This introductory chapter discusses the contours of the liberal polity with specific reference to the role of religious voices therein. It suggests that the contemporary world is simultaneously secular and religious, noting that that the context in which liberal societies must function is one in which there is no prospect of religion disappearing nor of citizens agreeing on the fundamental principles of justice and of social order. The chapter highlights the range of perspectives evident in the collection through which the relationship between religion and politics in the liberal polity is discussed. There is a specific concern to assess the merits of Rawl's overlapping consensus, advanced through public reason, as the way by which the identification of such principles can be achieved.