Prayer as a Political Problem

“And never the twain shall meet”: Kipling’s famous line might well describe current conventional wisdom on the relationship between church and state. To political bodies skeptical of the virtues of religion and to religious communities suspicious of the tolerance of government, a harmonious—let alone symbiotic—association seems the stuff of either utopia or dystopian dreams. In the face of these apprehensions, Jean Daniélou asserts that man’s social nature and religious nature are interdependent. As a result, “the essence of civilization [is] to allow man to reach his full development, and that this development applies also to the religious dimension.” Thus, religion—specifically, prayer—must be a constitutive element of society. As timely now as when first published in 1967, Prayer as a Political Problem is an indispensable manual for seeking to improve and sanctify the secular order, even as they await in hope the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven.