This important study compares and evaluates the nature of church-state relations in the United States, the Netherlands, Australia, Germany, and England. The authors conclude that the American conception of church-state separation, with its traditional emphasis on avoiding government establishment of religion, actually discriminates against religious groups by denying religious organizations, particularly schools, access to government services provided to other organizations.

Author Biography

Stephen V. Monsma is professor of political science at Pepperdine University and author of When Sacred and Secular Mix: Religious Nonprofit Organizations and Public Money (Rowman & Littlefield, 1996). J. Christopher Soper is assistant professor of political science at Pepperdine University.