The Naked Public Square: Religion and Democracy in America (Paperback)

by Richard John Neuhaus (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"For those interested in the role of religion in American life, this book is a must." -- Choice

"Neuhaus has skillfully produced a lively forum for our moral discourse regarding church-state relations and democratic values." -- Theology Today

"Richard John Neuhaus addresses the relationship of religion and democracy with a steadiness and vitality rare in such discussions." -- The Wall Street Journal

"Should be read by anyone concerned with the current debates over the emergence of the 'new Christian right.'" -- The New York Times Book Review

Product Description
Underlying the many crises in American life, writes Richard John Neuhaus, is a crisis of faith. It is not enough that more people should believe or that those who believe should believe more strongly. Rather, the faith of persons and communities must be more compellingly related to the public arena. "The naked public square"—which results from the exclusion of popular values from the public forum—will almost certainly result in the death of democracy.

The great challenge, says Neuhaus, is the reconstruction of a public philosophy that can undergird American life and America’s ambiguous place in the world. Arguing that America is now engaged in an historic moment of testing, he draws upon Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish thinkers who have in other moments of testing seen that the stakes are very high—for America, for the promise of democratic freedom elsewhere, and possibly for God’s purpose in the world.

An honest analysis of the situation, says Neuhaus, shatters false polarizations between left and right, liberal and conservative. In a democratic culture, the believer’s respect for nonbelievers is not a compromise but a requirement of the believer’s faith. Similarly, the democratic rights of those outside the communities of religious faith can be assured only by the inclusion of religiously-grounded values in the common life.

"The Naked Public Square" does not offer yet another partisan program for political of social change. Rather, it offers a deeply disturbing, but finally hopeful, examination of Abraham Lincoln’s century-old question—whether this nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 292 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; 2 edition (March 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802800807
• ISBN-13: 978-0802800800
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #300,604 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Deeply Perceptive, February 10, 1997

By	"paulba" (Carmel, NY) - See all my reviews

No one writes like Neuhaus on current issues of religion and politics. A former Lutheran minister and now a Catholic priest, he has been on both sides of the Protestant/Catholic divide. This gives him a unique perspective on issues of common concern to all, and has placed him in the forefront of ecumenical efforts. I highly recomend this book as an investigation of how religion has been marginalized by the modern misinterpretation of the First Amendment's "no establishment" clause, thus leaving our Public Square bereft of foundational values

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Naked: without overarching belief, consensus, personal morality, or real, organized religion, November 15, 2006

By	Wade Wilkinson "Wade" - See all my reviews

Richard Neuhaus' The Naked Public Square can be summed up no better than the quote that is on the front of the book: "The book from which further debate about church-state relations should begin."

The book's contents are not for the young or those with short attention spans: however, his point is excellent, and twenty years after the writing of this book, Richard Neuhaus appears to have hit the nail square on the head.

The primary purpose of The Naked Public Square is to alert the reader to the coming of a new era in the United States. The era is not good or new: instead it is an evil that, here, now, sweeps across portions of the world. Europe, Russia and China seem to have already fallen victim to it, and the United States is the last great world power to meet it.

The terror is, of course, this naked public square. It is naked because it is without overarching belief, consensus, personal morality, or real, organized religion. It's a place where God cannot be mentioned, where vicious revenge is taken on any individual or group that may attempt to bring their religion or worldview into the mainstream. It's a place where the law needs only the justification of power to hold it's place, where the authority of the Bible, the church, God, and all other things that lay claim to authority not of this world are scorned as "intolerant." This naked public square indoctrinates every man to believe everything spiritual is relative, and that it is wrong, pointless, rude or all three to convince another individual to think his way. Religion is prevented from becoming solidly organized as a force that could challenge the moral legitimacy of the government or the culture-forming, powerful elite of society. Neuhaus says it would be enforced by the least likely of people: libertarian judges.

Though all of this seems rather depressing, Neuhaus reminds us that this naked public square is not unavoidable. This is a time of turmoil and a time when this country can choose a direction, and we must choose before someone else chooses for us.

The Naked Public Square is thought provoking, deep, interesting, and packing a huge dose of truth. I would recommend that every American or European read it to enlighten themselves and to remember its message every time they go to the polls.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Chip's Top Ten (wordsntone.com), September 10, 2005

By	Stephen M. Anderson (Bridgeport, CT) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Naked Public Square: Religion and Democracy in America (Hardcover)

This book put my faith to the test: Can I be in the world, but not of it? Neuhaus' "naked public square" refers to the public spaces in American life, which are naked or empty because religion and religious values have been systematically excluded from the public arena and from determination of public policy. This book should be given to every politician-does anyone have a few hundred thousand dollars so we can do that? Get the book and learn how you can clothe the naked public square.