John Courtney Murray's analysis of the problem of religious liberty included scholarly investigations of both theoretical and practical questions of perennial interest to theologians, Church historians, political theorists, and philosophers. Murray encountered resistance from those who failed to recognize the normative value of religious freedom in the 20th-century. Nonetheless, the Second Vatican Council acknowledged his genius by incorporating many of his ideas in their Declaration on Religious Liberty.

In Catholic and American, Thomas Ferguson summarizes the development of Murray's thought. Anyone concerned with the problems of religious freedom in the modern world will appreciate the clarity, thoroughness, and civility of Murray's arguments.