2008 Woodie Awards
Awaken yourselves, Hipsters
Beth Prosnitz
Issue date: 9/21/06 Section: Opinions
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Oh, Jesus. Prepare thyselves. We, America, are apparently venturing forth - steady, headstrong - into the Third Great Awakening. We are thy neighbor-lovin', Jesus-worshipping, kickin' Americans.
Or so thinks President Bush.
This past week, in a press conference with a group of conservative journalists, the president remarked that a particular cultural and religious revivalism has begun its emergence in the United States. "It seems to me that there's a Third Awakening," Bush said to the group of invitation-only journalists.
The Great Awakenings, for those not up on their American history, are defined by religious revivalism and its subsequent contribution to new thought at particularly tenuous time periods in American history. The first was in the beginning to middle of the 18th century and the second in the early 19th century. There has been debate about whether there has ever been a third or even fourth Awakening, but never an open declaration of either by historians or national leaders until now.
As reported by the National Review on Sept. 12, 2006, Bush spoke of shifting attitudes as impacted by America's involvement in anti-terrorism movements. "A lot of people in America see this as a confrontation between good and evil, including me," said Bush. "Cultures do change and ideological struggles are won," he said. "There was a stark change between the culture of the '50s and the '60s - boom - and I think there's change happening here."
Good. Evil. Cultural change. Oh, Lordy. Has the Holy Spirit of a new nationalism begotten itself here? Have American politics and society, impregnated by Christianity's seed, begun to give birth to a new religious and national identity? Maybe so.
Americans' religious and political understandings are also the focus of a recent Pew Research Center study. The Pew Research Center studied how Americans perceive the relationship between religion and politics in the United States and whether they find it appropriate. In their research, the Pew Research Center found that "While the public remains more supportive of religion's role in public life than in the 1960s, Americans are uneasy with the approaches offered by both liberals and conservatives."
Or so thinks President Bush.
This past week, in a press conference with a group of conservative journalists, the president remarked that a particular cultural and religious revivalism has begun its emergence in the United States. "It seems to me that there's a Third Awakening," Bush said to the group of invitation-only journalists.
The Great Awakenings, for those not up on their American history, are defined by religious revivalism and its subsequent contribution to new thought at particularly tenuous time periods in American history. The first was in the beginning to middle of the 18th century and the second in the early 19th century. There has been debate about whether there has ever been a third or even fourth Awakening, but never an open declaration of either by historians or national leaders until now.
As reported by the National Review on Sept. 12, 2006, Bush spoke of shifting attitudes as impacted by America's involvement in anti-terrorism movements. "A lot of people in America see this as a confrontation between good and evil, including me," said Bush. "Cultures do change and ideological struggles are won," he said. "There was a stark change between the culture of the '50s and the '60s - boom - and I think there's change happening here."
Good. Evil. Cultural change. Oh, Lordy. Has the Holy Spirit of a new nationalism begotten itself here? Have American politics and society, impregnated by Christianity's seed, begun to give birth to a new religious and national identity? Maybe so.
Americans' religious and political understandings are also the focus of a recent Pew Research Center study. The Pew Research Center studied how Americans perceive the relationship between religion and politics in the United States and whether they find it appropriate. In their research, the Pew Research Center found that "While the public remains more supportive of religion's role in public life than in the 1960s, Americans are uneasy with the approaches offered by both liberals and conservatives."
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