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Philosophy and Public Policy. By Sidney Hook. Carbondale and Edwardsville, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 1980. vii + 288 pages. $17.50.

In the body of the book Wilson analyzes very closely certain cultural materials which incorporate elements of the American myth of a covenanted nation. These include examinations of the public utterances of the presidents, of some political rituals operative in our culture, of selected meaning clusters used in interpreting American society (e.g., America the perfect society) and of institutions, such as patriotic voluntary societies, which are believed to support American culture. As Wilson conducts his trenchant analysis of these materials, his scepticism regarding the discrete nature of public religion increases. In the end he concludes that although the data may be construed as evidence that there is public religion, they do not establish that a differentiated, institutionalized cult of public religion exists in America. In a concluding chapter the author demonstrates the wide differences of opinion among scholars who write about civil religion. Wilson states that the case for a developed and differentiated public religion is at best questionable. Consequently the paradigm of public religion will not be helpful for interpreting American religious history. In his epilogue Wilson suggests that Bellah's civil religion construct itself may represent a revitalization movement in American culture. Its emergence at this time in our history may point to some latent cultural shift, e.g., away from the politics of American democracy to economic considerations of global dimensions. John Wilson's volume is an important contribution to the study of civil religion. The depth and breadth of the author's knowledge and intelligence combine with his terse rhetorical style to make for a tightly reasoned book. The theoretical side of civil religion has been subjected to a thorough analysis by a first rate historian. The book is hardly an introduction to civil religion. It presumes a good knowledge of the question. I recommend the book for college libraries where it can be sought out by interested professors of American history, especially American religious history, and their advanced students.