Civil-Religious Ideation and American Exceptionalism: Negotiating National Identity in a Contentious Time

Abstract

In this research with college students and faculty in three private
religiously-affiliated schools, we undertake an examination of the
contemporary relevance of civil-religious ideation to the subjective
understanding Americans have about the meaning of being American. In
one sense this project constitutes an extension of earlier studies
designed to discern the range of meanings within America civil religion
(McKeown `&` Thomas, 1985; 2003). At the same time, we are seeking to
appraise the argument recently advanced by Huntington (20041; 2004b)
that the only hope of preserving national unity in times of trial is by
renewing commitments to the American Creed. He deems this project
infeasible without an energized revivification of Anglo-Protestant
civil-religious culture and discourse. Crucial empirical questions lie
at the heart of the larger debate over the appeals and perils of framing
national identity in religious terms. Mostly these questions pertain to
matters of measurement and, heretofore, have been addressed
inadequately in large-sample surveys. Foremost among these is the simple
yet elusive notion of national identity. Is there, in our politically
and culturally polarized setting of "red states" vs. "blue states," a
distinctive, non-divisive answer to the national identity question? If
so, which is its relationship to civil-religious symbolism and
sentiment? The present project addresses these larger questions.