Christians and the Public Square

Politics and faith are tricky areas for Christians to negotiate. The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees religious freedom for all Americans. Some have argued through the years this means, in part, that people of faith must keep their religious convictions to themselves when participating in public discourse. Such a position not only ignores the rich history of religiously inspired reform in this country (such as the movements against slavery and, a century later, for civil rights), it also results in what Richard John Neuhaus once described as a "naked public square," a morally and intellectually impoverished culture stripped bare of all religious influence.

NextSunday Resources provides adult Bible studies on a wide range of topics, all of which are useful for individual or group study. The Study Guide offers four lessons with in-depth commentary and Bible background material. A free, downloadable Teaching Guide features a wealth of options, questions and ideas for teaching each lesson.