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Most Americans are aware that evangelicals consider themselves to be the most faithful Americans and yet, at the same time, see themselves as victims of persecution. Analysis of these claims has tended to focus on whether the claims are true, on how they shape voting preferences, or on their historical roots.
Embattled America takes a different perspective: these claims have grown louder in the decades of democracy's discontents. Jason C. Bivins argues that the claims of Martyrs and Whistleblowers are symptoms of America's larger failings to strengthen the conditions for democratic life, and thus that rather than engaging their claims on the merits, concerned citizens should reassess fundamental democratic norms as part of a broader challenge to embolden American citizenship and institutions.
List of contents
- 1. Changing the Subject: The Lost Opportunities of Embattled Religion
- 2. A Brief History of Persecution Complexes in America
- 3. The Whirl: Virus, Narrative, and Noise
- 4. Worrying About Scars: Glenn Beck and Authenticity
- 5. The Dropouts: Sarah Palin, Rick Perry, and the Failures of Representation
- 6. An Unattained Goal: The Tea Party and the Problems of Public Action
- 7. The Pearls and the Coral: David Barton and the Burdens of History
- 8. Law as Winning: Anti-Sharia Legislation and Democratic Self-Inventory
- 9. Locked and Loaded: On Birth, Death, Guns, and Citizenship
- 10. How to Be an American: An Address to Citizens
About the author
Jason C. Bivins is Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies at North Carolina State University. He is the author of three previous books including, most recently, Spirits Rejoice!: Jazz and American Religion. He has written widely for popular and academic media, has taught for The Great Courses, and has recorded multiple albums of improvised music on guitar.
Summary
Histories of political religion since the 1960s often center on the rise of the powerful conservative evangelical voting bloc since the 1970s. One of the beliefs that has united these citizens is the idea that they are treated unfairly or are marginalized, despite their significant influence on public life. From the ascent of Reagan to the "Contract with America," from 9/11 to Obama to Trump--these claims have moved steadily to the center of conservative activism.
Scholars of religion have approached these phenomena with great caution, generally focusing on institutional history, or relying on journalistic conveniences like "populism," or embracing the self-understandings of evangelicals themselves. None of these approaches is sufficiently calibrated to decoding the fierce convergence of online conspiracy theory, public violence, white supremacy, and religious authoritarianism. Accepting the narrative of Embattlement on its own terms, or examining it as mere turbulence on the path of American pluralism, overlooks how such deeper structural or atmospheric conditions work through this discourse to undermine the actual practice of democratic politics.
Exploring the impact of these claims through case studies ranging from the Tea Party to Birthers to anti-sharia laws, Embattled America digs deeper into the debates between Martyrs (those who profess persecution) and Whistleblowers (those who sanctimoniously refute such claims). Hidden beneath each of these episodes is a series of ambivalences about democracy that require attention. Jason Bivins argues that the claims of Martyrs and Whistleblowers are symptoms of America's larger failings to strengthen the conditions for democratic life, and thus that rather than engaging their claims on the merits, concerned citizens should reassess fundamental democratic norms as part of a broader challenge to embolden American citizenship and institutions.
Additional text
Through expert attention to the complex interplay of religion, nationalism, and politics, Jason Bivins delivers a compelling and intellectually rich interpretation of the historical and contemporary conundrums of American democracy that have repeatedly challenged scholars. This is surely essential reading for understanding the most urgent issues shaping religion and American culture.
