Religion, Economics, and Public Policy: Ironies, Tragedies, and Absurdities of the Contemporary Culture Wars

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

As Americans seem bent on dismantling the safety net of the New Deal era, the most popular version of the culture wars' thesis paints an arguably cosmic battle between defenders of religious orthodoxy who embrace laissez-faire capitalism and secular elites who have imposed a Marxist welfare state upon an unsuspecting populace. Walsh shows that this thesis ignores the role of religious leaders in legitimizing the types of programs embodied in America's approach to the welfare state. Walsh explores the arguments of William Jennings Bryan, America's foremost fundamentalist who opposed the Social Darwinism often associated with the defense of laissez-faire capitalism, John Ryan, the Catholic priest whose writings foreshadowed Roosevelt's New Deal legislation, Reinhold Niebuhr, the influential mainstream Protestant leader who defended America's Cold War strategy of containment while opposing laissez-faire capitalism, and the arguments of influential African American Protestant and Jewish leaders. Finally he looks at the role of religious leaders in the contemporary debates over issues such as health care and welfare reform. Whenever possible, the relationship between the official views of the religious leaders is analyzed in light of the opinions and voting patterns of their constituents. The opinions and voting patterns of secular Americans are also contrasted to those of religious Americans. Of particular interest to scholars, students, and general readers concerned with the role of religion in American politics.

Reviews

[A] concise and well-argued analysis of its subject matter. General readers, all student levels, professionals and practitioners.-Choice
[W]ell-written and accessible.-Research News and Opportunities in Science and Technology
Dr. Walsh is to be commended for providing a clear and concise account of twentieth-century trends in the culture wars, one that gives perceptive hints concerning how the culture wars may play out in the future.-Pro Rege
[W]ell-written and accessible.Research News and Opportunities in Science and Technology
"A concise and well-argued analysis of its subject matter. General readers, all student levels, professionals and practitioners."-Choice
"Well-written and accessible."-Research News and Opportunities in Science and Technology
"[A] concise and well-argued analysis of its subject matter. General readers, all student levels, professionals and practitioners."-Choice
"[W]ell-written and accessible."-Research News and Opportunities in Science and Technology
"Dr. Walsh is to be commended for providing a clear and concise account of twentieth-century trends in the culture wars, one that gives perceptive hints concerning how the culture wars may play out in the future."-Pro Rege

Author Bio

ANDREW D. WALSH is Assistant Professor of Religion and Philosophy at Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Missouri./e Professor Walsh's earlier writings have focused on church-state issues. He has also written about how diverse religious communities in the United States sought to influence the public debates surrounding the Persian Gulf War.