The key question addressed by this study is: does religion promote political stability or political change? Andrew Greeley's theory of the religious imagination is adopted for the study of religion. Politics is seen as including all those actions and attitudes directed towards the influencing of the making and the execution of policy which deals with concerns in which all members of a society have an interest. These actions and attitudes take the form of either demands or support. The relationships between religion and politics are tested in a secondary analysis of data from an NORC study on religious values conducted in 1979. The American nationwide sample of Catholics and former Catholics aged 18 to 19 are examined. Models of hypothesized relationships are tested by using path analysis based on ordinary least-square regression. After the models are tested for Catholics, Catholic disidentifiers, males, females, Germans, Irish, and Italians. The results demonstrate that religion may, given the content of that religion, promote either political stability or political change. The influence of religion on politics is contingent upon the content of that religion, particularly upon the religious imagery held by the respondents. Conventional images of God for the most part increase levels of confidence in the political authorities. These images contribute to political stability. When religious imagery has an influence on the view that the church and its functionaries should articulate progressive socio-political demands it is warm religious imagery. Warm images of God can contribute to the promotion of political change. Conventional images of God, for males and Italians, contribute to higher levels of conventional political participation. Warm images of God, for females and Germans, also have a positive influence on conventional political participation. This study demonstrates the need to include religion as an important consideration to be examined in any inquiry into the generation of demands and supports into the political system. It also provides a framework for the investigation of religion's influence on politics in cross-national and cross-cultural research.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Baylor University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 322-335).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Notre Dame, 2008. / Thesis directed by George Marsden for the Department of History. "July 2008." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 624-669).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Brown University, 2005. / Vita. Thesis advisor: James T. Patterson. Includes bibliographical references (leaves viii, 499). Also available online.

Thesis (M. Div.)--St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary, 1989. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 114-116).

Scholars have evaluated the causes of clergy political preferences and behavior for decades. As with party ID in the study of mass behavior, personal ideological preferences have been the relevant clergy literature's dominant behavioral predictor. Yet to the extent that clergy operate in bounded and specialized institutions, it is possible that much of the clergy political puzzle can be more effectively solved by recognizing these elites as institutionally-situated actors, with their preferences and behaviors influenced by the institutional groups with which they interact. I argue that institutional reference groups help to determine clergy political preferences and behavior. Drawing on three theories derived from neo-institutionalism, I assess reference group influence on clergy in two mainline Protestant denominations-the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Episcopal Church, USA. In addition to their wider and more traditional socializing influence, reference groups in close proximity to clergy induce them to behave strategically-in ways that are contrary to their sincerely held political preferences. These proximate reference groups comprise mainly parishioners, suggesting that clergy political behavior, which is often believed to affect laity political engagement, may be predicated on clergy anticipation of potentially unfavorable reactions from their followers. The results show a set of political elites (the clergy) to be highly responsive to strategic pressure from below. This turns the traditional relationship between elites and masses on its head, and suggests that further examination of institutional reference group influence on clergy, and other political elites, is warranted.

American Supreme Court jurisprudence in the area of religious freedom is, for the most part, predicated upon a form of liberal democratic theory commonly known as "procedural liberalism." A close analysis of this jurisprudence reveals that because of this theoretical basis, the Supreme Court has been unable to craft a consistent jurisprudence that adequately addresses the reality of religion as a pluralistic social institution. Based upon the detailed critiques of procedural liberalism by such thinkers as Charles Taylor and Iris Marion Young, and drawing upon a concept known as "deep diversity" suggested by Taylor, a new general political theory, identified as the theory of deep diversity, is developed to answer these critiques. This theory is then used to reconceptualize Supreme Court jurisprudence and to demonstrate how the theory can be applied in a practical way to resolve the many problems inherent in existing religious freedom jurisprudence so as to support and advance religious pluralism.

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This dissertation argues for the hope that is found in G. C. Berkouwer’s doctrines of providence and bodily resurrection in relation to the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, and the rising pervasiveness of the doctrine of hyperpreterism among American Reformed circles. In Part I of the dissertation, Berkouwer’s doctrine of providence is explained and then evaluated and applied. By way of explanation and exposition, Berkouwer’s knowledge of providence is examined, along with his theology of providence in sustenance and government, in relation to miracles, and the dilemma of the existence of God and evil. Following that is an evaluation and application of the doctrine to the 9/11 terrorist attack on America. In Part II, a theological/doctrinal study is undertaken concerning the doctrine of resurrection. Hyper-preterism is examined, along with its leading proponents, and placed into interaction with Berkouwer’s views of the doctrine of the physical resurrection of the body at the eschaton. / Theology / M.Th. (Philosophy & Systematic Theology)

This dissertation argues for the hope that is found in G. C. Berkouwer’s doctrines of providence and bodily resurrection in relation to the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, and the rising pervasiveness of the doctrine of hyperpreterism among American Reformed circles. In Part I of the dissertation, Berkouwer’s doctrine of providence is explained and then evaluated and applied. By way of explanation and exposition, Berkouwer’s knowledge of providence is examined, along with his theology of providence in sustenance and government, in relation to miracles, and the dilemma of the existence of God and evil. Following that is an evaluation and application of the doctrine to the 9/11 terrorist attack on America. In Part II, a theological/doctrinal study is undertaken concerning the doctrine of resurrection. Hyper-preterism is examined, along with its leading proponents, and placed into interaction with Berkouwer’s views of the doctrine of the physical resurrection of the body at the eschaton. / Theology / M.Th. (Philosophy & Systematic Theology)