ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the status of the wide variety of religious traditions in America and charts their political impact. It focuses on the most prominent traditions of Christianity in the United States and their enduring yet changing roles in shaping public life. A particularly important development is the growth in the number of Americans who see themselves as spiritual people, only loosely connected with Christianity or any other formal religion. Christianity in America flourishes with pluralism and vitality, yet it does so amid contrary secular forces, which creates a tension. On the one hand, professed faith seems to be strong, and Christian churches remain heavily involved in society and politics. On the other hand, moral and ethical problems abound, and many powerful institutions—such as the mass media, government, business, public schools, and universities—are driven primarily by secular logics that differ from religious teachings and speak for increasingly large numbers of Americans.
