Not heard when it was published, perhaps in 2009 Bellah's plea that "serious men, responsible men [and women, too!], the survival of our society in some form of recognizable continuity with its past, must with all due care and deliberation, turn now to toe social and political drawing boards in order to draw up proposals of far-reaching scope to meet the far-reaching problems in which we are embroiled" (p. 136) might gain some traction. Time for another updated edition? ( )

Examines how America's "civil religion" has changed and eroded through the years, from a sense of high calling and communal obligations to pervasive individualism and self-interest.