this book focuses on religion and politics and the dynamic interactions between them. It helps to understand the politics of religion in the United States and to appreciate the strategic choices that politicians and religious participants make when they participate in politics.

Laura R. Olson, Kevin R. Den Dulk

Preface -- Religion and Political Culture in America: The Historical Legacy to the Present -- Christianity and Its Major Branches -- Judaism, Islam, and Other Expressions of Religious Pluralism -- Voting and Religion in American Politics -- The Politics of Organized Religious Groups -- Religion and Political and Cultural Elites -- Religion, Civil Society, and Political Culture -- The Politics of Religion in the Legal System -- Church and State in the Courts -- Latino and African American Religion and Politics -- Gender, Religion, and Politics -- Theories of Religion, Culture, and American Politics