while the influence of religion on political behavior is widely recognized, (1) theologically-rooted norms, and the elites who hold or are influenced by them, frame and shape American policy choices to an extent that is not appreciated; (2) the country?s increasing religious diversity is affecting our ability to forge consensus or to govern; and (3) disciplinary ?silos? have prevented scholars from developing a sufficiently comprehensive synthesis of existing scholarship to adequately describe the nature and effects of the religious underpinnings of contemporary political polarization. As a result, while lawyers, political scientists and others recognize the more explicitly religious components of America?s current polarization, we fail to appreciate the extent to which conflicting policy preferences are rooted in religiously-shaped normative frameworks. Much like the blind men and the elephant, we encounter different parts of the animal. We see a tree, a wall, a snake?but we fail to apprehend the size, shape and power of the whole elephant.
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Category Archives: Academic Papers
Using Restraints: The Legal Context of High Risk Interventions
The treatment of children by mental health professionals–particularly in an institutional setting–implicates three sets of important, and frequently competing, interests.
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Religious Paradigms and the Rule of Law: Thinking in Red and Blue
While lawyers, political scientists and others recognize the more explicitly religious components of America?s current polarization, we fail to appreciate the extent to which conflicting policy preferences are rooted in religiously-shaped normative frameworks. Much like the blind men and the elephant, we encounter different parts of the animal. We see a tree, a wall, a snake?but we fail to apprehend the size, shape and power of the whole elephant.
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Privatization and Social Capital: Unasked Questions
Interestingly, despite a widespread belief that the voluntary sector is an important generator of social capital, no one to date has studied whether the seemingly inexorable growth of government contracting with nonprofit organizations might be contributing to a decline, slowing that decline, or changing the character of the social capital that is produced.
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What Separation of Church and State? Constitutional Competence of Congregational Leaders
While government units have provided services through religious nonprofits for decades,[6] Charitable Choice and the President?s initiative encourage direct contracts with religious congregations, rather than with the 501(c)3 affiliates that have traditionally delivered social services with government dollars. Those traditional providers?Catholic Charities, Lutheran Social Services, Jewish Family Services and the like?have generally displayed a sensitivity to the constitutional constraints that accompany public funds.[7] Congregations, however, unlike religious social service agencies, are first and foremost communities of worship.[8] It is fair to ask whether the leaders of such communities are as familiar with those constitutional constraints, and as willing, or able, to operate within them.
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