The Christian Right In The United States Origin Structure And Political Activism

Author : Nils Schnelle
Publisher : GRIN Verlag
ISBN 13 : 3640278240
Total Pages : 125 pages
Book Rating : 4.44/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book The Christian Right in the United States - Origin, Structure, and Political Activism written by Nils Schnelle and published by GRIN Verlag. This book was released on 2009-03-02 with total page 125 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thesis (M.A.) from the year 2008 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Region: USA, grade: 1,50, Catholic University Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, 90 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: This thesis will address the political movement of the Christian Right, one of the most controversial movements in the American political system. Its critics have accused it of trying to establish a theocracy in the United States, of trying to strip homosexuals of their civil rights, and called it fascist, to name but a few allegations. Leaders of the Christian Right, on the other hand, have harshly attacked those they made out as advocates of “secular humanism”, have accused them of anti-Christian bigotry, and have repeatedly employed extreme rhetoric when addressing their (political) adversaries. Within about twenty-five years, the movement developed from almost complete political abstinence into a highly organized political force. The subject is appealing for research for several reasons: firstly, it is a good example of how vivid and influential religion and religiously motivated political action still are, in spite of the secularization theory widely adhered to in the respective period of time. It is also still current, as there has been some fluctuation in terms of activity and degree of organization, but so far the Christian Right has not ceased to exist. The goal of the thesis is to explore the emergence of the movement, to portrait the developments that brought theologically conservative Protestants (Evangelicals) – from isolation and retreat into a subculture – to active and organized political involvement. The central questions to be answered are linked to the controversy surrounding the movement: (1) Has the Christian Right been trying to accomplish what its critics fear, a theocracy, and a Christian nation in which there would be no place for dissenters? (2) Is the Christian Right a legitimate movement operating within the frame of the political system, or is it set out to ultimately change that system? Resulting from those questions is the evaluation of the Christian Right’s performance so far (regardless of what can be concluded to answer the above questions): (3) Which of its goals have been achieved, what balance can be drawn?

Author : John C. Green
Publisher : Georgetown University Press
ISBN 13 : 9781589014299
Total Pages : 308 pages
Book Rating : 4.94/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book The Christian Right in American Politics written by John C. Green and published by Georgetown University Press. This book was released on 2003-05-06 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the first rumblings of the Moral Majority over twenty years ago, the Christian Right has been marshalling its forces and maneuvering its troops in an effort to re-shape the landscape of American politics. It has fascinated social scientists and journalists as the first right-wing social movement in postwar America to achieve significant political and popular support, and it has repeatedly defied those who would step up to write its obituary. In 2000, while many touted the demise of the Christian Coalition, the broader undercurrents of the movement were instrumental in helping George W. Bush win the GOP nomination and the White House. Bush repaid that swell of support by choosing Senator John Ashcroft, once the movement's favored presidential candidate, as attorney general. The Christian Right in American Politics, under the direction of three of the nation's leading scholars in the field of religion and politics, recognizing the movement as a force still to be reckoned with, undertakes the important task of making an historical analysis of the Christian Right in state politics during its heyday, 1980 to the millennium. Its twelve chapters, written by outstanding scholars, review the impact and influence of the Christian Right in those states where it has had its most significant presence: South Carolina, Virginia, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Colorado, California, Maine, and Oregon and Washington. Since 1980, scholars have learned a good deal about the social characteristics, religious doctrine, and political beliefs of activists in and supporters of the Christian Right in these states, and each contribution is based on rigorous, dispassionate scholarship. The writers explore the gains and losses of the movement as it attempts to re-shape political landscapes. More precisely, they provide in-depth descriptions of the resources, organizations, and the group ecologies in which the Christian Right operates-the distinct elements that drove the movement forward. As the editors state, "the Christian Right has been engaged in a long and torturous 'march toward the millennium,' from outsider status into the thick of American politics." Those formative years, 1980-2000, are essential for any understanding of this uniquely American social movement. This rigorous analysis over many states and many elections provides the clearest picture yet of the goals, tactics, and hopes of the Christian Right in America.

