God Wills it Presidents and the Political Use of Religion
Produktdetaljer
Biographical note
David O'Connell is an assistant professor of political science at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA, USA. His work is published in Presidential Studies Quarterly. This is his first book."American presidents have drawn on religious themes since Washington's presidency, long before Theodore Roosevelt described the president's unique perch as a 'bully pulpit.' In God Wills It, O'Connell (Dickinson College) takes a refreshing look at presidential religious rhetoric, arguing that it is often more than mere decoration meant to evoke a shared cultural legacy. Religious rhetoric, O'Connell argues, is used by presidents 'trying to strategically accomplish their agendas.' In short, religious rhetoric is employed to guide public opinion regarding important policy goals. The question at the heart of O'Connell's work is whether presidents have been successful in using religious rhetoric in this manner. O'Connell pursues an answer by examining the religious rhetoric of post-WW II presidents and closes his work with a fascinating experiment in the efficacy of religiously themed speech. Overall, O'Connell's surprising results challenge simplistic conventional wisdom regarding Americans' receptiveness to religious appeals from the White House... Highly recommended." - P. F. Campbell, Choice Magazine