Since September 11, 2001, the profile of religion's role in our global society has increased significantly. Religion has long been a force in people's lives as numerous studies and polls show, yet we continue to struggle with understanding differing religious traditions and what they mean for our common life. There are few places where Americans can meet together to learn about each other and to share in the common construction of our futures. One such place for many is public education. The purpose of this book is to illustrate the complexity of the social, cultural, and legal milieu of schooling in the United States in which the improvement of religious literacy and understanding must take place. Public education is the new commons. We must negotiate this commons in two meanings of that term: first, we must come to mutual understandings and agreement about how to proceed toward a common horizon of a religiously plural America; second, we must work our way through the obstacles in these settings in practical ways to achieve results that work.

Since September 11, 2001, the profile of religion's role in our global society has increased significantly. Religion has long been a force in people's lives as numerous studies and polls show, yet we continue to struggle with understanding differing religious traditions and what they mean for our common life. There are few places where Americans can meet together to learn about each other and to share in the common construction of our futures. One such place for many is public education. The purpose of this book is to illustrate the complexity of the social, cultural, and legal milieu of schooling in the United States in which the improvement of religious literacy and understanding must take place. Public education is the new commons. We must negotiate this commons in two meanings of that term: first, we must come to mutual understandings and agreement about how to proceed toward a common horizon of a religiously plural America; second, we must work our way through the obstacles in these settings in practical ways to achieve results that work.

From the founding of Harvard College in 1636 as a mission for training young clergy to the landmark 1968 Supreme Court decision in Epperson v. Arkansas, which struck down the state's ban on teaching evolution in schools, religion and education in the United States have been inextricably linked. Still today new fights emerge over the rights and limitations of religion in the classroom. The Oxford Handbook of Religion and American Education brings together preeminent scholars from the fields of religion, education, law, and political science to craft a comprehensive survey and assessment of the study of religion and education in the United States. The essays in the first part develop six distinct conceptual lenses through which to view American education, including Privatism, Secularism, Pluralism, Religious Literacy, Religious Liberty, and Democracy. The following four parts expand on these concepts in a diverse range of educational frames: public schools, faith-based K-12 education, higher education, and lifespan faith development. Designed for a diverse and interdisciplinary audience, this addition to the Oxford Handbook series sets for itself a broad goal of understanding the place of religion and education in a modern democracy.

Both sacred and secular worldviews have long held a place in U.S. higher education, although non-religious perspectives have been privileged in most institutions in the modern era. Sacred and Secular Tensions in Higher Education illustrates the importance of cultivating multiple worldviews at public, private, and faith-based colleges and universities in the interest of academic freedom, and intellectual and moral dialogue.

Contributors to this edited collection argue that sacred perspectives are as integral to contemporary higher education in the United States as the more dominant secular perspectives. The debates and issues addressed in this book attempt to rebalance the dialogue and place an emphasis on pluralism, rather than declare victory of one paradigm over the other. Student affairs administrators, higher education and religious studies faculty, and campus ministers and chaplains will benefit from better understanding the interplay of these sometimes competing and sometimes complementary ideas on campus, and the impact of the debate on the lives of faculty, students, and staff.

Both sacred and secular worldviews have long held a place in U.S. higher education, although non-religious perspectives have been privileged in most institutions in the modern era. Sacred and Secular Tensions in Higher Education illustrates the importance of cultivating multiple worldviews at public, private, and faith-based colleges and universities in the interest of academic freedom, and intellectual and moral dialogue.

Contributors to this edited collection argue that sacred perspectives are as integral to contemporary higher education in the United States as the more dominant secular perspectives. The debates and issues addressed in this book attempt to rebalance the dialogue and place an emphasis on pluralism, rather than declare victory of one paradigm over the other. Student affairs administrators, higher education and religious studies faculty, and campus ministers and chaplains will benefit from better understanding the interplay of these sometimes competing and sometimes complementary ideas on campus, and the impact of the debate on the lives of faculty, students, and staff.