Politics and Religion

In the late sixties, scholars cautioned us that science and technology
were making religion irrelevant as a social force: “God is dead; modern
society is becoming secularized.” However, the seventies saw the takeover
of Iran by Islamic reactionaries, the rise of the Moral Majority, the involvement
of the Catholic hierarchy in the abortion and nuclear war issues, and the
all-out war between Christians and Muslims in Lebanon as well as intra-religious
strife on every continent.

The interaction of faith and governance is an undeniable reality of
the contemporary global scene. The last two decades have witnessed the
takeover of Iran by Islamic reactionaries, the involvement of the Catholic
hierarchy in the issues of abortion and nuclear war, acts of religious
terrorism, and the rising influence of Christian evangelists in American
politics.

As we approach the twenty-first century, religious fundamentalism remains
an influential force in the political arena. Evidence for the continued
strength of this movement includes the activities of the Moral Majority
and the Presidential candidacy of evangelist Pat Robertson.

The editors and contributors discuss religion and global order in relation
to a wide spectrum of concerns, secular and sacred. Chapters include discussions
of universalism within Christianity, the Protestant Reformation and individualism,
the conquest of the Americas by Spain, religion and the law, the Holy Spirit
and the ordering of the world, and televangelism in relation to globalization.

The interaction of faith and governance is an undeniable reality of
the contemporary global scene. The last two decades have witnessed the
takeover of Iran by Islamic reactionaries, the involvement of the Catholic
hierarchy in the issues of abortion and nuclear war, acts of religious
terrorism, and the rising influence of Christian evangelists in American
politics.