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Program One
focuses on the Garden of Eden, the great account of the origins
of Western civilization; and Program Two features the
exodus, the Bible’s epic tale of freedom: Americans have
read into both these ancient narratives their own stories
of beginnings and liberty. The last in the series, Program
Three, is about the Kingdom of God, a vision that continues
to pull Americans expectantly forward.
The territory we cover is sometimes familiar
and comforting, sometimes strange and disturbing. The series
is rooted in the history of religion rather than theology
or philosophy of religion.
The Bible and Modernity
Because the biggest challenge to the Bible’s authority
has come in conjunction with the rise of the modern scientific
worldview, this shift in worldview serves as background to
our stories. We ground our narratives in pre-modern America,
then trace their evolution in modernity.
What we find is that, far from being "dead," the
Bible’s great mythic accounts continue to shape the way
in which we as Americans view ourselves, how we frame experiences
in troubled times, and how we imagine the future.
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