Articles in this issue also address the explicitly religious dimensions of public life. The religious right and the religious center are powerful forces in American politics, even if they are publicly committed to secular policy aims. Aimee Placas' essay in this issue explores the religious right in an earlier time, when their most threatening proponent was Jimmy Carter, and when credit card numbers were more likely to be the number of the beast than their ticket to deep cultural influence. Charlie Bertsch's essay on the spirit of irony shows that his investment in irony is a fear of public investment in anything else. Finally, Joe Lockard's deeply disturbing tale of the cynical use of Israel's rabbinical courts for purely secular disputes offers a perfect example of what happens when religion truly comes to dominate public life.
Secular concerns mix with holy wrath in a religious state.
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