American democracy is a bold experiment that works because we embrace the multitude of ideas and perspectives our diverse population brings to the political table. We have found ways to work together to realize our shared national goals—no matter what our politics, ethnicity, race, or religion.

In A Nation for All, Chris Korzen and Alexia Kelley explain how America’s democracy is threatened by an insidious force from within our political landscape—a force the authors call the Politics of Division. The Politics of Division reflects the narrow agenda of culture warriors and the far right that encourages Americans to focus on their differences and distracts them from the things that really matter. Using this tactic—which is more appropriate for the playground than the public square—proponents of the politics of division have been able to seize power and enhance the bottom line for the few and powerful. The vital issues of war, poverty, the housing crisis, climate change, lack of health care, and decline of the middle class have for too long been largely ignored. This book shines the light of authentic Catholic teaching on these pressing concerns and reveals how that teaching can guide us to tackle a sweeping array of issues commonly left out of the faith and politics dialogue.

Most important, A Nation for All demonstrates how the essential Catholic and Christian belief in promoting the common good can provide Americans of all faith traditions with a much-needed solution to the downward spiral of greed, materialism, and excessive individualism.

Praise for A Nation for All

“In the divided state of American politics, an agenda of ‘the common good’ presents a clear and compelling vision for our future. With its history of the Catholic social tradition, and its public policy ideas for today, A Nation for All persuasively offers that vision. I am an evangelical convert to Catholic social teaching, and this book by Kelley and Korzen is one of the best presentations I’ve seen. This book should be read by everyone seeking a society that works for the benefit of all us; not just some of us.”

— Jim Wallis, author, The Great Awakening and president, Sojourners

“Alexia Kelley and Chris Korzen brilliantly bring alive the Common Good tradition not only because they understand it from the inside out, but also because they are deeply informed by their own efforts to do the hard work of justice. A Nation for All is a wise book that reminds Catholics of the astonishing relevance of their church’s social teaching, and offers Catholics and non-Catholics alike a genuinely fresh approach to healing the politics of division.”

— E.J. Dionne Jr., senior fellow at Brookings Institution; University Professor of Public Policy at Georgetown University; and author, Souled Out: Reclaiming Faith and Politics After the Religious Right

“While this book is guided by deeply Catholic principles, Americans of all faith traditions will draw inspiration from its powerful call: to build a culture, economy, and politics in which everyone, rich and poor, has a place at the table, and everyone has a voice.”

— Sr. Helen Prejean, C.S.J., author, Dead Man Walking and Death of Innocents

“This book effectively challenges the politics of division by encouraging a creative commitment to the tradition of Catholic social thought.”

— William J. Bryon, S.J., past president, University of Scranton and The Catholic University of America and author, Individuarian Observations: Essays in Catholic Social Reflection