Journal of Church and State

Journal of Church and State
Title	Journal of Church and State
Discipline	Religious studies; Law; Political science
Abbreviation	J. Church State
Publisher	Oxford University Press for Center for the Study of Law and Religion?
Country	United States
Frequency	Quarterly
History	1959–present
Issn	0021-969X

Journal of Church and State The Journal of Church and State is a peer-reviewed academic periodical addressing intersections among religion, law, politics, history, and public life. Established in 1959 and published quarterly, the journal has served as a forum for scholarship by scholars affiliated with institutions such as Emory University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, Yale University, and Oxford University Press contributors. Its readership spans faculty at Princeton University, judges from the Supreme Court of the United States, legal practitioners at American Civil Liberties Union, and historians affiliated with the Smithsonian Institution.

History

From its founding in 1959, the Journal of Church and State emerged amid debates involving actors like the United States Supreme Court and scholars connected to the First Amendment jurisprudence. Early volumes engaged with landmark events including decisions following Everson v. Board of Education and the evolving doctrine traced through cases like Engel v. Vitale and Lemon v. Kurtzman. Contributors in the 1960s and 1970s included leading figures from Columbia University, University of Chicago, Stanford University, and public intellectuals associated with the Kennedy administration and the Nixon administration. During the 1980s and 1990s the journal published work responding to debates involving actors such as Jerry Falwell, institutions like Bob Jones University, and legislative disputes exemplified by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. Into the twenty-first century the journal has addressed post-9/11 intersections with scholarship from Brookings Institution, analyses referencing the Patriot Act, and comparative studies involving European Court of Human Rights and scholars from University of Oxford.

Scope and Content

The journal covers scholarship on the interaction of religious institutions such as Roman Catholic Church, Southern Baptist Convention, United Methodist Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, and Jewish Theological Seminary with legal regimes and political actors. It publishes articles that analyze jurisprudence from courts including the Supreme Court of the United States, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the European Court of Human Rights, as well as comparative studies involving nations such as France, Italy, India, Israel, and Turkey. Typical topics include constitutional questions tied to the First Amendment, legislative developments like the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, historical studies of movements such as the Social Gospel, and case studies involving organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. The journal also engages religious thinkers and institutions including Pope John Paul II, Martin Luther King Jr., Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Reinhold Niebuhr, and scholars from Princeton Theological Seminary.

Editorial Structure and Publication Details

Editorial oversight has historically involved scholars from institutions including Emory University School of Law, Georgetown University Law Center, Harvard Law School, and Yale Law School. The editorial board typically comprises law professors, historians, and political scientists from universities such as Columbia University, University of Chicago, Stanford University, Rutgers University, and Duke University. The journal is issued quarterly, with production handled by a publisher with an academic imprint comparable to Oxford University Press or similar scholarly publishers. Submissions undergo peer review by experts affiliated with organizations like the American Academy of Religion, the Law and Society Association, and editorial advisory boards linked to the Center for the Study of Law and Religion.

Abstracting and Indexing

Journal of Church and State is abstracted and indexed in major bibliographic services used by scholars at JSTOR, ProQuest, Scopus, and EBSCOhost. It is included in legal and theological indices consulted by researchers at HeinOnline, the ATLA Religion Database, and library catalogs at institutions such as Library of Congress and British Library. Citation tracking appears in databases managed by entities like Clarivate and Google Scholar, and the journal is discoverable through university repositories at Harvard University Digital Repository and Cambridge University Library.

Reception and Impact

Scholars from Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, University of Chicago, and Oxford University commonly cite the journal in debates about church–state separation and religious liberty. Its articles have influenced jurisprudential commentary in opinions authored by justices of the Supreme Court of the United States and been referenced in amicus briefs filed by organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union and Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. The journal has shaped curricula at seminaries like Princeton Theological Seminary and law courses at Georgetown University Law Center, and has been reviewed in outlets including The New York Times, The Atlantic, and academic reviews in journals such as Law and History Review and Journal of American History.

Notable Articles and Special Issues

Notable contributions have included analyses of decisions such as Lemon v. Kurtzman and Employment Division v. Smith, comparative studies on secularism in France and Turkey, and historical essays on movements linked to figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Pope John Paul II. Special issues have focused on themes involving religious freedom and national security after September 11 attacks, the role of faith-based organizations in public welfare policy involving debates in Congress of the United States, and transnational perspectives featuring scholars from University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and National University of Singapore.

Category:Religious studies journals Category:Law journals