how the public square playing field is leveled now for both religious and
secular witnesses, since in our postmodern world there is no such thing as a universal reason that grounds the
latter, making it more reasonable.
Crossan, John Dominic (2007) God & Empire: Jesus Against Rome, Then and Now. New York: HarperSanFrancisco. 6.3
Crossan provides a Christian utopian grounding for healthy politics, a major paradigm shift in how to view the
healthy and unhealthy aspect of the Bible and a Christian critique of the American Empire.
Obama, Barack (6/26/06) "Call to Renewal, Keynote Address." Sojourners/Call to Renewal "Building a Covenant for a New America" conference in Washington, D.C., June 26, 2006. 6.4
In this speech our center-left president makes an very important contribution to the postmodern understanding of
healthy interrelationships between faith and politics in America.
Brooks, David and Dionne, E.J. (8/13/09) "Obama’s Theologian: David Brooks and E.J. Dionne on Reinhold Niebuhr and the American Present,” a dialogue mediated by Krista Tippett at the Berkley Center, Georgetown University on August 13, 2009. 6.5
This dialogue demonstrates how 20th-century public theologian Reinhold Niebuhr is a major influence on Obama's
realistic idealism, as he also is on Brooks and Dionne themselves--two of our most important American
commentators, one center-right and one center-left.
Jones, Robert P. (2008) Progressive & Religious: How Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist Leaders Are Moving Beyond the Culture Wars and Transforming American Public Life. 6.6
Jones provides ample evidence that the commonly accepted idea that religious America is basically limited to far-
right, exclusionist Christianity is far from the truth.
Gushee, David P. (2008) The Future of Faith in American Politics: The Public Witness of the Evangelical Center. 6.7
Many are unaware that, since 2004, evangelical Christianity has developed a strong center-right challenging its
own far-right that had turned off so many Americans, especially the younger generations.
Crossan, John Dominic (2010) The Greatest Prayer: Rediscovering the Revolutionary Message of the Lord's Prayer. New York: HarperOne. 6.8
Many Christians who basically see the Lord's Prayer only in a conventional, devotional sense, will be challenged by
Crossan to experience it in an even more transformative way--as an important means of being empowered to
collaborate with God in bringing greater distributive justice for all--the core of the biblical tradition for Crossan.
Holder, R. Ward and Josephson, Peter B (2012) The Irony of Barack Obama: Barack Obama, Reinhold Niebuhr and the Problem of Christian Statecraft. Ashgate Publishing Company: Burlington, VT. 6.9
The authors provide a detailed examination of exactly how Reinhold Niebuhr--who President Obama's has called his
favorite theologian--has shaped the President's understanding of faith and politics, and why it's crucial to grasp the
difference between the conflicting roles of prophet, evangelist and statesman when evaluating his presidency.
Thompson, Keith (2017) "Stand Up for Truth and Reality: Helping to Restore a Strong Truth/Reality-Based Majority in America." Four Handouts for a Class. 6.10
Will we, in our significant communities and not just as individuals, answer the call to stand up for Truth and Reality
at this crucial time when the very existence of our liberal democracy is at stake in America? These handouts are
designed to help us see concrete ways forward and actually begin taking steps that will make a difference.
(Click on the titles of any of the reviews above to go to it.)
Some Upcoming Reviews in This Section
Haidt, Jonathan (2012) The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion. New York: Pantheon Books.
Berlinerblau, Jacques (2008) Thumpin' It: The Use and Abuse of the Bible in Today's Presidential Politics. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press.
DiIulio, Jr., John J. (2007) Godly Republic: A Centrist Blueprint for America's Faith-Based Future. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Meacham, Jon (2006) American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation. New York: Random House.
Berlinerblau, Jacques (2008) Thumpin' It: The Use and Abuse of the Bible in Today's Presidential Politics. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press.
DiIulio, Jr., John J. (2007) Godly Republic: A Centrist Blueprint for America's Faith-Based Future. Berkeley: University of California Press.
Meacham, Jon (2006) American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation. New York: Random House.