Christian Mentality

Burton L. Mack, now retired, was formerly John Wesley Professor in Early Christianity at the Claremont School of Theology and Graduate University in California. He is the author of numerous publications on Hellenistic Judaism, ritual theory, Classical rhetoric and Christian origins from the viewpoint of cultural anthropology and the history of religions.

'Burton Mack has produced a brilliant tour de force bringing his work in analyzing the Christian Myth to the 21st century. His work sheds new light on what shapes and drives the political discourse in the United States by tracing it back to the "Christian Mentality" that has been formed by the Christian story. Both lyrical and analytic this work will send everyone, scholars and laypeople, back to the political landscape with a new understanding of how it works and what must be done to effect real change.' Randall Reed, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Philosophy and Religion, Appalachian State University 'Burton Mack's exposure and critique of the workings of Christian mentality today as a residual cultural mentality inhibiting the exploration of more sane ways of living together in our global world joins the chorus of recent voices calling for rethinking the place of the United States in the world and restructuring its social systems in order to achieve the promise of a polycultural social democracy. It is difficult to demonstrate the pervasive influence of a mentality from within a culture, especially when it persists as a mythic grammar and social logic from a medieval world radically different from our own, but that is precisely the remarkable achievement of this book. How he does it and why it matters for unraveling the entanglements of power, violence, and fear that accompany a mindset of exceptionalism, manifest destiny, and world mission deserves the full attention of social historians, cultural critics, and alert and thoughtful citizens.' Merrill P. Miller, Emeritus Professor of Religion, University of North Carolina at Pembroke

• Introduction PART I: MENTALITIES Chapter 1: The Christian Nation Chapter 2: The Way Myths Work Chapter 3: The Christian Myth and Legacy PART II: SOCIAL ISSUES Chapter 4: Social Issues Chapter 5: The Mythic Correlations Chapter 6: The Entanglements of Power Chapter 7: The Entanglements of Violence Chapter 8: The Entanglements of Fear PART III: CRITIQUE Chapter 9: The Nation-State and Violence Chapter 10: Parsing the Entanglements Chapter 11: Rethinking Mentalities Conclusion