Civil Religion Today

Is the concept of civil religion still relevant, more than fifty years after Robert Bellah made the term famous? According to the stellar cast of interdisciplinary scholars who contributed to this volume, the answer is yes—but only by going ‘beyond Bellah.’ Civil Religion Today makes a compelling case for keeping civil religion in our conceptual toolkit if we are to understand enduring conflict over the meaning of America. ~Ruth Braunstein, University of Connecticut

A profound and necessary book. A half-century since Robert Bellah’s seminal essay re-launched the study of civil religion, the United States is facing an alarming growth in religious nationalism and political polarization. The formidable team of scholars assembled here shed much needed light on what binds us together and what drives us apart. Even more, this book sets the agenda for the next generation of scholarship on US civil religion. ~Matthew Hedstrom, University of Virginia

Makes a strong case for the usability and enduring relevance of ‘civil religion.’ An important and timely book that should reach a wide readership. ~Kristy Nabhan-Warren, University of Iowa

This is a rich and provocative discussion of the meaning of American civil religion fifty years after Robert Bellah’s famous essay. ~Nova Religio

The papers in this volume largely, but not exclusively, focus on the political and social aspects of civil religion, although a few papers address theological elements as well. The papers are well written and carefully argued… ~Choice