Diminishing Divide: Religion™s Changing Role in American Politics - Hardcover

"[The Diminishing Divide] make[s] excellent use of the ever-increasing body of survey data that includes religion as an important analytic variable.... It is highly accessible in tone. The book is in fact a very good of example of how social science can be made digestible to the layperson. The style is straighforward, the layout is clear, and the authors have made a special effort to present data in charts that are quickly understandable to those whose ready grasp of more typical ways of presenting data might be challenged." --Frank Newport, The Gallup Organization, "Public Opinion Quarterly", 1/1/2003 .".. a fine work that makes a major contribution to understanding recent changes in the mix of religion and politics on the American scene. The book is certainly suitable for undergraduate courses that mix political themes with sociological or political analysis." --Douglas L. Koopman, Calvin College, "American Review of Politics", 11/1/2000 "a fine introduction to this field for scholars... an excellent supplemental text for political behavior courses and for (some) introductory classes." --Clyde Wilcox, Georgetown University, "The Journal of Politics", 11/1/2001 "The most up-to-date and comprehensive collection of data on religious voting patterns today, this book is essential reading for the election campaign." --Edd Doerr, "Voice of Reason", 10/11/2000 "A new book, The Diminishing Divide: Religion's Changing Role in American Politics (Brookings Institution, 2000), reports that whereas a narrow majority of Americans in 1968 wanted churches to stay out of politics, that opposition had eroded by 1996, w" --Gustav Niebuhr, Religion Reporter, "New York Times", 9/3/2000

A historical overview of religion in United States politics sets the tone as this book examines American religion and the changing role of religious institutions in American political life since the 1960s - particularly with respect to party affiliation and voting habits.