DESCRIPTION
Series: Emory University Studies in Law and Religion (EUSLR)Timely examination of how religious liberty and secular government in the U.S. intersectIn this book Ira Lupu and Robert Tuttle break through the unproductive American debate over competing religious rights. They present an original theory that makes the secular character of the American government, rather than a set of individual rights, the centerpiece of religious liberty in the United States.
Through a comprehensive treatment of relevant constitutional themes and through their attention to both historical concerns and contemporary controversies — including issues often in the news — Lupu and Tuttle define and defend the secular character of U.S. government.
REVIEWS
Journal of Church & State
"Fresh and thought-provoking. . . . A welcome contribution."
Steven Smith
— University of San Diego
"For well over a decade now, the scholarly team of Ira Lupu and Robert Tuttle has been a valuable and distinctive voice in conversations about religion, law, and government. Secular Government, Religious People reflects the mature, comprehensive culmination of that collaboration. . . . This is a formidable book that will have to be reckoned with."
Frederick Mark Gedicks
— Brigham Young University Law School
"Lupu and Tuttle have long been among the most important legal commentators on American religious liberty and the separation of church and state. In this book they brilliantly synthesize their prior work into a structural interpretation of the Establishment Clause that is historically and textually sound. . . . A major work that all scholars of law and religion will need to read and consider."
Choice
"Lupu and Tuttle (both, George Washington Univ.) employ their considerable knowledge to explain the paradox of a secular government and a (largely) religious people. . . . The authors are familiar not only with all recent Supreme Court decisions on the subject but also with a plethora of 19th-century cases that provide a rare perspective on their subject."
Americans for Religious Liberty
"This book gives a closely reasoned defense of secular government. . . . A valuable corrective to the many misinterpretations that surround the meaning of the First Amendment."
Library Journal
"This book is skillfully argued, and presents an important new framework for navigating notoriously thorny territory. . . . Highly recommended for scholars of law and religion."
Publishers Weekly
"Legal scholars and church-state separation experts will appreciate this book."