Articles of Faith, Articles of Peace: The Religious Liberty Clauses and the American Public Philosophy [Hardcover]

James Davison Hunter (Editor), Os Guinness (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0815738285 | ISBN-13: 978-0815738282 | Publication Date: May 1, 1990

Freedom of Religion--protected in America for two hundred years by the Bill of Rights--has become more a source of divisiveness than the binding force it used to be in American life. Abortion, school prayer, creation science, and secular humanism are a few examples of the conflict between religious liberty and public justice that arise today. Articles of Faith, Articles of Peace examines the contemporary challenges to religious liberty and explores ways in which the public philosophy can be reinvigorated. Steering between the extremes of a " sacred public square, " in which any one faith is established or preferred, and a " naked public square, " from which all faiths have been removed, the authors argue for, and exemplify, a civil public square. And they try to answer the vital question: how do we, in an age of expanding worldwide pluralism, live with our deepest, religiously intense, differences. Peter L. Berger, Harold J. Berman, Os Guinness, James Davidson Hunter, William Lee Miller, Michael J. Sandel, and Charles Taylor are the distinguished contributors to this book who speak from different academic disciplines and diverse personal perspectives. Their concerns converge in this dynamic and thought-provoking discussion important to every American. The authors acknowledge that American pluralism has grown beyond the traditional " Protestant-Catholic-Jew" into a genuine multifaith pluralism, and that religious liberty entails the freedom to dissent as well as to believe. Articles of Faith, Articles of Peace is a proposal and discussion that carries great promise for the pressing problems of religion in American public life. The vision of a civil public square, and a common goal for common good, offers a way for American diversity to remain a source of strength and richness. Only with such commitments will democratic debate remain robust and religious liberty remain a component of a vital democracy.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The editors have drawn together seven essays based on a symposium sponsored by the Williamsburg Charter Foundation. Written by a number of leading scholars, these essays explore the philosophical, social, and historical implications of the establishment clauses of the Bill of Rights in the American Constitution. They are concerned not only with the role of church-state relations in public policy but the definition of religion itself in an increasingly secular and pluralist society. The discussion in this book is both balanced and challenging.
- T.L. Cooksey, Armstrong State Coll., Savan nah, Ga.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 180 pages
• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press (May 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815738285
• ISBN-13: 978-0815738282
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,089,874 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

OS GUINNESS (DPhil, Oxford University) was born in China, raised and educated in England, and moved to the United States in 1984. He directs the Trinity Forum and is a former fellow at the East-West Institute in New York. His books include The American Hour, No God But God, and The Dust of Death.