The Challenge of Pluralism: Church and State in Five Democracies (Religious Forces in the Modern Political World)

This important study compares and evaluates the nature of church-state relations in the United States, the Netherlands, Australia, Germany, and England. The authors conclude that the American conception of church-state separation, with its traditional emphasis on avoiding government establishment of religion, actually discriminates against religious groups by denying religious organizations, particularly schools, access to government services provided to other organizations. The authors persuasively argue that the U.S. can learn a great deal from these other nations in promoting religious neutrality and the free exercise of religion. A book in the series Religious Forces in the Modern Political World, edited by Allen D. Hertzke.