Divine Ambition: Tracing the power of American civil religion through presidential campaign rhetoric

If the United States is a nation predicated on the idea of religious freedom, how can it also foster a political climate which utilises consistent religious rhetoric as a benchmark for selection of a president? For some scholars, the very history of the country is irrevocably tied to a theory of American Civil Religion. Unfortunately much of the scholarship on the topic is either highly systematic content analysis, useful but lacking the nuance and context required to offer true depth of understanding of the current manifestation of the theory, or cherry picked to a degree that it invites significant critique. Nevertheless, the connection between political discourse, religion, and civic responsibility continues to be entwined in public life and therefore in need of continued study.

To avoid these pitfalls and develop an accurate, current understanding of American civil religion, this project examines religious rhetoric and narratives incorporated into campaign speeches by leading presidential candidates in the 2008, 2012 and 2016 election cycles, with the aim of locating how such language legitimises and frames candidate’s presentation of what it is to be and serve America. Because Presidential candidates hold a captive audience of citizens and present their positions from a uniquely powerful position, I utilise an established methodology, Critical Discourse Analysis, which is 1) meticulous in its focus on structure and language to ensure the project is designed to reveal the nuances and contextual elements which are lacking in current scholarship, and 2) designed to reveal discourses of power through that language, as is a necessary consideration when the stakes are so high. By ensuring the sampled speeches are structured and balanced in terms of party affiliation and contextual setting, the pitfall of cherry-picking that befalls much of the existing scholarship on the topic is avoided. Thus, through this research, a well-developed, current narrative of American civil religion emerges, along with a clearer picture of both the underlying discourses of power that shape it, and the techniques that are being used to affect it.