The Rhetoric of American Civil Religion

In this edited volume, Edwards (Bridgewater State Univ.) and Valenzano (Univ. of Dayton) offer a sampling of studies about civil religion to establish a contemporary starting point for understanding the topic. In 12 chapters, a variety of noted scholars discuss the elements, development, and literature regarding the different forms of civil religion. Authors examine a range of viewpoints and artifacts, including biblical texts, abolitionist rhetoric, presidential rhetoric, feminist perspectives, philosophical perspectives, and Islamic discourses. In a particularly intriguing chapter titled "Sinners and Saints," John P. Koch (Univ. of Puget Sound) discusses the relationship among public memory, civil religion, and the presidency of the US. There are myriad volumes covering the topic of civil religion; this book adds to the literature by establishing that this topic has not been readily defined by scholars, thus contributing toward a refining of how civil religion has been constructed and manifested in American culture. The book is a suitable companion reader and supplemental text for courses that examine the rhetoric of religion. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty.