New from the University of Oklahoma Press:
Religious Freedom in America: Constitutional Roots and Contemporary Challenges (Jan. 2015), edited by Allen D. Hertzke (University of Oklahoma). A description from the Press:
All Americans, liberal or conservative, religious or not, can agree that
religious freedom, anchored in conscience rights, is foundational to
the U.S. democratic experiment. But what freedom of conscience means,
what its scope and limits are, according to the Constitution—these are
matters for heated debate. At a moment when such questions loom ever
larger in the nation’s contentious politics and fraught policy-making
process, this timely book offers invaluable historical, empirical,
philosophical, and analytical insight into the American constitutional
heritage of religious liberty.
As the contributors to this
interdisciplinary volume attest, understanding religious freedom demands
taking multiple perspectives. The historians guide us through the
legacy of religious freedom, from the nation’s founding and the rise of
public education, through the waves of immigration that added successive
layers of diversity to American society. The social scientists discuss
the swift, striking effects of judicial decision making and the battles
over free exercise in a complex, bureaucratic society. Advocates remind
us of the tensions abiding in schools and other familiar institutions,
and of the major role minorities play in shaping free exercise under our
constitutional regime. And the jurists emphasize that this is a messy
area of constitutional law. Their work brings out the conflicts inherent
in interpreting the First Amendment—tensions between free exercise and
disestablishment, between the legislative and judicial branches of
government, and along the complex and ever-shifting boundaries of
religion, state, and society.
What emerges most clearly from
these essays is how central religious liberty is to America’s civic
fabric—and how, under increasing pressure from both religious and
secular forces, this First Amendment freedom demands our full attention
and understanding.
A few blurbs:
“With religious freedom under assault from various directions, this
fine collection of essays could not be timelier. Bringing historical,
juridical, and social science perspectives to bear on contemporary
challenges, the authors and editors point the way to a society in which
diverse religions may not only peacefully coexist but flourish, and
where no one is forced to choose between religious obligations and civic
duties.”—Mary Ann Glendon, Harvard University
“As
religious freedom becomes an increasingly contentious area of public
law and policy, this volume offers an outstanding collection of essays
on religious freedom and related church-state issues. Each carefully
crafted essay stakes out a position—while giving due consideration to
multiple and competing views. Scholars, students, judges, journalists,
and anyone with a serious interest in the topic should put this volume
at the top of their reading list.”— John J. DiIulio, Jr., University of Pennsylvania
More information, including the TOC, is available here.
