Americanism The Fourth Great Western Religion

What does it mean to “believe” in America? Why do we always speak of our country as having a mission or purpose that is higher than other nations? Modern liberals have invested a great deal in the notion that America was founded as a secular state, with religion relegated to the private sphere. David Gelernter argues that America is not secular at all, but a powerful religious idea—indeed, a religion in its own right. Gelernter argues that what we have come to call “Americanism” is in fact a secular version of Zionism. Not the Zionism of the ancient Hebrews, but that of the Puritan founders who saw themselves as the new children of Israel, creating a new Jerusalem in a new world. Their faith-based ideals of liberty, equality, and democratic governance had a greater influence on the nation’s founders than the Enlightenment. Gelernter traces the development of the American religion from its roots in the Puritan Zionism of seventeenth-century New England to the idealistic fighting faith it has become, a militant creed dedicated to spreading freedom around the world. The central figures in this process were Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson, who presided over the secularization of the American Zionist idea into the form we now know as Americanism. If America is a religion, it is a religion without a god, and it is a global religion. People who believe in America live all over the world. Its adherents have included oppressed and freedom-loving peoples everywhere—from the patriots of the Greek and Hungarian revolutions to the martyred Chinese dissidents of Tiananmen Square. Gelernter also shows that anti-Americanism, particularly the virulent kind that is found today in Europe, is a reaction against this religious conception of America on the part of those who adhere to a rival religion of pacifism and appeasement. A startlingly original argument about the religious meaning of America and why it is loved—and hated—with so much passion at home and abroad.

Thomas Spriggs takes a fresh look at the fateful period leading up to 9/11 and comes to the conclusion that the destruction of the World Trade center WAS an inside job. End of Days describes the ongoing war over faith, and the real meaning of the attacks of 9/11.

Peter Gardella explores the monuments, texts, and images that embody the spirit of the United States.

The idea of America's special place in history has been a guiding light for centuries. With thoughtful insight, John D. Wilsey traces the concept of exceptionalism, including its theological meaning and implications for civil religion. This careful history considers not only the abuses of the idea but how it can also point to constructive civil engagement and human flourishing.

Is being a good American the same thing as being a good Christian? Are they the same thing? Are they opposed? Or perhaps they overlap in important ways. The “Christ and Culture” question is not new. It showed itself in the reaction of many Jews to Jesus. The early Christians had to find some way to relate to their Greek and Roman societies, with questionable results for their faith and their cultures. This problem has haunted Christians throughout history, and still is with us today. This book looks at much of the history of the church and the various answers that have been given to the issue. It does not attempt to arrive at a definitive answer to these questions but invites the reader to come to their own conclusions.

The history of the United States is the history of people who migrated to America from all parts of the world. As a result American society is composed of many unique cultures and races. Unfortunately, the uniqueness of these cultures is one of the underlying causes of tension and conflict in America, resulting in racism, religious intolerance, and class warfare. In spite of this, the multi-racial nature of American society is an integral part of America's strength as a nation. Thousands of immigrants from unique cultures who speak totally different languages came to find a better life in America. But they were never accepted by the dominate white Christians. The immigrants had to fight for the right to be in America. Racism, race riots, and genocide are integral parts of the lives of immigrants. The racial complexion of America is changing in the twenty-first century. In a short time the non-white population will be the majority. Social, economic, and political changes are already taking place. Unfortunately, the dominate power holders and white middle classes have not adjusted to these changes. The unique system of government and economics developed over the years has reached a point that many believe will end the American Empire. There is a certain bias in this presentation and criticism is aimed at the extreme beliefs and actions of a large segment of Americans, particularly white Christians. They have been the dominant political, social, and economic forces in the country. Any assessment of the American system becomes a criticism of that segment of Americans. Their beliefs and actions represent the Dark Side of America.

No book was more accessible or familiar to the American founders than the Bible, and no book was more frequently alluded to or quoted from in the political discourse of the age. How and for what purposes did the founding generation use the Bible? How did the Bible influence their political culture? Shedding new light on some of the most familiar rhetoric of the founding era, Daniel Dreisbach analyzes the founders' diverse use of scripture, ranging from the literary to the theological. He shows that they looked to the Bible for insights on human nature, civic virtue, political authority, and the rights and duties of citizens, as well as for political and legal models to emulate. They quoted scripture to authorize civil resistance, to invoke divine blessings for righteous nations, and to provide the language of liberty that would be appropriated by patriotic Americans. Reading the Bible with the Founding Fathers broaches the perennial question of whether the American founding was, to some extent, informed by religious--specifically Christian--ideas. In the sense that the founding generation were members of a biblically literate society that placed the Bible at the center of culture and discourse, the answer to that question is clearly "yes." Ignoring the Bible's influence on the founders, Dreisbach warns, produces a distorted image of the American political experiment, and of the concept of self-government on which America is built.

Traces the decline of Christianity in America since the 1950s, posing controversial arguments about the role of heresy in the nation's downfall while calling for a revival of traditional Christian practices.