Bellah, American Civil Religion, and the Dynamics of Public Meanings

Bellah's 'Civil Religion in America' ( 1967 ) caught a moment in the American academy. It quickly became a much debated concept and although interest in the concept has periodically waxed and waned, the explication and contention continue fifty years later. It was both a great success and an albatross for Bellah himself, as the debates about the concept frustrated him to the point where he stopped using the phrase. In his consideration of Bellah’s work, including civil religion, Bortolini’s book provides a useful case for thinking about the dynamics of authorial intention, scholarly debates, and public interpretations.