In an overview of his upcoming cover story for TIME, Jon Meacham, the chair of the National Advisory Board of the Danforth Center on Religion & Politics, examines the role of religion in American politics, particularly in the context of Mitt Romney’s political relationship to Mormonism. Meacham believes Romney’s “pragmatic instincts … are rooted in his faith tradition.” The question for Meacham is whether Romney’s Mormonism, a religion “accustomed to being the underdog and finding ways to succeed,” will “enabl[e] him to mount a comeback to President Obama.”