Religion and American Exceptionalism

"American exceptionalism" was once a rather obscure and academic concept, but in the 2012 presidential election campaign it became a prominent phrase in political rhetoric. This book takes a step back from the partisan rhetorical bluster and examines afresh the historical and analytical meanings of American exceptionalism, and the extent to which religion—both "real" religion and the more ambiguous "civil" religion—has shaped these meanings and their uses/abuses._x000D_ This book was published as a special issue of The Review of Faith and International Affairs.