Competing Schemas Within the American Liberal Democracy

Shannon Holzer has earned degrees in the areas of religion, philosophy of religion and ethics, and religion, politics, and society. He received his undergraduate degree in religion from Wayland Baptist University in Hawaii. His area of interest was biblical studies. Dr. Holzer then earned his M.A. in philosophy of religion and ethics from BIOLA University’s Talbot School of Theology. He received his Ph.D. in religion, politics, and society fom Baylor University’s J.M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Studies. He has published as a public academic in popular journals as well as in legal journals and peer reviewed publications. Dr. Holzer is a sought after speaker on the subject of church and state, just war theory, and natural law. During his time as a professor, he has taught graduate level and undergraduate courses on world religions, religion and politics, epistemology, religious epistemology, Christian history and thought, philosophy of god, ancient philosophy, analytic philosophy, logic, and ethics.

"Shannon Holzer's work on religion and politics is an important contribution to what has become a contentious debate in American culture. Even if you find yourself disagreeing with Dr. Holzer, you will become a more informed citizen by listening and understanding the viewpoint that he ably defends." Francis J. Beckwith, Professor of Philosophy and Church-State Studies, Baylor University "Shannon Holzer is a highly productive scholar and indefatigable philosophical defender of religious freedom and the culture of life in a society overrun with relativism, pragmatism, and self-serving political correctness. He is one of a handful of scholars whose defense of theistic natural law stands against the cultural tide of a narcissistic antinomianism that eschews moral accountability and values personal convenience and unbridled freedom over the intrinsic good of human life from conception onward." Bruce Gordon, Associate Professor of History and Philosophy of Science, Houston Baptist University "I've known Shannon Holzer for a long time, having had the privilege of having him as a graduate student. Shannon is very well-educated and informed about the central issues in religion, politics, and society, and he is passionate to speak to these issues from a Christian point of view. He also is hungry to train others how to think about these crucial issues. If we are honest, it becomes clear that there is almost nowhere we can go to get training in this area of life. Thus, what Dr. Holzer offers is a rare gift to the church. I am happy to recommend his ministry to you." J. P. Moreland, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Talbot School of Theology, Biola University

• Acknowledgments – Introduction – The Courts’ Perception of Religion – Historical Schemas: Original Intent and the Lenses of Separation and Accommodation – Autonomy, Neutrality, and the Diminishing of Religious Conviction – Rawlsian Liberal Democracy, Religious Reason, and the Disputed View of the Good – Intellectual Revolutions – Analysis of Two Competing Schemas – Conclusion – Notes –Bibliography.