Readings
Reading these books in my personal library, as well as others not mentioned, provided a diverse range of opinions. However, I could not find anyone who expressed what I felt was crucial in the context of what I perceived as relevant Scripture. Additionally, I tried to read various viewpoints, even those I found to be lacking in depth, logical reasoning, or sufficient argumentation. New books continue to emerge, but I suspect many simply revisit the same issues in a slightly different manner. If you have questions about any of the issues discussed in the books below, feel free to contact me via email to request a reply (please do not include any attachments).
Church - State Books
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.
____________ 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.
_____________ 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.
____________ 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.
___________ 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.
________________ The Christian Witness to the State. Scottsdale, PA: Herald Press, 1964, 2002.
________________ Discipleship as Political Responsibility. Scottsdale, PA: Herald Press, 1964, 2003.