Includes bibliographical references (p. 289-302) and index.

Introduction: Quotation and the life of public texts / Claire Hoertz Badaracco -- Journalism and the religious imagination / John Schmalzbauer -- God talk in the public square / C. Welton Gaddy -- The first amendment and the Falun Gong / Paul Moses -- A framework for understanding fundamentalism / Rebecca Moore -- Biblical prophecy and foreign policy / Paul S. Boyer -- Last words : death and public self-expression / John P. Ferré -- Collective memory, national identity : victims and victimizers in Japan / Richard A. Gardner -- Appalachian regional identity in national media / Howard Dorgan -- The Virgin of Guadalupe as cultural icon / Virgilio Elizondo -- Reporting complexity : science and religion / Jame Schaefer -- Vatican opinion on modern communication / Paul Soukup -- Conclusion: A relationship of overlapping conversations / Gustav Niebuhr.