Abstract: Michael Walzer's "communitarian correction" of liberal tradition has received wide notice. This essay highlights the tension in his work between a coherent communal value scheme of "deep understanding" and the requirements for full participation in a democratic and diverse society. These tensions are developed through a focus on the ways in which Walzer handles difference,power and membership. Walzer has highlighted religious traditions as potential bearers of moral authority in public discourse. I conclude that his appealing blend of liberalism and communitarianism has a way of separating at the points where communal traditions,including religious traditions,come into conflict.