America and the Bible: US Intellectual History

The Bible has been used and misused within social, political, and cultural life in the US, going back to its colonial beginnings. This course borrows from historical, literary, and religious studies in order to study how groups throughout US history have applied their interpretive lens to shape public discourse and structure political power. The purpose of this course is two-fold: 1) to provide an overview of historical movements, theological beliefs, and interpretative stances around key biblical texts that have driven intellectual and public life in this country; and 2) to expose learners to the variety of historical-critical and literary-cultural issues within the texts themselves that any particular religious group must negotiate in order to arrive at a specific interpretation.

In terms of approach the course generally follows the APUSH categories of cause-effect, comparison-contrast, continuity and change by analyzing primary (and secondary) documents in US history. The course also brings a literary…