Religious Interests in Community Conflict

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

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