The Prophetic Pulpit: Clergy, Churches, and Communities in American Politics

(Paperback)

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Despite decades of claims to the contrary, the United States remains a deeply religious nation and American religious professionals occupy a prominent role in shaping the interests and attitudes of their congregations. In this work, Paul A. Djupe and Christopher Gilbert analyze national data from a survey of 2400 Episcopal and Evangelical Lutheran Church of America clergy, looking deeper into their motivations for political action. Using the survey data, the authors argue that while personal motivations are a factor, the decisions clergy make about their role in political and civic life are greatly affected by the specific needs of the congregations and communities as well as ongoing influences from their denominations. As the country heads into another election season, this work highlights the importance of every player in the political arena.

Reviews

This is a very perceptive bookespecially its attention to the dynamic interplay between clergy, their congregations, and the broader community. The authors write clearly and support their arguments with an unprecedented array of data and evidence. The Prophetic Pulpit focuses on clergy politics, but also illumines the broader issues of religion and American politics. -- Daniel J. B. Hofrenning, St. Olaf College
This is an outstanding book, full of important and path-breaking findings about the full range of factors that drive clergy's decisions about taking political action. Djupe and Gilbert show that the external contexts in which clergy live and work have profound ramifications for their attitudes about political engagement. -- Laura R. Olson, Clemson University
Djupe and Gilbert are to be commended for a path-breaking study that challenges numerous stereotypes of mainline clergy activism and that paves the way for more sophisticated scholarship in the field. * Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion *
In this fine book, Djupe and Gilbert provide an exemplar for future studies of clerical politics in the United States. This nuanced, methodologically sophisticated study will give pause to those who are too quick to relegate the Protestant Mainline to the political sideline. -- Ted G. Jelen, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Author Bio

Paul A. Djupe is assistant professor of political science at Denison University. Christopher P. Gilbert is professor of political science at Gustavus Adolphus College.