From the Associated Baptist Press, a report of a recent sermon by a member of the Baptist Joint Commission on Religious Liberty. In light of our recent discussion of Bellah's ideas, I thought this might be interesting. The pastor is arguing that in times of national crisis, the civil religion threatens to displace Christianity. Whether or not one agrees with his position, I would point out that there's an implicit comparison going on here between civil religion, which is essentially patriotism dressed up with religious language and infused with quasi-religious fervor, and "real" religion, which refers to the historical religious traditions and to their modern manifestations in the form of private, personal faith.
CLINTON, Miss. (ABP) -- A Baptist religious-freedom expert is warning that the spike in American public religiosity that has resulted from the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the current war in Iraq have created a nation where patriotism could "quickly morph into an idolatry of nationalism."Have a look at the link. What do you think? Would Bellah agree or disagree?Brent Walker, executive director of the Washington-based Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, recently told a Mississippi audience that the rise in public piety can end up being anti-Christian. "In times of national crisis and war, we often see a rise of civil religion -- a merger of piety and patriotism -- where the love of country becomes secularized religion and Jesus is relegated to a deputy secretary of defense," he said.
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