ABSTRACT
This chapter illustrates the roots of the distinction in liberalism and in American religious and political life, including how religion itself has succumbed to the dichotomizing forces. It explores how the rise of religious politics and contemporary church-state debates has clouded the conventional distinction. The chapter argues that current policy issues cannot be resolved if the dichotomy is preserved. The clouding is primarily due, not to new religious fervor, but to features of contemporary policy issues and conflicts that cast doubt on the distinction itself. Liberal and conservative Christian theology part company on, among other things, the question of whether salvation is public or private. Religion is an orientation to the transcendent, to what its adherents believe to be beyond any human control or dependence in being, worth, power, and dignity. The distinction between public and private is crucial to liberalism because it is a foundational concept in liberal society.
