The First Amendment merely preserved the political status quo in matters of religion, says Steven D. Smith. America's distinctive achievement was a commitment to open contestation between secularists and providentialists. The twentieth-century Supreme Court's secular neutrality repudiated this commitment, with negative consequences visible today.

America's distinctive achievement was a commitment to open contestation between secularists and providentialists. The twentieth-century Supreme Court's secular neutrality repudiated this commitment, with negative consequences visible today. The author states that the First Amendment merely preserved the political status quo in matters of religion.