Religion, Politics, and American Identity

Scholarship on the role of religion in American public life has taken on a new urgency in the increasingly contentious wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001. This volume brings together an impressive group of scholars to build on past work and broaden the scope of this crucial inquiry in two respects: by exploring aspects of the religion-politics nexus in the United States that have been neglected in the past, and by examining traditional questions concerning the religious tincture of American political discourse in provocative new ways.

Scholarship on the role of religion in American public life has taken on a new urgency in the increasingly contentious wake of the attacks of September 11, 2001. This volume brings together an impressive group of scholars to build on past work and broaden the scope of this crucial inquiry in two respects: by exploring aspects of the religion-politics nexus in the United States that have been neglected in the past, and by examining traditional questions concerning the religious tincture of American political discourse in provocative new ways. Essays include examinations of religious rhetoric in American political and cultural discourse after September 11th, the impact of religious ideas on environmental ethics, religion and American law beyond the First Amendment, religious responses to questions of gay and lesbian rights, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and issues of free speech and public space in Utah, and the role of religious institutions and ideas on the political priorities of African-American and Latino communities. In addition, Religion, Politics, and American Identity includes introductory and concluding essays by leading scholars in the field of religion and politics that assess present and future directions for study.

Chapter 1 Research on American Religion and Politics: A Survey of the Field
Chapter 2 A Christian Nation? Religion and American Politics in the Wake of September 11
Chapter 3 Discourse Bless America: Rebuilding National Mythos after September 11
Chapter 4 The Enduring Power of the American Jeremiad
Chapter 5 Stories of Sinfulness: Narrative Identity in America
Chapter 6 Beyond Church and State: The Many Faces of American Religion and Politics
Chapter 7 The Church-State Issue: Some Implications of the Latest Data
Chapter 8 Religion on Main Street: Toward a New Politics of the Sacred and Secular
Chapter 9 Latino Spirituality and U.S. Politics: A Communitarianism that Crosses Borders
Chapter 10 Religion in the Workplace and the Problem of the First Amendment
Chapter 11 Greening the Divine: The Environment and Politics in Twenty-First Century North America
Chapter 12 Religion, Race, and Rhetoric: The Black Church, Religious Interest Groups, and Charitable Choice
Chapter 13 Inside, Out, and In-Between: Sexual Minorities, the Christian Right, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Chapter 14 Religion, Politics, and American Identity After September 11: Reflections on Recent Scholarship