Cambridge Studies in Religion and American Public Life – serie

Steeples and Stacks is a study of the religion-based community group that formed in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1977 in response to the proposed shutdown of a portion of the Youngstown Sheet and Tube's steelworks. The closing was one of the most dramatic of the plant closings that have come to symbolise American deindustrialisation. Church leaders and steelworkers joined together in Youngstown to form a powerful ecumenical political coalition, establishing links with Washington lobbyists and proposing eventually to buy the plant and run it as a community industry. Though the proposal ultimately failed, the story of the coalition provides an illuminating view of the growing interaction between religious and public affairs in American life. The book also provides an original analysis of the dynamics of intergovernmental, corporate and community relations at the local level. The author, who became involved in the coalition as a participant-observer, focuses on the pivotal role of religious leaders that distinguished the Youngstown case from so many other plant closings across the nation.

Steeples and Stacks is a study of the religion-based community group that formed in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1977 in response to the proposed shutdown of a portion of the Youngstown Sheet and Tube's steelworks. The closing was one of the most dramatic of the plant closings that have come to symbolise American deindustrialisation. Church leaders and steelworkers joined together in Youngstown to form a powerful ecumenical political coalition, establishing links with Washington lobbyists and proposing eventually to buy the plant and run it as a community industry. Though the proposal ultimately failed, the story of the coalition provides an illuminating view of the growing interaction between religious and public affairs in American life. The book also provides an original analysis of the dynamics of intergovernmental, corporate and community relations at the local level. The author, who became involved in the coalition as a participant-observer, focuses on the pivotal role of religious leaders that distinguished the Youngstown case from so many other plant closings across the nation.

This book colourfully examines a famous Jeffersonian document which set the precedent for the US Constitution's guarantee of religious liberty. Jefferson wrote the Virginia Statute, shepherded it through a decade-long struggle to adoption, and included it in his epitaph (along with the Declaration of Independence and the founding of the University of Virginia). The Statute's history reflects two key revolutionary principles: absolute freedom of religious conscience; and the separation of church and state. Both principles remain lively topics of debate on the contemporary religious and political scene. Papers collected here were presented at a conference sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and Public Policy. Among the contributors are several of America's most prominent religious and political historians and experts on jurisprudence.

During the first six decades of the last century, the so-called mainline Protestant denominations in America were compelled to accommodate to the growing influences of diverse religions and growing secularization. In this book, twelve historians examine the nature of the American Protestant establishment and its response to the growing pluralism of the times. The goals of the establishment are first examined from the inside, as they were voiced from the pulpit, expressed in education and through the media, and applied in ecumenical and social-reforming ventures. The establishment is then viewed through the eyes of outsiders - Jews and Catholics - and those at the periphery of the establishment's core - and women. The authors conclude that the period surveyed forms a distinct epoch in the evolution of American Protestantism. The days when Protestant cultural authority could be taken for granted were certainly over, but a new era in which religious pluralism would be widely accepted had not yet arrived.

During the first six decades of the last century, the so-called mainline Protestant denominations in America were compelled to accommodate to the growing influences of diverse religions and growing secularization. In this book, twelve historians examine the nature of the American Protestant establishment and its response to the growing pluralism of the times. The goals of the establishment are first examined from the inside, as they were voiced from the pulpit, expressed in education and through the media, and applied in ecumenical and social-reforming ventures. The establishment is then viewed through the eyes of outsiders - Jews and Catholics - and those at the periphery of the establishment's core - and women. The authors conclude that the period surveyed forms a distinct epoch in the evolution of American Protestantism. The days when Protestant cultural authority could be taken for granted were certainly over, but a new era in which religious pluralism would be widely accepted had not yet arrived.

Liberalism and Catholicism are two of the most important forces shaping the contemporary political culture of the United States. This book explores what is at stake as they encounter each other in new contexts today and what a fresh conversation between them promises for the future of American public life. It is based on the conviction that both traditions continue to have much to learn from each other and that both would contribute more constructively to the resolution of the problems facing the nation if they were to do so. It is thus an invitation to the dialogue that could produce such mutual learning, and is a collaborative effort that brings together the work of scholars from a variety of disciplines. Though the book gives particular attention to the United States, it has relevance to debates about the future of liberalism and Catholicism in many other parts of the world.

Liberalism and Catholicism are two of the most important forces shaping the contemporary political culture of the United States. This book explores what is at stake as they encounter each other in new contexts today and what a fresh conversation between them promises for the future of American public life. It is based on the conviction that both traditions continue to have much to learn from each other and that both would contribute more constructively to the resolution of the problems facing the nation if they were to do so. It is thus an invitation to the dialogue that could produce such mutual learning, and is a collaborative effort that brings together the work of scholars from a variety of disciplines. Though the book gives particular attention to the United States, it has relevance to debates about the future of liberalism and Catholicism in many other parts of the world.