Does America Need a Civil Religion?

From the editor:

Gus diZerega is featured in Patheos’ new Public Square, a discussion space designed to bring people together at the intersection of ‘current concern’ and ‘ultimate concern.’

Our opening topic: Does America Need a Civil Religion? The late sociologist Robert Bellah argued that American civil religion had become an “empty and broken shell” by the turn of the twenty-first century. Is it a concept worth reviving? Would re-imagining it help us move beyond the culture wars toward greater national cohesion? How might faith communities contribute to a newly imagined civil religion that addresses the challenges we face today?

Read Gus’ response or the full discussion between our seven featured panelists.