In Religion in American politics, Frank Lambert, one of the leading authorities on eighteenth-century American religion, succinctly traces the relationship between Church and State in America from the founding of the republic to the present day. Wisely organising his brief treatment of a vast subject around eight thematic chapters, Lambert puts forward two compelling if rather self-evident arguments: one, that religious groups, mostly Christian, have organised and mobilised politically in order to make the nation, and especially its public policy, more religious; and two, that such organisation and mobilisation represents competition rather than consensus among the faithful. More interesting is Lambert's use of marketplace theory – that is, with the official separation of Church and State, America's entrepreneurial faiths have flourished in a competitive atmosphere not dissimilar to a marketplace because they cannot rely on official sponsors or privileged status yet do not fear persecution. Lambert's subtle and learned exposition of the evolution of religion within American culture is admirably clear and engaging. What is not always clear, however, is the link between religion and politics. For example, typical is Lambert's relatively detailed discussion of the 1925 Scopes trial over evolution – a familiar landmark in the landscape of American religious history – even though he concludes that its ‘impact on American politics was minimal’ (p. 127). Overall, with the exception of the first chapter on the framing of the Constitution, and of the final three chapters covering the past fifty years, there is too little examination of religion's role in the stuff of politics: campaigns, elections, public policy, governing and matters of war and peace. This is a shame, for the relationship between religion and politics is clearest for the most recent era and fuzziest for earlier periods.