Reading these books in my personal library, as well as others not mentioned, presented a diverse array of opinions. However, I could not find anyone who fully articulated what I perceived as essential in the context of what I interpreted as relevant Scripture. I read various viewpoints, even those I found lacking in depth or sufficient argumentation. New books continue to emerge, yet many revisit the same issues in a slightly different manner. Visit the Connect page for any questions or comments.

An asterisk (*) refers to books that I did not finish or were partially consulted (I would often read just the front pages, introduction, or segments of scholarly books). A caret (^) signifies a reference book.

Babcock, Michael. Unchristian America: Living with Faith in a Nation That Was Never Under God. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2008.

Balmer, Randall. Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and Threatens America – An Evangelical’s Lament. Cambridge, MA: Perseus, 2006.

Barth, Karl. Church and State. Greenville, SC: Smyth & Helwys, 1991.

Bezanson, Randall P. How Free Can Religion Be? Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 2006.

Black, Amy E. Beyond Left and Right: Helping Christians Make Sense of American Politics. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2008.

Boston, Robert. Taking Liberties: Why Religious Freedom Doesn’t Give You the Right to Tell Other People What to Do. Amherst, NY: Prometheus, 2014.

Boyd, Gregory A. The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005.

Briner, Bob. Roaring Lambs: A Gentle Plan to Radically Change Your World. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1993.

Brown, Robert McAfee. Saying Yes and Saying No: On Rendering to God and Caesar. Philadelphia: Westminster, 1986.

Camp, Lee C. Scandalous Witness: A Little Political Manifesto for Christians. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2020. Kindle.

Campolo, Tony. Red Letter Christians: A Citizen’s Guide to Faith and Politics. Ventura, CA: Gospel Light, 2008.

Carlin, David R. Can a Catholic Be a Democrat? How the Party I Loved Became the Enemy of My Religion. Manchester, NH: Sophia Institute Press, 2006.

Carter, Jimmy. Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005.

Carter, Stephen L. The Culture of Disbelief: How American Law and Politics Trivialize Religious Devotion. New York: Doubleday, 1994.

Carter, Stephen L. God’s Name in Vain: The Wrongs and Rights of Religion in Politics. New York: Basic Books, 2000.

Chaput, Charles J. Render Unto Caesar: Serving the Nation by Living Our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life. New York: Doubleday, 2008.

Claiborne, Shane, and Chris Haw. Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008.

Crossan, John Dominic. God & Empire: Jesus Against Rome, Then and Now. New York: HarperOne, 2007.

Danforth, John. Faith and Politics: How the “Moral Values” Debate Divides America and How to Move Forward Together. New York: Penguin, 2006.

De Jong, Norman, and Jack Van Der Slik. Separation of Church and State: The Myth Revisited. Ontario, Canada: Redeemer, 1985.

Douglas, Mark. Believing Aloud: Reflections on Being Religious in the Public Square. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2010.

Dreisbach, Daniel L. Real Threat and Mere Shadow: Religious Liberty and the First Amendment. Westchester, IL: Crossway Books, 1987.

Dreisbach, Daniel L. Thomas Jefferson and the Wall of Separation Between Church and State. New York: NYU Press, 2002.

Dugan, Robert. Stand and Be Counted: A Washington Insider Tells How to Preserve America’s Liberties for You and Your Children. Sisters, OR: Multnomah, 1995.

Fackre, Gabriel. The Religious Right & Christian Faith. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1982.

Ford, Marcia. We the Purple: Faith, Politics, and the Independent Voter. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2008.

Frank, Thomas. What’s the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America. New York: Metropolitan, 2004.

Gaddy, C. Welton, and Barry W. Lynn. First Freedom First: A Citizen’s Guide to Protecting Religious Liberty and the Separation of Church and State. Boston: Beacon Press, 2008.

Geisler, Norman, and Frank Turek. Legislating Morality: Is It Wise? Is It Legal? Is It Possible? Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1998.

Gibbs, David C. Jr., with Jerry Newcombe. One Nation Under God: Ten Things Every Christian Should Know About the Founding of America. Seminole, FL: Christian Law Association, 2005.

Gibson, John. The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday Is Worse Than You Thought. New York: Sentinel, 2005.

Gilgoff, Dan. The Jesus Machine: How James Dobson, Focus on the Family, and Evangelical America Are Winning the Culture War. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2008.

Gillman, Howard, and Erwin Chemerinsky. The Religion Clauses: The Case for Separating Church and State. New York: Oxford University Press, 2020. Kindle.

