ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the points of controversy over the role of religion in public life. It discusses the current developments in church-state relations and the prospects for defusing the tensions. The chapter explores the tension between those who want a strict separation of church and state and those who want to foster a closer link between religion and governing. The connection between religion and politics is not just restricted to constitutional interpretations of the First Amendment. Rather, religion plays an important role in the self-definition of the American people, which carries over into political self-definition and electoral participation. In terms of general religious categories, Protestants currently make up 51" of Americans who self-identify their religious affiliation. Among Protestants, Baptists are the largest denomination, and they are based largely in the South and Midwest. As a result, politics and religion are engaged in a difficult battle of ideas and beliefs that has divided the United States.
