to explain the inner workings of marketplace capitalism and other aspects of modern society. Unfortunately, Ketchell does not pursue such heuristic possibilities. In light of its struggle to apply interpretive concepts to the analysis of its historical data, Ketchell’s book would benefit from a more deliberate and self- conscious discussion of its assumptions regarding the relationship between reli- gion and tourism. It tends to view the normal mode of this relationship as an inviolable dichotomy between sacred and secular. This allows Ketchell to emphasize what appears to be Branson’s seemingly unique transgression of the boundary between these mutually exclusive realms. But abandoning such exacting and narrow presumptions regarding the relationship between religion and tourism would allow for more original conclusions. For instance, a “most difficult dualism” (230) appears in the concluding chapter of the book as Branson Landing, a new commercial development, aims to attract younger and more affluent visitors with “wholly secular attractions and commodities disas- sociated from a distinct moral paradigm” (231). Ketchell laments that the city “loses much of its restorative capacity” by embracing such a strategy (231). But this conclusion relies on a sacred/secular dichotomy that places moral para- digms and restorative capacities on the side of the sacred, while the secular remains wholly antagonistic to such uplifting values. Alternatively, readers could construe the Branson Landing development as merely keeping with the age-old Ozark tradition of adapting to changing market conditions and oppor- tunities. In this interpretation, Branson’s business community is merely recali- brating its restorative offerings in a marketplace where traditional religious commodities have less appeal among targeted consumers. Nevertheless, the interpretive shortcomings do not justify dismissal of Ketchell’s thoroughly researched and carefully documented book. His work includes a great deal of material that challenges basic assumptions in the scho- larly study of religions. Whatever one might think of his conclusions, Ketchell confronts readers with the implications of a popular tourist destination founded on the values and sentiments of American evangelical Protestantism. doi:10.1093/jaarel/lfn036 Thomas S. Bremer Advance Access publication June 19, 2008 Rhodes College Remembering Abraham: Culture, Memory, and History in the Hebrew Bible. By Ronald Hendel. Oxford University Press, 2005. 200 pages. $35.00. In this collection of essays, four of which are revised from earlier publi- cations, Ronald Hendel explores Israel’s remembered past and how the biblical retelling of its history generated Israel’s national, religious, and cultural iden- tity. Memory is inherently unstable and open to interpretation, reframing, and Journal of the American Academy of Religion 690 at University of California, Berkeley on February 19, 2014 http://jaar.oxfordjournals.org/ Downloaded from