DOCUMENT RESUME ED 278 597 SO 017 881 AUTHOR Gunn, Giles, Ed. TITLE Church, State and American Culture. Church, State and the First Amendment: A North Carolina Dialogue. INSTITUTION North Carolina Univ., Chapel Hill. Program in the Humanities and Human Values. SPONS AGENCY National Endowment for the Humanities (NFAH), Washington, D.C. PUB DATE 85 NOTE 110p.; For related documents, see SO 017 879-880. PUB TYPE Reports - Descriptive (141) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC05 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Churches; Civil Liberties; Civil Rights; *Constitutional History; Culture; Government Role; Relationship; *Religion; *Religious Cultural Groups; *Religious Differences; State Chuch Separation; *United States History ABSTRACT The anthology focuses on some of the differentways people in the United States and others have interpretedthe relation between First Amendment provisions and religious freedom. Thebook is organized into six chapters, each suggestive ofa different framework of ideas or terms: (1) political, (2) legal, (3) comparative, (4) theological, (5) cultural and historical, and (6) ideological.The different readings reflect perspectives from which peoplehave addressed problems involving the relationship between religion inthe United States and the U.S. government. Each chapter contains- questions for discussions. (KWL) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best thatcan be made * * from the original document. * *********************************************************************** cs, (.1 e1/4, Church, Stte (.ind Americ4n Cultur edited by Giles Gunn "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE TI-IIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY S. h TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." U.S. OEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Offtce ol Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) *his document has been reproduced as eceived from the person or organization CHURCH, STATE originating it. 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality. and the Points of view or opinions stated on this docu- ment do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. FIRST AMENDMENT: A North Carolina Dialogue BEST COPY AVAILABLE Sponsored by: The Program in the Humanities and Human Values of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill under a grant from The National Enlowment for the Humanities 2 Church, State and American Culture edited by Giles Gunn Amendment I Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to peti- tion the government for a redress of grievances. Major funding for CHURCH, STATE AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT A NORTH CAROLINA DIALOGUE has been provit:ed under a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. 4 Copyright ° 1985 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Manufactured in the United States, of America CHURCH, STATE AND THE HRST AMENDMENT:A NORTH CAROLINA DIALOGUE Volume 1: Religion and Government in Other Countries Edited by James C. Livingston Professor Livingston teaches in the Department of Religion at the College of William and Mary.The author of MrYiE ra Chris- tian Thought: From the Enlightenment to Vatican II, he recently edited an anthology entitled ReligiousThought in the Eighteena, Century. In Religion and Government in Other Countries, Professor Livingston presents readingson the role of religion in other societies: the Islamic Republic of Iran, England, Franc; Germany, The USSR, and Israel. This anthology providesfore1gn models against which we can judge the strengths and the weaknesses ofour own constitutional arrangements. Volume II: Religion and Law in American History Edited by John E. Semonche Professor Semonche, a lawyer and historian, teaches American constitutional and legal history in theDepartment of History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is the author of Charting the Future: The SupremeCourt Responds to a Changing Society, 1890-1920 and Ray Stannard Baker: A Quest for Democracy in Modern America, 1870-1918.In Part I of this anthology, Pro- fessor Semonche presents selections which address the historical and philosophical backgroundof the religion clauses. In Part II he presents selections from the major court opinions,on the relationship of religion and government Volume III: Church, State and American Culture Edited by Giles Gunn Professor Gunn is a member of the Department of Religious Studies and the Curriculum in AmericanStudies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The authorof a number of studieson religion and literature, Professor Gunn recently edited New World Metaphysics and The Bible and American Arts and Letters. He is also the author of The Interpretationof Otherness. In Church, State and American Culture, he presents readings on the tensions between America'sstrong religious heritage and the secularism of her fundamental law. Volume IV: Church, State and Education Edited by Waldo Beach Professor Beach teaches in the Divinity School of Duke University. Among his publicationsare Christian Community and Ameri- can Society, The Wheel and the Cross: A Christian Response to the Technological Revolution, and The Christian Life. In ,his anthology,he includes readings on the school prayer controversy, the creationism-evolution debate, the 'humanisrnlin-the-schoolsdispute, and government regulation of religious schools. These anthologies are available for use in community programs sponsored by non-profit organizationsTo obtaincopie., con- tact CHURCH, STATE AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT A NORTHCAROLINA DIALOGUE, 209 Abernethy Halt, Univer- sity of North Carolina at Chapei Hill, Chapel Hill, NC27514. 5 North Carolina Dialogue Advisory Committee James 0. Abrahamson, Pastor John V. Orth, Associate Professor of Law Chapel Hill Bible Church University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill James Bond, Professor of Law J. Dickson Phillips, Jr., Judge Wake Forest University U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit David Bowman, Pastor Gerald J. Postema, Associate Professor of Philosophy First Presbyterian Church University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Rocky Mount, NC Walter F. Pratt, Jr., Assoeate Professor of Law Peter Fish, Professor of Political Science Duke University Duke University Prezell Robinson, President Edward G. Holley, Dean St. Augustine's College School of Library Science University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A. C. Snow, Editor The Raleigh Times Pamela S. Mayer, Superintendent Chapel Hill-Carrboro School System Arnold S. Task, Rabbi lemple Emanuel Warren A. Nord, Director Greensboro, NC Program in the Humanities and Human Values University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Grant Wacker, Aslistant Professor of Religious Studies Unf'. ersity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Project Director Diane Sasson Program in the Humanities and Human Values University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Preface Throughout the 1984 national election a debate raged over theproper relationship between church and state in this country. News magazines devoted cover stories to the topic. Talkshows featured prominent religious leaders, politicians, and civil libertarians who offered their opinions on issues ranging from school prayer to the nuclear freeze. In nationally televised debatesPresident Ron- ald Reagan and former Vice President Walter Mondale confronted questions about their personal religious beliefsand how these beliefs might affect their decisions in public office. Concerned clergymen signeda statement warning of the dangers of "Armageddon theologyr Emotions ran high and disagreementswere sharp. Although the 1984 election is past, Americans continue to struggle with the proper role of religion in politks, education, and culture. Yet despite the quantity of discussion, the quality of the debate is oftennot of the caliber we would wish. Tco often we talk past each other; too often we fail to listen to what others say. Because in a pluralistic society we Americansare divided by basic and frequently unnoticed assumptions about religion, thepurposes of the state, and the principles of constitutional law, we frequently fail to recognize the underlying reasons for our disagreements. CHURCH, STATE AND THE FIRST AMENDMENT A NORTH CAROLINA DIALOGUE seeksto provide citizens of the state with opportunities to examine closely the meaning of thetwo religion clauses of the First Amendment. Through public forums and debates, community programs, study groups, and radio and television documentaries, this projectencourages North Carolinians to place church-state issues into broader historical, religious and philosophicalcontexts, and to gain a wider perspective on the separation of church and state in America by comparing it with the relationship between religion and government in other countries. This arthology is one of four collections of background readingson church-state issues designed to provide primary materials througl, which North Carolinians can better understand the religion clauses of the First Amendment. Each anthologyhas been edited by an acknowledged scholar. With insight into the complexities of the topic and fairnessto divergent points of view, these editors have selected materials representing a wide range of philosophical, religious, and political perspectives. They have included historical and legal documents, essays by philosophers and observers of the Americanscene, as well