During the 2004 campaign, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops also issued a statement titled “Catholics in Political Life,” which sets out principles for Catholic candidates. On March 10, 2006, the bishops followed that up with a “Statement on Responsibilities of Catholics in Public Life.”

Every four years since 1976, the U.S. Catholic bishops have issued a statement on the roles and responsibilities of Catholics in American public life. In 2003 the bishops approved a comprehensive statement, “Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility.” Through its Web site, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops offers a host of resources for […]

Written by John Danforth (Viking Adult, 2006). Danforth, a former Republican senator from Missouri and an ordained Episcopalian minister, speaks out against the conflation of political agendas with religious views and the religious right’s focus on wedge issues.

Written by Gregory A. Boyd (Zondervan, 2006). Boyd, a theologian and pastor of Woodland Hills Church in St. Paul, Minn., discusses his worry over the growing alignment of Christianity and the right-wing ideology of the Republican Party.

Written by Randall Balmer (Basic Books, 2006). Balmer, an evangelical Christian, writes about what he believes has been the hijacking of the Christian faith on behalf of the Republican Party.

Written by David Kuo (Free Press, 2006). Kuo, who served as George W. Bush’s deputy director of the Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, discusses his path of disillusionment as he tried to blend faith and politics in the Bush White House.

Written by Michelle Goldberg (W.W. Norton, 2006). Goldberg investigates the increasing religious radicalism that led to the re-election of George W. Bush in 2004.

Written by Rabbi James Rudin (Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2006). Rudin looks at what he believes is a systematic campaign by Christian fundamentalists to co-opt and take over every facet of American society.

Written by Kevin Phillips (Viking, 2005). Phillips offers a harsh critique of the Republican coalition of the past 40 years held together by American oil interests, the emergence of social conservatives, Evangelicals, and Pentecostals and the American reliance on debt.