Preface p. xiii
The Challenge of a Contradictory Civil Religion p. 1
The Strange Persistence of Biblical Language p. 1
The Steady Theme of Redeeming the World p. 3
A Contradictory Civil Religion in the Time of Jihad p. 6
The Endangered Towers and the Crusade Against Jihad p. 10
Contradictory Responses p. 11
The Background of September 11 p. 13
Martial Response and Lost Opportunities p. 16
Militant Jihad's Rationale p. 18
The Parallel Logic of Crusade and Jihad p. 20
Popular Culture as a Bearer of the National Complex p. 26
Superheroic Entertainments and Civil Religion p. 27
The Rise of the American Monomyth p. 28
The Popularization of Crusading Zeal p. 35
American Superheroism as a Threat to Democracy p. 39
The Challenge of Pop Fascism p. 42
A Rod of Iron or a Light to the Nations p. 44
The Birth of Israelite Zeal and Realism p. 45
The Critique of Zealous Warfare by Prophetic Realists p. 48
Israel's Dilemma during the Roman Period p. 51
The Book of Revelation and the Dominance of Zealotry p. 53
America's Zeal to Redeem the World p. 55
The Rise of a Millennial Mission p. 55
Clashes between Zealous Nationalism and Prophetic Realism p. 61
Zeal's Frustration and the Claim of Manifest Destiny p. 66
The Religious Impulse in American Imperialism p. 68
World War I as a Millennial Crusade p. 71
World War II and the Disjunction between Zeal and Realism p. 75
The Frustration of American Zealous Nationalism p. 79
The Cold War's Thwarted Crusade p. 80
Brinkmanship and the Ideology of Anti-communism p. 88
The Arrogant Missteps of Global Idealism p. 96
Defeated Superheroism in Vietnam p. 100
Zealous Nationalism and the Loss of Honor p. 103
The Ascendancy of Mythic Politics p. 107
Artificial Euphoria and the Mayaguez Episode p. 108
Carter's Failure at Domestic Superheroism p. 112
Reagan and the Ephemeral Triumph of Macho Superheroism p. 115
The Mirage of Invulnerable Defense p. 118
Illusions of National Innocence p. 119
The Gulf War and the Lost Chance for Prophetic Realism p. 123
Clinton's Frivolous Use of Mythic Politics p. 126
The Rapturous Rebirth of Millennial Zealotry p. 131
The Recent Popularity of the Doom Boom p. 131
The Background of Millennial Theology p. 135
Calendars for the Rapture p. 138
Recent Forms of Millennial Civil Religion p. 142
Jerusalem and the End of Days p. 144
Responsible Uses of the Apocalyptic p. 147
The Global Popularization of Zeal and Jihad p. 149
The Recent Militarization of Jihad p. 150
Zealous Fervor in Israel p. 155
Spiraling Sanctified Violence p. 160
Aum Shinrikyo in Japan p. 162
Seeking Responsible Forms of Zeal and Jihad p. 164
Consumed by Zeal and Jihad p. 167
Zeal in the Bible p. 168
Hot Zeal in Its Modern Embodiments p. 170
The Dominance of Cool Zeal p. 176
Artful Zeal's Destructive Legacy p. 180
The All-consuming Nature of Zeal and Jihad p. 186
The Need for Modest Zeal and Jihad p. 188
Evil as a Grand Conspiracy p. 192
Conspiracy Theory in the Bible p. 194
A Realistic Theory of Evil p. 197
Grand Conspiracies in American Politics p. 200
Conspiracy Theory and the Vietnam War p. 206
Paths Away from the Grand Conspiracy p. 209
Stereotypes of Good and Evil p. 214
The Rise of Stereotypes in Biblical History p. 216
American Adaptations of Ancient Stereotypes p. 221
Six Features of Popular Stereotypes p. 223
Problematic Stereotypes in Recent History p. 226
Three Negative Effects of Stereotyping p. 231
Five Strategies to Overcome Destructive Stereotypes p. 237
To Convert Them or Destroy Them p. 245
Redemptive Violence in the Bible p. 246
Violence and America's Sense of Mission p. 250
The Mystique of Violence in American Wars p. 254
Hosea's Critique of the Mystique of Violence p. 261
Overcoming the Illusions of Redemptive Destruction p. 270
Neither Humiliation nor Defeat p. 273
Victory as the Reward for Piety in the Old Testament p. 275
The Deuteronomic Principle in American History p. 276
Mythic Responses to Defeat p. 281
The Impact of Defeat on Civil Religion p. 285
Bringing Prophetic Resources to the Experience of Defeat p. 288
Crusades Against Symbolic Desecration p. 294
The Struggle to Prevent Flag Desecration p. 297
The Danger of Sanctifying National Symbols p. 301
Holiness as a Theological Issue p. 302
Muslim Campaigns against Desecration p. 304
Ominous Parallels in the Flag Desecration Campaign p. 306
Biblical Links between Desecration and Zealous Violence p. 309
Prophetic Realism in Response to Jihad p. 313
Isaiah's Vision for Conflict Resolution p. 315
A Vision of Global Government p. 316
Waning American Support for International Law p. 319
Recovering America's Constitutional Mission p. 323
Acknowledgments p. 325
Endnotes p. 327
Index of Names and Subjects p. 372
Index of Ancient Texts p. 390