Whose God Rules?: Is the United States a Secular Nation or a Theolegal Democracy? [Hardcover]

Nathan C. Walker (Editor), Edwin J. Greenlee (Editor), Tony Blair (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 20, 2011 | ISBN-10: 023011783X | ISBN-13: 978-0230117839 | Edition: 1

Theolegal democracy defines a political system that allows public officials to use theology in its democratic process to shape law without instituting an official state religion. In Whose God Rules?, preeminent scholars debate the theolegal theory, which describes the gray area between a secular legal system, where theology is dismissed as irrational and a threat to the separation of religion and state, and a theocracy, where a single religion determines all law. The United States is neither a secular nation nor a theocracy, leading scholars to ask whether the United States is a theolegal democracy. If so, whose God rules?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book is a provocative and pioneering effort to rethink the complex relation of religion and the state in the American past and present. Don't miss it!" - Cornel West, Princeton University

"Whose God Rules? offers an illuminating new frame to revitalize the stale debate over church-state separation. Bringing a thoughtful and diverse group of experts to the table, Walker and Greenlee present a feast for the intellect that challenges us all to become better citizens." - Forrest Church, author of So Help Me God: the Founding Fathers and The First Great Battle over Church and State

"This erudite book offers a rare and unusual combination; it includes a broad range of topics treated in depth by a diverse group of contributors who write about a distinctive and controversial concept, namely theolegal democracy. It is sure to provoke an interesting and renewed debate about the relationship of religion and politics." - Leslie Griffin, University of Houston Law Center and author of Law and Religion: Cases and Materials

About the Author

Nathan C. Walker is the minister of the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia and an advanced doctoral student in Law, Education and Religion at Columbia University. Edwin J. Greenlee is the associate director for Public Services in the Biddle Law Library at the University of Pennsylvania.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; 1 edition (December 20, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 023011783X
• ISBN-13: 978-0230117839
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,962,158 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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