Author : K. Conger
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 0230101747
Total Pages : 202 pages
Book Rating : 4.46/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book The Christian Right in Republican State Politics written by K. Conger and published by Springer. This book was released on 2009-11-09 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the influence and activities of the Christian Right at the state level. One of the first attempts at studying the Christian Right comparatively across states, this book offers a new theoretically-driven perspective on how political context and constraints shape the Christian Right s strategy and influence. Based on evidence from in-depth case studies of three states - Indiana, Missouri, and Arizona - and qualitative and quantitative data from a wide variety of other states, its conclusions demonstrate that the movement s strategies and behavior are based on the political opportunity structure of each state, the movement s internal resources, and its ability to utilize threat-based mobilization.

Author : William R. Stevenson
Publisher : University Press of America
ISBN 13 : 9780819194114
Total Pages : 220 pages
Book Rating : 4.15/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Christian Political Activism at the Crossroads written by William R. Stevenson and published by University Press of America. This book was released on 1994 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume illumines the discussion being carried on between the religious right with its concern for moral responsibility in politics and the issue-oriented activists who are concerned with how Christians in America address human-rights and hunger issues. By bringing together both Christian scholars and activists from nearly all points of the political continuum, this book offers a rare glimpse into the reality of Christian diversity on the political task. The media often suggests a monist interpretation of 'Christian politics.' This book shows both the vitality and plurality of Christian politics in America. The book covers the historical background, activist perspectives, organizational structures, and participant characteristics with essays by Frank Roberts, David O'Brien, Ruth Tucker, James Reichley, Delton Franz, Betty Coats, Lucille Taylor, Bruce Buursma, Robert Zwier, Allen Hertzke, James Guth, Lyman Kellstedt, Corwin Smidt, Stephen Monsma and concludes with a suggestion of a new direction by James Skillen of the Association for Public Justice.

Author : Anthea Butler
Publisher : UNC Press Books
ISBN 13 : 1469661187
Total Pages : 175 pages
Book Rating : 4.86/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book White Evangelical Racism written by Anthea Butler and published by UNC Press Books. This book was released on 2021-02-23 with total page 175 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The American political scene today is poisonously divided, and the vast majority of white evangelicals play a strikingly unified, powerful role in the disunion. These evangelicals raise a starkly consequential question for electoral politics: Why do they claim morality while supporting politicians who act immorally by most Christian measures? In this clear-eyed, hard-hitting chronicle of American religion and politics, Anthea Butler answers that racism is at the core of conservative evangelical activism and power. Butler reveals how evangelical racism, propelled by the benefits of whiteness, has since the nation's founding played a provocative role in severely fracturing the electorate. During the buildup to the Civil War, white evangelicals used scripture to defend slavery and nurture the Confederacy. During Reconstruction, they used it to deny the vote to newly emancipated blacks. In the twentieth century, they sided with segregationists in avidly opposing movements for racial equality and civil rights. Most recently, evangelicals supported the Tea Party, a Muslim ban, and border policies allowing family separation. White evangelicals today, cloaked in a vision of Christian patriarchy and nationhood, form a staunch voting bloc in support of white leadership. Evangelicalism's racial history festers, splits America, and needs a reckoning now.

Author : Doris Buss
Publisher : U of Minnesota Press
ISBN 13 : 9780816642083
Total Pages : 244 pages
Book Rating : 4.87/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Globalizing Family Values written by Doris Buss and published by U of Minnesota Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With little fanfare and profound effect, "family values" have gone global, and the influence of the Christian Right is increasingly felt internationally. This is the first comprehensive study of the Christian Right's global reach and its impact on international law and politics. Doris Buss and Didi Herman explore tensions, contradictions, victories, and defeats for the Christian Right's global project, particularly in the United Nations. The authors consult Christian Right materials, from pamphlets to novels; conduct interviews with people in the movement; and provide a firsthand account of the World Congress of Families II in 1999, a key event in formulating Christian Right global policy and strategy. The result is a detailed look at a new global player--its campaigns against women's rights, population policy, and gay and lesbian rights; its efforts to build an alliance of orthodox faiths with non-Christians; and the tensions and strains as it seeks to negotiate a role for conservative Christianity in a changing global order.

