Comments on: Sunday, July 4th

By: Paul

Paul — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 21:24:44 +0000

Thanks Devin. I follow and enjoy Fea’s blog, so I’m looking forward to reading his book.

By: Devin Manzullo-Thomas

Devin Manzullo-Thomas — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:10:40 +0000

Great post, Paul. Wanted to point you toward another resource on the same topic: one of my professor-acquaintances at Messiah College, John Fea, is putting the finishing touches on a new monograph titled “Was America Founded as a Christian Nation?” The text should appear on bookstore shelves by February 2011. For a sense of the book’s breadth, check out the table of contents: http://www.philipvickersfithian.com/2010/07/good-feeling.html

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:32:49 +0000

Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll put that one on the short list. July 4th services seem to be the perfect storm of Christianity and civil religion. The universal nature of the church and the particular values of nationalism/patriotism certainly can make for a strenuous balancing act on Sunday mornings. If many churches defined their worship by the liturgical year instead of secular holidays perhaps such conflicts could be minimized. I say all this as a willing but cautious participant in such services.