ABSTRACT
The idea that America is God's chosen nation has been visible in American culture since the country's inception (Tuveson 1968). On the one hand, being a chosen people means that America must remain separate from the world. America must be the example for the world to follow. On the other hand, American exceptionalism blends into the doctrine of Manifest Destiny and the calling for America to lead (Stephanson 1996). Either way, the belief that America has a providential role to play in foreign affairs is a long-standing part of American history. It is a part of American history that makes religious rhetoric about foreign policy natural.
