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The metaphor of a "wall of separation" between church and state
obscures the substantial connection that exists between the
Christian religion and American liberalism. The central thesis of
this work challenges the legitimacy of this metaphor as it appears
in Supreme Court decisions and in the thought of the philosopher
John Rawls. The Religious Origins of American Freedom and Equality
provides a provocative interpretation of the nature of Christian
and liberal principles, suggesting that the principles of
individual freedom and equality were forged even within the
conservative elements of Calvinism and Puritanism. Recognition of
this substantial intellectual connection has the potential to help
reshape our conception of the separation of church and state by
tempering the opposition between religious and political concepts
and values. The purpose of The Religious Origins of American
Freedom and Equality then, is to contribute to an understanding of
public reason that is more open to the contributions of religious
perspectives. The work attempts to show how religious doctrines,
currently obscured by historical context and hermeneutical
dogmatism, have nonetheless played a formative role in the
evolution of the freedom and equality that is foundational to
contemporary liberalism. Understanding the genesis of the concepts
of freedom and equality tempers the conceptual opposition between
church and state and allows a clearer more inclusive interpretation
of the nature of their separation. The originality of the work is
fourfold: (1) the challenge its central thesis poses to dominant
constructions of public reason, freedom, and equality; (2) the
interdisciplinary method through which it brings the findings of a
variety of disciplines to bear on a central issues in political
philosophy; (3) the challenge it brings to the analytic and
pragmatic approach of contemporary liberalism through its assertion
of the importance of historical context to contemporary ideas; and
(4) the degree to which it engages theology in its relation to
contemporary questions.
The metaphor of a "wall of separation" between church and state
obscures the substantial connection that exists between the
Christian religion and American liberalism. The central thesis of
this work challenges the legitimacy of this metaphor as it appears
in Supreme Court decisions and in the thought of the philosopher
John Rawls. The Religious Origins of American Freedom and Equality
provides a provocative interpretation of the nature of Christian
and liberal principles, suggesting that the principles of
individual freedom and equality were forged even within the
conservative elements of Calvinism and Puritanism. Recognition of
this substantial intellectual connection has the potential to help
reshape our conception of the separation of church and state by
tempering the opposition between religious and political concepts
and values. The purpose of The Religious Origins of American
Freedom and Equality then, is to contribute to an understanding of
public reason that is more open to the contributions of religious
perspectives. The work attempts to show how religious doctrines,
currently obscured by historical context and hermeneutical
dogmatism, have nonetheless played a formative role in the
evolution of the freedom and equality that is foundational to
contemporary liberalism. Understanding the genesis of the concepts
of freedom and equality tempers the conceptual opposition between
church and state and allows a clearer more inclusive interpretation
of the nature of their separation. The originality of the work is
fourfold: (1) the challenge its central thesis poses to dominant
constructions of public reason, freedom, and equality; (2) the
interdisciplinary method through which it brings the findings of a
variety of disciplines to bear on a central issues in political
philosophy; (3) the challenge it brings to the analytic and
pragmatic approach of contemporary liberalism through its assertion
of the importance of historical context to contemporary ideas; and
(4) the degree to which it engages theology in its relation to
contemporary questions.
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