recent title: ‘American Angels: Useful Spirits in the Material World’
Written on February 8, 2008
The title caught my mind, sounds interesting as a cultural analysis: American Angels: Useful Spirits in the Material World by Peter Gardella (University Press of Kansas, 2007)
Gardella’s engaging study is the first to look objectively at the place of angels in American culture. He explores in particular the emergence of a domestic religion of “useful angels”–especially outside mainstream churches–that has created a uniquely American faith, one that addresses everything from the sexuality of angels to how angels and demons literally figure in the War on Terror….
Beautifully and sympathetically written, but with a scholar’s eye for pattern and detail, American Angels mixes theology, psychology, sociology of religion, gender theory, and even film criticism to create an unusually well-rounded survey of a uniquely American phenomenon. It shows us how the utility of angels speaks to the very core of religion and will enlighten skeptics and believers alike.
In a similar vein there is American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon
Filed in: culture.
