Religious Interests in Community Conflict

A study of religious engagement at the community level by a distinguished team of researchers, this volume provides fodder for a strong conclusion anchored in social and political theory. This important book is exciting both for what it does and for the subsequent work it will stimulate.

~Kenneth D. Wald, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, University of Florida

This volume is a welcome addition to the field of religion and politics. The book's methodological diversity and emphasis on both key social issues such as gay marriage, as well as long-standing political concerns such as homelessness and healthcare, showcase effectively the many ways in which religious groups engage in community conflict. The editors do a nice job of integrating the findings into the larger scholarship on interest groups, ensuring that Religious Interests makes an important theoretical contribution to political science.

~Melissa Deckman, Associate Professor of Political Science, Washington College

This is not your standard edited collection, but a multi-pronged, multi-scholar research project focused around the key research questions of the motives and consequences of religious involvement in community conflict, and centered on four areas of public concern-moral issues, race relations, social justice, and the public square. This volume is a broad but deep examination of religion's involvement in local community political life, from cities to small towns, and in different regions across the nation.

~Rhys Williams, Professor of Sociology, University of Cincinnati

Students of religion and politics, as well as those interested in local political activities and community action, will benefit from this book... Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through practitioners.

~CHOICE