Johnny Cash was not an uncontroversial figure in American history and religion, which is why it is so daring to use him as a symbol for the contradictions inherent in U.S. popular and political culture. Clapp, an acclaimed author (Border Crossings and Tortured Wonders
) and the editorial director at Brazos Press, attempts to call a truce on the polarizing “culture wars.” His astute observations about U.S. politics and the longstanding influence of the American South neither demonize nor canonize the culture, but rather uncover religious and social implications that have a deep and profound history. Cash, asserts Clapp, contained all of the contradictions found in U.S. culture and history: holiness and hedonism, guilt and innocence, tradition and progress. Clapp utilizes a bevy of examples drawn from Catholic and Protestant literature, music and art to assemble a truly ecumenical book. We need more reflections on religion and American culture that are as cogent and insightful as Clapp's. He offers a bold and important foray into the murky intersection of religion and culture; he does not claim to provide all of the correct answers, but is aiming the dialogue in the right direction. (Mar.)