Goldberg, Michelle. Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism. New York: Norton, 2006.

^Grudem, Wayne. Politics — According to the Bible: A Comprehensive Resource for Understanding Modern Political Issues in Light of Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010.

Gushee, David P., ed. Christians and Politics: Beyond the Culture Wars, An Agenda for Engagement. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2000.

Hall, Mark David. Did America Have a Christian Founding? Separating Modern Myth from Historical Truth. Nashville: Nelson, 2019.

Hanson, Paul D. Political Engagement as Biblical Mandate. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2010.

Hayford, Jack W. Ten Steps Toward Saving America: A Practical, Powerful, and Compassionate Approach to Biblical Citizenship. Van Nuys, CA: Living Way, 1994.

Hedges, Chris. American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America. New York: Free Press, 2006.

Hendricks, Obery M. Jr. The Politics of Jesus: Rediscovering the True Revolutionary Nature of the Teachings of Jesus and How They Have Been Corrupted. New York: Doubleday, 2006.

Herron, Roy. God and Politics: How Can a Christian Be in Politics? Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale, 2005.

Hertzke, Allen D. Representing God in Washington: The Role of Religious Lobbies in the American Polity. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 1988.

Hewitt, Hugh. In, But Not Of: A Guide to Christian Ambition and the Desire to Influence the World. Nashville: Nelson, 2003.

Horowitz, David. Dark Agenda: The War to Destroy Christian America. West Palm Beach, FL: Humanix Books, 2018. Kindle.

^Horton, Michael Scott, ed. Power Religion: The Selling Out of the Evangelical Church? Chicago: Moody, 1992.

Howe, Ben. The Immoral Majority: Why Evangelicals Chose Political Power Over Christian Values. New York: Broadside Books, 2019. Kindle.

Hughes, Richard T. Christian America and the Kingdom of God. Chicago: University of Illinois, 2009.

Hunter, George G. III. Christian, Evangelical & Democrat? Nashville: Abingdon, 2006.

Hynes, Patrick. In Defense of the Religious Right: Why Conservative Christians Are the Lifeblood of the Republican Party and Why That Terrifies the Democrats. Nashville: Nelson, 2006.

Kosmin, Barry A., and Seymour P. Lachman. One Nation Under God: Religion in Contemporary American Society. New York: Crown, 1993.

Kramnick, Isaac, and R. Laurence Moore. The Godless Constitution: The Case Against Religious Correctness. New York: Norton, 1997.

Krannawitter, Thomas L., and Daniel C. Palm. A Nation Under God? The ACLU and Religion in American Politics. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005.

Kruse, Kevin M. One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America. New York: Basic Books, 2015.

Kuo, David. Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction. New York: Free Press, 2006.

Lambert, Frank. The Founding Fathers and the Place of Religion in America. New Jersey: Princeton, 2003. Kindle.

Limbaugh, David. Persecution: How Liberals Are Waging War Against Christianity. New York: HarperCollins, 2004.

Lindberg, Tod. The Political Teachings of Jesus. New York: HarperCollins, 2007.

Lindsay, D. Michael. Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite. New York: Oxford, 2007.

Loehr, Davidson. American Fascism and God: Sermons from a Heretical Preacher. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green, 2005.

Lynn, Barry. God and Government: Twenty-Five Years of Fighting for Equality, Secularism and Freedom of Conscience. Amherst, NY: Prometheus, 2015.

Lutzer, Erwin W. We Will Not Be Silenced. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2020.

^Mac, Toby, and Michael Tait of DC Talk, with Wallbuilders. Under God. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2004.

MacArthur, John F. Jr. Why Government Can’t Save You: An Alternative to Political Activism. Nashville: Word, 2000.

MacArthur, John F. Jr. Can God Bless America? The Biblical Pathway to Blessing. Nashville: Nelson, 2002.

Marsh, Charles. Wayward Christian Soldiers: Freeing the Gospel from Political Captivity. New York: Oxford, 2007.

Merritt, Jonathan. A Faith of Our Own: Following Jesus Beyond the Culture Wars. New York: FaithWords, 2012.

Minnery, Tom. Why You Can’t Stay Silent: A Biblical Mandate to Shape Our Culture. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 2001.

Monsma, Steve. Healing for a Broken World: Christian Perspectives on Public Policy. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008.

Moore, Russell. Onward: Engaging the Culture Without Losing the Gospel. Nashville: B&H Publishing, 2015. Kindle.

Morgan, Robin. Fighting Words: A Toolkit for Combating the Religious Right. New York: Avalon, 2006.

