The Challenge of Pluralism: Church and State in Five Democracies (Religious Forces in the Modern Political World)

By Stephen V. Monsma, Christopher J. Soper, Christopher J Soper

Book Overview

This important study compares and evaluates the nature of church-state relations in the United States, the Netherlands, Australia, Germany, and England. The authors conclude that the American conception of church-state separation, with its traditional emphasis on avoiding government establishment of religion, actually discriminates against religious groups by denying religious organizations, particularly schools, access to government services provided to other organizations. The authors persuasively argue that the U.S. can learn a great deal from these other nations in promoting religious neutrality and the free exercise of religion. A book in the series Religious Forces in the Modern Political World, edited by Allen D. Hertzke.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0847685691
• ISBN13: 9780847685691
• Release Date: July 1997
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 1.1" x 5.9"

Customer Reviews

great book

this was a required text in a college political science class. the book gave concise examples of concepts and read easily. plus, dr. hertzke was one of the book's editors.

Transcending liberalist ideology: the church-state case

I give this book more exactly 4,5 stars. I am glad I acquired the book and included it in my personal library of political science. The authors build on a solid framework of different church-state regimes. They analyse neither too many nor two few countries. However, extension by others to cover more countries would be welcome. One can also ask if a similar approach could not be used for studying relations of the state to other organisations than churches. In all cases, the hypothesis is that explicit separation of the state from certain values leads to implicit support to those who are the strongest in pushing the values of their own.