Preface; 1. Introduction : different stories; A story about the ways of power; A dominant story about the separation of church and state -- 2. Origins of power : the emergence of Christianity and antisemitism; The New Testament; The Christian discourse of redefinition : an excursus on power; The Roman establishment of Christianity : the first crystallization of church and state -- 3. The Christian middle ages; The early middle ages; The later middle ages -- 4. The Christian renaissance and reformation in continental Europe; The renaissance; The Lutheran reformation; The Calvinist reformation -- 5. The English reformation, civil war, and revolution; The English reformation; The civil war, restoration, and revolution; English political theory; Church and state at the end of the seventeenth century -- 6. The North American colonies; the early years: Calvinist roots; Christian declension and revival -- 7. The American revolution and constitution; The revolution and its aftermath; The constitution -- 8. The fruits of the framing : church and state in nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century America; The nineteenth century; Church and state in the early twentieth century -- 9. The fruits of the framing : church and state in late-twentieth-century America; The Supreme Court intervenes; A brief assessment of the Supreme Court cases -- 10. A synchronic analysis of the separation of church and state in the late twentieth century : concluding remarks; Symbolic power; Structural power; The interaction of symbolic and structural power; Final thoughts: a political statement.

Whether in the form of Christmas trees in town squares or prayer in school, fierce disputes over the separation of church and state have long bedeviled this country. Both decried and celebrated, this principle is considered by many, for right or wrong, a defining aspect of American national identity. Nearly all discussions regarding the role of religion in American life build on two dominant assumptions: first, the separation of church and state is a constitutional principle that promotes democracy and equally protects the religious freedom of all Americans, especially religious outgroups; and.

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