According to Jewett and Lawrence, American civil religion has both a humane, constitutional tradition and a violent stand that is now coming to the fore. The crusade to rid the world of evil and "evildoers" derives from the same biblical tradition of zealous warfare and nationalism that spawns Islamic and Israeli radicalism. In America, where this tradition has been popularized by superheroic entertainments, the idea of zealous war is infused with a distinctive sense of mission that draws on secular and religious images. These crusading ideals are visible in such events as the settling of the western frontier, the World Wars, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and America's present war on terrorism. This critical book, however, is also immensely constructive. As Jewett and Lawrence point out, the same biblical tradition that allows for crusading mentalities also contains a critique of zealous warfare and a profound vision of impartial justice. This tradition of prophetic realism derives from the human side of the biblical heritage, and the authors trace its manifestations within the American experience, including its supreme embodiment in Abraham Lincoln. Isaiah's "swords into plowshares" image is carved on the walls of the United Nations building, thus standing at the center of a globally focused civil religion. Grasping this vision honored by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam alike includes recognizing the dangers of zealous violence, the illusions of current crusading, and the promise of peaceful coexistence under international law.

Captain America and the Crusade Against Evil: The Dilemma of Zealous Nationalism

Jewett, Robert

Lawrence, John Shelton

History

Eerdmans Pub.Co.

The American Monomyth

Americas

Univ Pr of Amer

The Electronic Scholar: A Guide to Academic Microcomputing (Communication, Culture, & Information Studies)

Computers & Technology

Ablex Pub

The Electronic Scholar: A Guide to Academic Microcomputing (Communication and Information Science)

Politics & Social Sciences

Social Sciences

Praeger

This volume provides thorough coverage of some troublesome and seldom clarified issues that affect scholars who deal with nonprint media. When is it legitimate in teaching or publishing to quote a visual image from television, film or printed graphics? To quote the lines from a musical lyric? Why has the long tradition of fair use for printed material, which sanctions quoting without permission, been so slow in its extension to other media? How can scholars and publishers prudently behave in an area where media corporations are uncooperative or belligerent in dealing with requests to document arguments through the inclusion of copyrighted materials? This book offers a forum where scholars, lawyers, archivists, and federal administrators of copyright law express informed viewpoints about these issues.

Fair Use and Free Inquiry: Copyright Law and the New Media, Second Edition (Communication and Information Science)

Timberg, Bernard

Business & Money

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Lawrence, John Shelton. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Lawrence, John Shelton