Education, Religion, and the Common Good. Advancing a Distinctly American Conversation About Religion's Role in Our Shared Life. By Martin E Marty with Jonathan Moore. San Fransisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000. 164 pp.

This book draws on conversations held under the auspices of the Public Religion Project, which Marty directed. This aimed to "'bring to light and interpret the forces of faith in a pluralist society' in a country where so many people think of religion as a 'private affair'"(p 19). Based on the First Amendment to the US Constitution, it is often argued that any provision for "religion in taxpayer-funded and government run public education violates" the non-establishment of religion. This book invites readers to re-visit this assumption. Its authors support teaching about religion in all levels of America's public educational system. They claim that this is the only book that 'calls on readers to reflect on all levels' of education (p 3). Indeed, their comprehensive treatment even includes some discussion of home schooling (pp. 80 - 81). A basic premise is that what happens in private, church-related schools and Colleges should interest everybody, since there is a public dimension to private education (see pp. 76 - 79 on 'Religious Schools as Public Schools').

Chapters one and two discuss the definition of religion, the 'public good' and the advantage of 'conversation' over 'debate'. Chapter three sketches the historical context: post-1960's, an unofficial privileging of Protestant Christianity was replaced by a secular consensus that, in the name of protecting religious freedom, removed religion from the public square. On the other hand, as chapter eight shows, during the same period, Religious Studies has actually entered the public university, although courses on Buddhism or Hinduism are much more likely to be offered than courses on Christianity (p 107). The assumption here, rejected by these authors, is that no one can understand India without studying Hinduism, while "American culture can be understood without reckoning with the role of religion" (p 107).

They recognize that the 'Grade 13 Principle' presents a problem: post Grade 13, students are mature enough to handle plurality, below this the presentation of different religions as 'equal' may be confusing. Religious people, too, charge this neutral approach with relativism, which is why many prefer to send their children to religious schools and Colleges, which are also defended in this book (chapters 6 and 7). Both perform 'public' services. Often, they teach a more diverse constituency than do public schools; these tend to draw on immediate neighborhoods (or on their own State). The "Slippery Slope Towards Secularization", which many such institutions face, is also discussed (pp 97 - 101). What I find especially persuasive about this book is its argument for the public aspect of private schools, with its implications for tax - funding, such as vouchers (see p 12). What I found disappointing was lack of practical advice on how to introduce religion into the primary curriculum in ways which, to cite the authors, 'avoid running foul of the Constitution' (p 45). Clearly, they believe this is possible (see chapter 5, "Why Religion Belongs in Publicly Funded Education") but they could have told us more about how to do it, especially as the book ends with a call to action (chapter 10, "After Listening, A Time to Act').

Clinton Bennett

Baylor University.