Rosenzweig and Thelen spend the first chapter of their magnificent study The Presence of the Past delineating the ways various demographic groups -- whites/African Americans/Native Americans, men/women, rich/poor, rural/suburban/urban -- use "history" and/or "the past" in everyday life. Their demographic breakdown is missing one critical component: religion. ". . . [W]e did not ask explicitly about religion," the authors admit (p. 120), although they do make some salient claims about the relationship between particularly evangelical Christian faith and popular historymaking (p. 25, 120-123).
Leaving religion out of the question(s) about popular historymaking makes light of three realities. First, it makes light of the role that religion plays in American public and private life -- from political rhetoric to popular TV. Second, it makes light of the fact that religion is the most popular area of study for American historians. And, third, it makes light of the role that both history and religion play in today’s culture wars.