Murray, Williams J. The Pledge: One Nation Under God. Chattanooga, TN: AMG, 2007.

Nash, Ronald H. Why the Left Is Not Right: The Religious Left—Who They Are and What They Believe. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996.

Neuhaus, Richard John. The Naked Public Square: Religion and Democracy in America. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1986.

Nyquist, J. Paul. Prepare: Living Your Faith in an Increasingly Hostile Culture. Chicago: Moody, 2015.

O’Neill, Tip, with Gary Hymel. All Politics Is Local, and Other Rules of the Game. New York: Random House, 1994.

Parsley, Rod. Silent No More. Lake Mary, FL: Strang, 2005.

Pecknold, C. C. Christianity and Politics: A Brief Guide to the History. Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2010.

Press, Bill. How the Republicans Stole Christmas: The Republican Party’s Declared Monopoly on Religion and What Democrats Can Do to Take It Back. New York: Doubleday, 2005.

Rauch, Bill. Politicking: How to Get Elected, Take Action, and Make an Impact in Your Community. New York: Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2004.

Redekop, John H. Politics Under God. Scottsdale, PA: Herald, 2007.

Reed, Ralph. Politically Incorrect: The Emerging Faith Factor in American Politics. Dallas: Word, 1994.

Rodriguez, Samuel. The Lamb’s Agenda: Why Jesus Is Calling You to a Life of Righteousness and Justice. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2013.

Schaeffer, Francis A. A Christian Manifesto. Westchester, IL: Crossway Books, 1981.

Sider, Ronald J. The Scandal of Evangelical Politics: Why Are Christians Missing This Chance to Really Change the World? Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 2008.

Sine, Tom. Cease Fire: Searching for Sanity in America’s Culture Wars. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995.

Smith, Christian. Christian America? What Evangelicals Really Want. Los Angeles: University of California, 2000.

Starr, Ken. Religious Liberty in Crisis: Exercising Your Faith in an Age of Uncertainty. New York: Encounter Books, 2021.

Taylor, Mark Lewis. Religion, Politics, and the Christian Right: Post-9/11 Power and American Empire. Minneapolis: Fortress, 2005.

Thomas, Cal, and Ed Dobson. Blinded by Might: Why the Religious Right Can’t Save America. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000.

Townsend, Kathleen Kennedy. Failing America’s Faithful: How Today’s Churches Are Mixing God with Politics and Losing Their Way. New York: Warner, 2007.

Waldman, Steven. Founding Faith: How Our Founding Fathers Forged a Radical New Approach to Religious Liberty. New York: Random House, 2008.

Wallis, Jim. God’s Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn’t Get It. New York: HarperCollins, 2005.

Wallis, Jim. The Great Awakening: Reviving Faith & Politics in a Post-Religious Right America. New York: HarperCollins, 2008.

Wallis, Jim, with Chuck Gutenson. Living God’s Politics: A Guide to Putting Your Faith into Action. New York: HarperCollins, 2006.

Wexler, Jay. Holy Hullabaloos: A Road Trip to the Battlegrounds of the Church/State Wars. Boston: Beacon Press, 2009.

Whitehead, John W. Religious Apartheid: The Separation of Religion from American Public Life. Chicago: Moody, 1994.

Williams, Daniel K. God’s Own Party: The Making of the Christian Right. New York: Oxford, 2010. Kindle & paperback.

^Williamson, Rene de Visme. Politics and Protestant Theology: An Interpretation of Tillich, Barth, Bonhoeffer and Brunner. Rev. ed. Lenoir, NC: Reformation Press, 2005.

Wills, Garry. Under God: Religion and American Politics. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1990.

^Wilson, John F., and Donald L. Drakeman, eds. Church and State in American History: Key Documents, Decisions, and Commentary from the Past Three Centuries. 3rd ed. Boulder, CO: Westview, 2003.

Winters, Michael Sean. Left at the Altar: How the Democrats Lost the Catholics and How the Catholics Can Save the Democrats. New York: Basic Books, 2008.

Wood, James E. Jr. Nationhood and the Kingdom. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1977.

Wuthnow, Robert. The Struggle for America’s Soul: Evangelicals, Liberals & Secularism. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1989.

Yoder, John Howard. The Politics of Jesus: Vicit Agnus Noster. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1994.

Yoder, John Howard. The Christian Witness to the State. Scottsdale, PA: Herald Press, 1964, 2002.

Yoder, John Howard. Discipleship as Political Responsibility. Scottsdale, PA: Herald Press, 1964, 2003.