Providence and the American Project
James McCullough Saturday, 1 December 2007
Stephen H. Webb, American Providence: A Nation with a Mission (Continuum, 2004). 181 pp. $29.95.
In American Providence Stephen H. Webb, professor of religion and philosophy at Wabash College, offers a series of essays tied together by a basic theme: Americans uniformly and throughout their history have spoken of theirs as an "almost chosen people" (Lincoln) with a mission to advance freedom in the world. From progressives who chastise the country for failing to "live out the meaning of its creed" (ML King) to conservatives who seek to protect it from its enemies, Americans have had this sense that they are recipients of a historical mandate to advance the cause of faith and freedom in a benighted world. Some today believe that such rhetoric is both outmoded and dangerous. Webb begs to differ, and does so on the basis of the doctrine of providence.
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