American Liturgy: Finding Theological Meaning in the Holy Days of Us Culture

How can celebrating the holy days of American culture help us to understand what it means to be both Christian and American? In timely essays on Super Bowl Sunday Mothers Day Independence Day Thanksgiving and other holidays of the secular calendar James Calvin Davis explores the wisdom that Christian tradition brings to our sense of American identity as well as the ways in which American culture might prompt us to discern the imperatives of faith in new ways. Rather than demonizing culture or naively baptizing it Davis models a bidirectional mode of reflection where faith convictions and cultural values converse with and critique one another. Focusing on topics like politics race parenting music and sports these essays remind us that culture is as much human accomplishment and gift as it is a challenge to Christian values and there is insight to be discovered in a theologically astute investment in Americas holy days.