Religion in the National Agenda

Should become a must-read for anyone interested in debates about 'religion' and religion in the United States and beyond.

~Charles Mathewes, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of Virginia

Religion in the National Agenda is a significant contribution to an important discussion.

~Christian Smith, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Sociology, University of Notre Dame

Refreshing in its clarity and directness this book defends the view that in order to know what "religion" means we need only to carefully observe and describe how we use the term. Sommerville nicely shows that our usage of this word is not as incoherent as is often claimed, and that a nominal definition can do a lot of work, helping us not only to understand how we talk, but also to make the classificatory decisions about whether this or that is religious required by our political and legal systems.

~Paul J. Griffiths, Warren Chair of Catholic Theology, Duke Divinity School

His consideration of relationships between religion and science, as well as religion and the law, are thought-provoking, and his discussion of the place of religion in political life should prove helpful... Recommended.

~CHOICE