Author : William Curtis Martin
Publisher : Broadway
ISBN 13 : 0767922573
Total Pages : 464 pages
Book Rating : 4.79/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book With God on Our Side written by William Curtis Martin and published by Broadway. This book was released on 2005 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The rise of the Religious Right is one of the most important political and cultural stories of our time. To many, this controversial movement threatens to upset the nation's delicate balance of religious and secular interests. To others, the Religious Right is valiantly struggling to preserve religious liberty and to prove itself as the last, best hope to save America's soul. In With God on Our Side --the first balanced account of conservative Christians' impact on post-war politics--William Martin paints a vivid and authoritative portrait of America's most powerful political interest group. Although its members now number between forty and sixty million people, the Religious Right has not always carried the tremendous--and growing--political clout it enjoys today. A hundred years ago, scattered groups of conservative Christians worked fervently to spread the Gospel, but their involvement in politics was marginal. Early in this century, however, a series of charismatic and ambitious leaders began transforming the movement; by the election of John F. Kennedy as our first Catholic president, the Religious Right had found its voice. Politics and religion began mixing as never before. From Richard Nixon's strategic manipulation of Graham's religious influence in the 1970s, to Ronald Reagan's association with Falwell's Moral Majority in the 1980s, to the Christian Coalition's emergence as a slick, sophisticated political machine, the line separating the pulpit from the presidency became increasingly blurred. Now, preachers such as Graham, Falwell, and Pat Robertson preside over ministries so vast and well organized that most politicians can ill afford to ignore their views--or lose their votes. In recent years, the Religious Right's political influence has propelled it into spheres beyond pure politics. Race relations, abortion and reproductive rights, school curricula, the nature and role of the family--conservative Christians have embraced all of these socially charged issues, and their activism has irrevocably altered the way America confronts its thorniest problems. How does a free society draw the line between Church and State without removing religious conviction from public life? What motivates individual Americans to do battle in the culture wars? Most importantly, when politicians and religiously motivated activists join forces, who holds the reins? Drawing on over 100 new interviews with key figures in the movement, William Martin brilliantly captures the spirit of the age as he explores both sides of this dramatic debate. Written in conjunction with the producers of the public television series of the same name, this landmark book is essential reading for all Americans--conservative and liberal, fundamentalist and atheist--who care about the spiritual health and political future of our country. From the Hardcover edition.

Author : DANIEL K. WILLIAMS
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780199978755
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.51/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book GOD'S OWN PARTY written by DANIEL K. WILLIAMS and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Daniel K. Williams
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199798877
Total Pages : 402 pages
Book Rating : 4.72/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book God's Own Party written by Daniel K. Williams and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2010-10-04 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When the Christian Right burst onto the scene in the late 1970s, many political observers were shocked. But, as God's Own Party demonstrates, they shouldn't have been. The Christian Right goes back much farther than most journalists, political scientists, and historians realize. Relying on extensive archival and primary source research, Daniel K. Williams presents the first comprehensive history of the Christian Right, uncovering how evangelicals came to see the Republican Party as the vehicle through which they could reclaim America as a Christian nation. A fascinating and much-needed account of a key force in American politics, God's Own Party is the only full-scale analysis of the electoral shifts, cultural changes, and political activists at the movement's core--showing how the Christian Right redefined politics as we know it.

Author : Ruth Murray Brown
Publisher : Prometheus Books
ISBN 13 : 1615927158
Total Pages : 313 pages
Book Rating : 4.59/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book For a Christian America written by Ruth Murray Brown and published by Prometheus Books. This book was released on 2013-07-25 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on 25 years of research, this objective social history traces the growth of the religious right in America from its beginnings in 1970 to to its present status.