American Jesus: How the Son of God Became an American Icon

Stephen Prother
Religion, °¬¿ÉÖ±²¥ University

¶Ù²¹³Ù±ð:ÌýFebruary 10, 2004


Event Recap

In his bookÌýAmerican Jesus: How the Son of God Became an American Icon, Stephen Prothero, Professor ofÌýReligion at °¬¿ÉÖ±²¥ University, provides a cultural accountÌýof how the idea of Jesus hasÌýbecome assimilated, popularized,Ìýand integrated into a varietyÌýof American sub-culturesÌýand religions ranging fromÌýBuddhism to the Ku KluxÌýKlan. Prothero traces the riseÌýof Jesus across American historyÌýfrom a status as the Son ofÌýGod to that of an AmericanÌýicon. He points out that in theÌýColonial period, Jesus was aÌýrelatively inconsequential figureÌýrelative to the figure of God. Christian thinking inÌýthis period was more Hebraic, emphasizing God theÌýFather. It was not until the early republican period whenÌýJefferson effectively begins to separate the idea of JesusÌýfrom the system of Christianity that Jesus begins to takeÌýon a separate and distinctive status that transcendsÌýChristian religion. Prothero demonstrates Jesus’ evolutionÌýinto an American iconÌýwith a collection of pictures,Ìýpostcards, and popular artÌýimages that show how theÌýJesus figure is appropriatedÌýby new immigrant groupsÌýthat absorb him and makeÌýhis message their own in aÌývariety of ways. He discussesÌýthat the United StatesÌýhas moved, over the pastÌý200 years, from being aÌýGod-fearing nation to aÌýJesus loving nation. The image of Jesus, Prothero contends,Ìýhas been particularly malleable because of the variousÌýaccounts that exist in the four Gospels that allowÌýhim to be perceived in multiple ways.