American providence : a nation with a mission / Stephen H. Webb.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction : unapologetic providentialism -- Ch. 1. One general and two Americas : a case study in providential rhetoric -- Ch. 2. Providence American style : a short history of the construction of the idea of America -- Ch. 3. On the question of preferentiality in liberalism and liberation theology -- Ch. 4. Resident advisors vs. resident aliens : 9/11 and the persistence of American providence -- Ch. 5. A particular theory of providence -- Ch. 6. On the two globalisms and the destiny of American Christianity -- Ch. 7. Carl Schmitt and the limits of democracy -- Conclusion : American democracy as the dream of the church -- App. Providence and progress.

"The relationship between America and Christianity has never been so hotly contested as it is today. September 11, 2001, and the war on terrorism have had an almost schismatic impact on the Church. American Christians have been forced to ask really hard questions about the relationship of their faith to politics." "In American providence, Stephen Webb makes the case that American Christianity is not an oxymoron. He also makes the case for a robust doctrine of providence - doctrine that has been frequently neglected by American theologians due to their reluctance to claim any special status for the United States. In this book, Webb goes right to the heart of this reluctance by defending the idea that American foreign policy should be seen as a vehicle of God's design for history."--BOOK JACKET.