Religion, Politics, and Polarization

There is endless discussion of partisan and ideological polarization and a great deal of talk about the role of religion in American politics. But remarkably, there is not nearly enough work on how polarization and the faith-commitments of our citizens interact. Religion, Politics and Polarization fills that void with enormous care, using data in a creative but rigorous way to illuminate two central questions of our time. And it also helps to explain what is going on inside Congress. D'Antonio, Tuch, and Baker have performed a great service and deserve a wide audience. -- E. J. Dionne Jr., syndicated columnist and author of Our Divided Political Heart Religion, Politics, and Polarization fills a gaping hole in the burgeoning literature on political polarization. Revisiting questions about culture wars raised two decades ago by James Davison Hunter, the authors demonstrate how the changing religious affiliations of members of Congress and their visions of the good society have contributed to the striking increase in partisan polarization in congressional voting behavior. They also persuasively make the case that the public is as deeply implicated as political elites in this most important transformation in contemporary American politics. -- Thomas E. Mann, The Brookings Institution We hear it every day: 'Congress is mired in partisan polarization, gridlockeddysfunctional.' But how and why? Pundits offer superficial answers, but very few mention religion. This book says otherwise. Using hard data and sound analysis, scholars William D'Antonio, Steven A. Tuch and Josiah R. Baker use 40 years of data to show that 'the political ideologies of both political parties are rooted in religion.' It's a must read for those interested in the future of American politics. -- Maureen Fiedler, host of NPR's Interfaith Voices The ideological polarization of our political parties is one of the most important and defining characteristics of contemporary American politics, both in the mass public as well as within our elected institutions. In this concise volume, the authors provide an excellent analysis of the various ways in which religion interacts with partisan affiliation to influence the polarized voting behavior of members of Congress over the last three decades. This book is highly recommended for anyone seeking a more comprehensive understanding of the intersection of religion and politics in modern American society. -- Benjamin R. Knoll, Centre College This book is an indispensable guide to the role religion has played, and is playing, in the U.S. Congress. In recent years, scholars have spent a lot of time and energy understanding the religion of voters, but far less research has been devoted to religion among lawmakers. DAntonio, Tuch, and Baker fill in this gapdemonstrating that making law is often a matter of faith. -- David E. Campbell, University of Notre Dame; author (with Robert Putnam) of American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us This is an important study for understanding the effects of religious belief and affiliation on the oppositional dynamics and processes of American politics and political institutions and on the competing visions of the good society that underlie those conflicts. The authors show that some common understandings of conflictual American political phenomena articulated in such metaphors as culture wars either have less empirical evidence to support them than might be imagined, or require tempering and nuancing to be useful for understanding significant aspects of those phenomena. It is in the relationship between party affiliation and religious affiliation that we find perhaps the most politically potent and divisive correlations. -- Thomas Heilke This book is a thorough treatment of a subject scholars have not studied enough. It appears at an especially timely moment, as the U.S. Congress is more polarized than ever thanks to seemingly

William V. DAntonio is research professor of sociology at The Catholic University of America and a fellow of the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies. He is the co-author or co-editor of fifteen books, including American Catholics Today and American Catholics in Transition. Steven A. Tuch is professor of sociology and of public policy and public administration at The George Washington University. He is the author or co-author of several books, including Race and Policing in America and The Other African Americans. Josiah R. Baker is an assistant professor of financial economics at Methodist University and an adjunct associate professor of economics and geography at George Mason University. He is the author of Macroeconomics: Theories, Principles, and Issues.

Preface and Acknowledgments 1: Setting the Stage: Culture Wars, Religion, and Congress 2: Religion in Congress: A Historical Overview 3: Religious Composition of the U.S. House and Senate, 19592010 4: Abortion: Exemplar of the Polarized Congress? 5: Defense, Taxes, and Welfare: Key Votes in the House and Senate 6: Does Religion Transcend Social Issue Voting? The Relationship between Religion and Congressional Ideology Steven A. Tuch and Alyx Mark 7: Toeing the Party Line: The Increasing Influence of Partisanship among White Protestants and White Catholics, 19722010 Robert P. Jones and Daniel Cox 8: Discussion and Conclusion Appendix A Appendix B Notes References Index About the Authors