The Theology of the American Empire

This chapter seeks to articulate the unique and particularistic religious, spiritual, and theological beliefs, values, sentiments, and ideals of the American Empire that undergird US foreign engagement and international encroachments in the contemporary context. It investigates the dominant religious historical narrative and theology of American exceptionalism as the cornerstone of US theological self-identity and worldview as a global superpower. The chapter traces the development and foundations of American exceptionalism through its roots in divine providence and the City on a Hill to the Manifest Destiny of the 1840s and through the contemporary understanding of good versus evil. It relates the theology of the American Empire to the cross of Christ and the reality of black oppression in the history of US culture and society. The chapter implicates the theology of the American Empire in the racist and white supremacist origins of the United States and its pursuit of colonialism, imperialism, and neo-colonialism in the contemporary context.