Theology and the Soul of the Liberal State

Conventional wisdom suggests that theology is necessarily unfriendly to the liberal state, but neither philosophical analysis nor empirical argument has convincingly established that conclusion. Examining the problem from a variety of perspectives, including law, philosophy, history, political theory, and religious studies, the essays in Theology and the Soul of the Liberal State suggest the possibilities for and limits on what theological reflection might contribute to liberal polities across the globe.

Leonard V. Kaplan is Mortimer M. Jackson Professor of Law at the University of Wisconsin Law School. Charles L. Cohen is professor of history and religious studies and director of the Lubar Institute for the Study of the Abrahamic Religions at University of Wisconsin-Madison.