{"product_id":"9780190499686","title":"Pastors and Public Life: The Changing Face of American Protestant Clergy","description":"America's clergy are not just religious leaders. Their influence extends far beyond church doors. Houses of worship stand at the center of American civic life-one of the few spheres in which relatively diverse individuals gather together regularly. And the moral authority granted to pastors means that they are uniquely positioned to play a role in public debates.  Based on data gathered through national surveys of clergy across four mainline Protestant (the Disciples of Christ; the Presbyterian Church, USA; the Reformed Church in America; and the United Methodist Church) and three evangelical Protestant denominations (the Assemblies of God; the Christian Reformed Church; and, the Southern Baptist Convention), \u003cem\u003ePastors and Public Life\u003c\/em\u003e examines the changing sociological, theological, and political characteristics of American Protestant clergy over the past twenty-plus years. Smidt focuses on the relationship between clergy and politics-clergy positions on issues of American public policy, norms on what is appropriate for clergy to do politically, as well as the clergy's political cue-giving, their pronouncements on public policy, and political activism-and the impact these changes have on congregations and on American society as a whole.  \u003cem\u003ePastors and Public Life\u003c\/em\u003e is the first book to systematically examine such changes and continuity over time. It will be invaluable to scholars, students, pastors, and churchgoers.","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47077569822960,"sku":"9780190499686","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780190499686_p0.jpg?v=1763659572","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780190499686","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}