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This article defines and calls attention to the public sociology of religion as a robust stream of scholarship with potential to increase the sociology of religion subfield's relevance and impact in sociology and society. The public sociology of religion creates reflexive dialogue between sociologists and diverse publics, informs normative perspectives on public problems involving religion, and investigates the place and practice of religion in civil society. I discuss my dissertation research--a national, multisite ethnography of new evangelical strategies for engaging the public and the poor in Portland, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Boston--as a case study in the public sociology of religion, considering the enactment and normative valence of new evangelical approaches to participation, presence, and power in American public life. I conclude with some final observations concerning how a robust public sociology of religion addresses perceived problems of marginality, isolation, and theoretical sterility within the subfield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]