ABSTRACT
Social scientists have long suspected that individual religiosity influences political attitudes and behavior. And yet, the connection between religious faith and political consequence has proven elusive (Wuthnow 1973). Part of the problem lies in specifying which aspects of religion should have impact. As the chapters in this volume make clear, the many dimensions of religion influence political attitudes and behaviors in different ways, leaving analysts to sort out the effects. In undertaking this task, scholars have tested measures for concepts such as Christian orthodoxy, religious participation, devotionalism, biblical literalism, denominationalism, and religious tradition.
