Religion and Political Process in an American City

Two themes in the political culture of the United States relate the nation's politics and government to religion. First is the sense of sacredness connected to the polity that is often termed "civil religion." Second is the institutional "separation of church and state," often turned into a normative "separate spheres" argument distancing religion from political activity. That these seemingly contradictory themes coexist is evidence for the interpretive openness of American culture. We observe both themes in the public politics of a mid-sized, northeastern city and identify three ways that the tensions between these themes are "resolved," allowing the themes to coexist and providing cultural resources for those involved in civic politics.