Description
Book SynopsisThough much has already been written on religious freedom in the United States, these treatments have come mostly from historians, legal scholars, and advocates, with relatively little attention from rhetorical critics. In The Rhetoric of Religious Freedom in the United States, fifteen scholars from this field address the variety of forms that free, public religiosity may assume, and which rhetorical techniques are operative in a public square populated by a diversity of religious-political actors. Together they consider the arguments, evidences, and strategies defining what religious freedom means and who is entitled to claim it in the contemporary United States.
Trade ReviewMiller has collected a number of diverse and useful rhetorical studies to demonstrate the importance of religious freedom in the contemporary public imaginary and its representative discourse. It is a welcome addition to and unique representation of rhetorical scholarship. -- Steven Goldzwig, Marquette University
Freedom of religion remains a contentious issue in American public culture. Across 12 timely chapters, The Rhetoric of Religious Freedom in the United States illustrates the myriad of ways in which the concept of religious freedom becomes negotiated in political, legal, and social spheres. By addressing the issue through a rhetorical framework, this collection contributes an important perspective to ongoing controversies and speaks to the complex negotiation of American values. -- Leslie J. Harris, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Table of ContentsContents Acknowledgments Introduction Eric C. Miller Chapter 1 Reinhold Niebuhr’s Rhetorical Legacy: Democratic Community and Religious Freedom Cody Hawley Chapter 2 Persuasive Ambassadors: The Southern Baptist Commitment to Religious Freedom for All Michael Strawser, Matthew Hawkins, and Joe C. Martin Chapter 3 Differing Definitions: How Conservative Evangelicals and Mainline Protestants Frame Freedom Stephanie A. Martin Chapter 4 Negotiating Religious Freedom in US Catholic Responses to Vaccine Science Miles C. Coleman Chapter 5 Freedom for Whom? The Contested Terrain of Religious Freedom for Muslims in the United States Adam Smidi and Lara Lengel Chapter 6 “Not About Discrimination:” Religious Freedom Restoration Acts and the Question of Intent Eric C. Miller Chapter 7 Religious Freedom and the Marketplace James T. Petre Chapter 8 Kim Davis vs. the Gay(ze): A Problematic Response to Religious Freedom Advocates Sarah Walker Chapter 9 Evangelized Scandals: Religious Freedom and Cultural Politics at Wheaton College Robin Reames Chapter 10 Environmental Protection and Religious Freedom: The Case of the Dakota Access Pipeline Elizabeth A. Petre Chapter 11 “What Do You Have to Lose?” Donald Trump, Religious Freedom, and the African American Vote Andre E. Johnson Chapter 12 Is Trump Also Among the Fundamentalists? Religious Freedom and the Fight to Repeal the Johnson Amendment Jonathan J. Edwards About the Contributors
