A Preacher Without a Congregation

G.K. Chesterton once remarked that America was “a nation with the soul of a church.” This remark is frequently held up as an apt description of a country that remains relatively religious even as Europe secularizes, that’s still highly moralistic in its understanding of itself and its role in the world, with a history of producing cults and undergoing periodic spiritual awakenings. America does not have an officially established church, so Chesterton’s remark points to something different: an unofficial religion and system of values that pervades the country’s politics and culture and sensibilities, something often referred to as America’s civil, or civic, religion. But if Chesterton’s remark is true, and America’s soul is a church, what kind of church is it?