The Bible in the public square

This fascinating collection of essays explores how varying perceptions and interpretations of scripture manifest themselves in key spheres of American culture, such as conceptions of American identity, politics, popular culture, and public education. It marshals a range of methodological perspectives--American history, the history of ideas, film studies, visual studies, cultural studies, education, and church-state studies--to explore how claims of American identity have been interwoven with ideological appeals to the nation's purported biblical heritage, demonstrate ways in which the Bible serves as a fertile source for political rhetoric, highlight the use of the Bible in media ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to Rastafarian lyrics, and examine the Bible in the American schoolhouse, an issue that prompted some of the most influential court rulings of the twentieth century. (back cover).