This work analyzes the role of religion in the development of democracy from the tribes of ancient Israel to the present day. It contrasts Athenian direct democracy with the Old Testament monarchy in which the concept of religious opposition - vital to modern democracy - arose. The text then develops its discussion of the relationship between religion and democracy through early Christianity to the Reformation and Calvinism, ending with a chapter on modern democracy. The author’s contentious thesis concerning the development of democracy is interdisciplinary, drawing on political science, religious history and theology.