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A Religious Response Veiled in a Presidential Address: A Theological Study of Bush's Speech on 20 September 2001
Abstract
The speech met the moment. The moment was like none experienced before.
The speech transformed a presidency and rallied a nation. But what was this
pivotal response to a critical moment in American history? Was it a call to a just
and holy war? Is God really on the president’s ‘side’? This article analyzes the
speech delivered by President George W. Bush on 20 September 2001, to a joint
session of Congress and to a troubled nation. It was a speech that depended on
intimations of righteous indignation, a clear demarcation of good and evil, and a
God who is not neutral. The article looks at the religious themes overtly and
subtly stated in this speech, to discern what was actually a religious response to a
global crisis that took the form of a presidential address.
The speech transformed a presidency and rallied a nation. But what was this
pivotal response to a critical moment in American history? Was it a call to a just
and holy war? Is God really on the president’s ‘side’? This article analyzes the
speech delivered by President George W. Bush on 20 September 2001, to a joint
session of Congress and to a troubled nation. It was a speech that depended on
intimations of righteous indignation, a clear demarcation of good and evil, and a
God who is not neutral. The article looks at the religious themes overtly and
subtly stated in this speech, to discern what was actually a religious response to a
global crisis that took the form of a presidential address.