At U.S. Intellectual History, Raymond J. Haberski, Jr. appraises Barack Obama's implicit invocations of civil religion in this week's speech on…
civil religion
Multi-religious denominationalism and American identity
Charles Taylor has argued that those of us living in North America and Europe are witnessing a shift in our…
Politics and prophecy as vocations
In my previous post, I outlined the civil religion that Robert Bellah and Sacvan Bercovitch both identify, though with opposed…
Civil religion, prophecy and Obama
For some scholars, "religion" gives the social cohesion and moral purpose without which a merely self-interested and fragmenting liberalism could…
Liberty and liberty together
A nation is not an indifferent condition for the happiness and social relatedness of its citizens, but serves as a…
The primacy of practice
Here's an "old thing" which relates, I think, to President Obama and the debate about civil religion---the primacy of practice.…
Barack Obama’s Book of Virtues
"These things are old. These things are true." With these words, Barack Obama reaffirmed America's commitment to "those values upon…
“Out of many, one”
That devotion to the theme "E Pluribus Unum," "out of many, one," is among the things that are old in…
“These things are old”: A new discussion series at
The Immanent Frame
Consider these words from the President's Inaugural Address: Our challenges may be new, the instruments with which we meet them…
Telling the American story
Presidential inaugurations are occasions for civil religious drama. The inauguration of Barack Obama was no exception.