The Rhetoric of American Exceptionalism in the Interfaith Movement in the United States

Abstract

Two aspects of the rhetoric of American exceptionalism have informed the interfaith movement in the United States for more than a century: (1) America is an exceptional society with an exceptional religious system, and (2) America has a global mission. This article traces the rhetoric of American exceptionalism in four interfaith cases: the 1893 World's Parliament of Religions, the National Conference of Christians and Jews, the Pluralism Project at Harvard University, and the Tri-Faith Initiative of Omaha, Nebraska. Two supportable claims can be made: The modern interfaith movement originated in the exceptional social and civic context of the U.S. and subsequently emerged in comparable social and civic contexts.