From jeremiad to jihad : religion, violence, and America / John D. Carlson and Jonathan H. Ebel, editors.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction : John Brown, jeremiad, and jihad : reflections on religion, violence, and America / John D. Carlson and Jonathan H. Ebel -- From King Philip's war to September 11 : religion, violence, and the American way / Andrew R. Murphy and Elizabeth Hanson -- A nation birthed in blood : violent cosmogonies and American film / S. Brent Rodriguez-Plate -- From covenant to crusade and back : American Christianity and the late Great War / Jonathan H. Ebel -- From jeremiad to manifesto : the rhetorical evolution of John Foster Dulles's "massive retaliation" / Ned O'Gorman -- American providence, American violence / Stephen H. Webb -- New Israel, new Amalek : biblical exhortations to religious violence / John Corrigan -- Religion and violence in black and white / Eddie S. Glaude Jr. -- State violence and the un-American West : Mormons, American Indians, and cults / Todd M. Kerstetter -- Alma White's bloodless warfare : women and violence in U.S. religious history / Lynn S. Neal -- Of tragedy and its aftermath : the search for religious meaning in the shootings at Virginia Tech / Grace Y. Kao -- A just or holy war of independence? The Revolution's legacy for religion, violence, and American exceptionalism / John D. Carlson -- Why war is a moral necessity for America : realism, sacrifice, and the Civil War / Stanley Hauerwas -- Contemporary warfare and American efforts at restraint / James Turner Johnson -- Enemies near and far : the United States and its Muslim allies in radical Islamist discourse / Sohail H. Hashmi -- Varieties of "violence" : thinking ethically about the use of force in the War on Terror / Jean Bethke Elshtain.

"Violence has been a central feature of America's history, culture, and standing in the world. It has taken many forms: from state-sponsored uses of force such as war or law enforcement to revolution, secession, terrorism, and other actions with important political and cultural implications. Religion also holds a crucial place in the American experience of violence, particularly for those who have found order and meaning in their worlds via religious texts, symbols, rituals, and ideas. Yet too often the religious dimensions of violence, especially in the American context, are ignored or overstated--in either case, poorly understood. From Jeremiad to Jihad: Religion, Violence, and America corrects these misunderstandings. Charting and interpreting the tendrils of religion and violence, this book reveals how formative moments of their intersection in American history have influenced the ideas, institutions, and identities associated with the United States. Religion and violence provide crucial yet underutilized lenses for seeing America anew--including its outlook on, and relation to, the world."--Page 4 of cover.