The Influence of Faith: Religious Groups and U.S. Foreign Policy

This is the most impressive collection on religion and politics I have ever encountered, sophisticated in several different dimensions. The essays by Leo Ribuffo on historical connections, Bryan Hehir on rival concepts of liberty, and Samuel Huntington on the salient importance of religion and religious prosecution today―each one responded by an intelligent critic―provide only a third of the book. Among the rest, Habib Malik’s brave essay on ‘political Islam’ (quite different from the religion of Islam) is especially arresting and informative, as is its rejoinder by Daniel Pipes. Each of the other essays adds another dimension. — Michael Novak, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Human Rights Commission, 1994 Templeton laureate

An informative and insightful contribution that deserves wide attention. ― First Things

The Influence of Faith is uncannily appropriate to the situation the United States now faces in that date’s [September 11, 2001] aftermath. It’s a situation in which religion is not just one aspect among many in the nation’s foreign policy, but, arguably, the country’s single most important consideration. Adding weight to the book’s gravitas is the fact that Abrams, who put together this collection of essays by leading political and religious thinkers while he was president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, has since become a special assistant to President George W. Bush. ― The National Catholic Register

In both their analytical and descriptive force, these nine essays make an important contribution to understanding ‘the influence of faitht in the shaping of U.S. foreign policy. ― International Bulletin of Mission Research

The Influence of Faith underscores the importance of religion in international relations―both as a part of the problem and as a key factor in finding solutions. These essays provide a much needed guide for exploring the relationship of faith to foreign policy. — Richard J. Mouw, Fuller Theological Seminary

Abrams offers a tightly organized collection of fine essays by a range of important scholars, which would make an excellent supplementary text in a foreign policy or religion and politics course. ― Journal of Church and State

Andrew S. Natsios served as Director of USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) during the George H.W. Bush Administration, where he oversaw the U.S. relief effort in several humanitarian emergencies. Currently, he is an executive professor at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University and director of the Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs.