Since the Immigration Act of 1965, the diversity of religion in America has expanded from conversations about Protestant, Catholic and Jewish teachings to basic tenets of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism (not to mention Baha’i et al). It’s important, in my estimation for religious leaders and careful observers of American culture (after all, one cannot understand America if religion is removed from consideration) to have a vocabulary to discuss this changing landscape in a way that honors one’s own tradition and carefully attempts to understand and interact with the diverse religious landscape that makes up many of our suburban and urban centers. Here are some books I’ve read recently that might sharpen your understanding of Christianity’s place in this emerging conversation.

1. Stephen Prothero’s Religious Literacy in America. Full of hilarious anecdotes and solid research, Prothero challenges the dumbing down of faith in American culture critiquing both the right and the left.

2. Gary Commins’ Becoming Bridges. An interesting read on what it looks like for a church to develop a mission that is exclusively targeted towards diversity. While I think Commins goes places I would not (interpreting scripture) I think his voice is important and insightful.

3. Robert Wuthnow’s The Challenge of Religious Diversity in America. The most ardent sociologist on American Religion, Wuthnow raises important theological and practical questions regarding the diversity within liberal, moderate, and conservative Christianity in the U.S.

4.  Matlin’s How to Be a Perfect Stranger. A how-to (or how-not-to) guide for engaging diverse communities of faith.

5. Krista Tippett’s Speaking of Faith. My favorite on the list, Tippett writes with the keen eye of a journalist and a poetic sense of a novelist. This book comes out of her work on public radio.

6. Religion in American Public Life. A collection of essays that engages persons of diverse faiths on the subject of faith in the public sphere.

Thankfully, rigid fundamentalism and naive liberalism have been exposed over the last several decades as lacking any real power. Because the U.S. Constitution protects the freedom of religious expression/practice, it is incumbent upon religious leaders and thinkers to enter into this conversation in ways that represent the heart of Christian faith.