Currently, public religion is in a time of flux and the notion of the common good—once associated with the Protestant voice in America—is openly contested by new religious coalitions seeking to communicate their version of the truth and plant their stake in the public domain.

Preface The Public and the Public's Publics by Martin E. Marty Can Religion Be Religious in Public? by Phillip Hammond Public Religion vis-a-vis the Prophetic Role of Religion by James E. Wood, Jr. Multiculturalism and Public Religion: Is There a Common American Culture? by Robert N. Bellah Why Study About Religion? The Contribution of the Study of Religion to American Public Life by Jacob Neusner and William Scott Green Table Manners: Sitting Around the Public Table by Peggy L. Shriver Public Religion and Economic Inequality by James D. Davidson and Ralph E. Pyle Religious Identity and Public Discourse: On the Importance of Common Ground in the Public Church by James R. Kelly Religion Out of the Closet: Public Religion and Homosexuality by James K. Wellman, Jr. Public Religion and New Religions by James T. Richardson Public Religion and Hegemony: Contesting the Language of the Common Good by Rhys H. Williams The Public and the Pubic: Is Nothing Private Any More? by William H. Swatos, Jr. Selected Bibliography Index

"Public religion is the central ideological conundrum in American society today, and this excellent set of essays provides the best overview of the subject that I know." -- Mark Silk^LDirector, Center for the Study of Religion in Public Life^LTrinity College, Hartford