In his recent book, The American Soul: Rediscovering the Wisdom of the Founders, Jacob Needleman writes: America is … a philosophical identity composed of ideas of freedom, liberty, independent thought, independent conscience, self-reliance, hard work, justice. That is both the weakness and strength of America. To love America is not to love one’s roots&mdashit is to love the flower that has not yet blossomed, the fruit as yet unripened. In order to deepen our conversation about the American story, Needleman urges attention to iconic figures such as Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and Walt Whitman, who remind us of founding ideals which may inspire our actions today. We must, he says, remythologize the idea of America. But how?

JACOB NEEDLEMAN
Jacob Needleman is professor of philosophy at San Francisco State University and former director of the Center for the Study of New Religions at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley.

SCOTTY MCLENNAN
Scotty McLennan, the Dean for Religious Life at Stanford, is the author of Finding Your Religion: When the Faith You Grew Up With Has Lost Its Meaning and co-author with Laura Nash of Church on Sunday, Work on Monday: The Challenge of Fusing Christian Values With Business Life.