(Redirected from Religious Right)
The term '"Christian Right"' is used by scholars and journalists, to refer to a spectrum of
right-wing Christian political and social movements and organizations characterized by their strong support of
conservative social and political values. The "Christian Right" as a politically active social movement includes individuals from a wide variety of theological beliefs, ranging from moderately traditional movements within
Lutheranism and
Catholicism to theologically more conservative movements such as
Evangelicalism,
Pentecostalism and
Fundamentalist Christianity.
Terminology
The terms Christian Right and
Religious Right are sometimes used interchangeably, although this is problematic. Fundamentalists across several religions often share with the Christian Right certain positions on specific issues such as opposition to
birth control [1],
abortion,
gay rights,
separation of religion and government,
evolution [2], embryonic stem cell research
[3], and antipathy for perceived changing moral standards. So while many leaders of the Christian Right are outspoken critics of
radical Islam, organizations composed of conservative Christians, Muslim social conservatives, and Orthodox Jews sometimes cooperate in national and international projects, especially through the
World Congress of Families and United Nations NGO gatherings.
[1]
The term Christian Right is considered pejorative by some observers, who suggest the term and the related term
Religious Right are used primarily by the political left.
[2][3][4] (see also
Christianophobia and
Dominionism).
The term "Christian Right," however, is used by authors from a wide range of political and religious viewpoints (See references section below). For example, conservative American political commentator
Kevin Phillips, feels the terms accurately describes the movement. Some 15% of the electorate in the United States tell pollsters they are allied with the Christian Right, and it is an important voting block within the U.S. Republican Party.
[5][6]In recent years, Christian Right groups have appeared in other countries than the United States.
[7]
The term
Culture War is used to describe the disagreements over social and political issues between the Christian Right and its more liberal and secular opponents
[8]
History
Jerome Himmelstein writes that:
:"The term New Religious Right refers to a set of organizations that emerged in the late 1970s, the
Moral Majority (later renamed the
Liberty Federation), the
Religious Roundtable, and the
Christian Voice; their leaders, including
Robert Grant,
Pat Robertson,
Jerry Falwell, and
Ed McAteer; and the movement that these leaders and organizations fostered. Though this movement made a broad, religiously based conservative appeal, its deepest roots and most lasting impact were among white evangelicals and fundamentalist Christians" (p. 97).
The contemporary "Christian Right" as a nascent political movement began when evangelicals began organizing against a series of
Supreme Court decisions, notably
Roe v. Wade and also engaged in local battles over
pornography,
obscenity, taxation of private Christian schools,
school prayer,
textbook contents (concerning evolution),
homosexuality and
abortion.
One early effort to institutionalize the Christian Right as a politically-active social movement began in 1974 when Dr.
Robert Grant, an early movement leader, founded
American Christian Cause to advocate Christian moral teachings in Southern California. Concerned that Christians overwhelmingly voted in favor of President
Jimmy Carter in 1976, Grant founded
Christian Voice to mobilize Christian voters in favor of candidates who share their values. The birth of the
New Christian Right, however, is usually traced to a 1979 meeting where televangelist Jerry Falwell was urged to create a "
Moral Majority" organization.
[9][10]
In the US in 1980 Christian leaders and members of the religious right rallied in Washington DC on April 29th and 30th, for an event called ''Washington for Jesus''. Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Dr. William Bright, Benson Idahosa from Africa, and many other high-profile Christians marched on Washington DC, in an effort to get Ronald Reagan, the opposing republican candidate to oust then-Democratic candidate Jimmy Carter out of office. Many of the beliefs of the religious right were outlined and solidified in speeches and statements made by leaders during the event. Other ''Washington for Jesus'' rallies were held in Washington in 1998, 1996, and 2004. ''Washington for Jesus'' was founded by [John Giminez], the pastor of Rock Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Christian Right movements: Outside the United States
Beyond the United States, other western nations have their own Christian Right movements. A brief summary and evaluation of those movements follow.
Australia
In
Australia, the Christian Right has had mixed fortunes. In the case of the
anti-abortion movement, there has been considerable fragmentation between the Federation of Right to Life Associations and
Right to Life Australia. The latter favours direct action tactics, and has tended to alienate public opinion. Two other organisations that both began in 1995 with a Christian Right focus and agenda were the Australian Christian Coalition, now known as the Australian Christian Lobby, and Salt Shakers. The Australian Christian Lobby has its headquarters in Canberra with State Offices, whilst Salt Shakers has a single office in Melbourne. Over time the Australian Christian Lobby has moved from the political right to a centre right position whilst Salt Shakers has not. Both have had their wins and losses over the 11 years that they have been operating. Both organisations form loose coalitions with other like minded organisations. These coalitions are issue focused and come and go as issues come and go.
In New South Wales, Reverend
Fred Nile and his
Christian Democratic Party have occupied two to three
Legislative Council seats since the 1980s. Nile has been conspicuously unsuccessful in his efforts against the popular Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, and lesbian/gay rights legislation in general, as well as
abortion.
Similarly, his former vehicle, the
South Australia-based
Festival of Light has been ebbing in recent years. In that state, the
Family First political party has been elected at the state and federal upper house levels. Victoria used to be the headquarters of the
National Civic Council, a conservative Catholic organisation that still produces News Weekly, a conservative Catholic news publication that opposes free market capitalism as well as reproductive choice, voluntary euthanasia and lesbian/gay rights.
For a decade, this movement delayed the introduction of
medical abortion in Australia (1996-2005). As time went on, all Australian states and territories either partially or fully decriminalised abortion access, although keeping abortion-on-demand illegal. Eventually, a unified multipartisan pro-choice movement insured passage of legislation that repealed obstacles within the federal Therapeutic Goods Act.
At present, the Australian federal government under the Howard administration has banned
same-sex marriage and has threatened to legislate against proposed
civil unions for lesbians and gay men at the federal level, as it had previously done against
euthanasia law reform after the
Northern Territory parliament carried it out in 1995. Euthanasia marks a particular point of conflict. In 2005, the Howard administration passed an anti-euthanasia Criminal Code Amendment (Suicide Related Offences) Act, which made it illegal to "aid or abet the suicide or attempted suicide" or "incite or counsel another person to commit suicide"
[6]. However, the Howard administration is now the only Coalition (
Liberal Party of Australia/
National Party of Australia)-governed jurisdiction anywhere in the country, as the
Australian Labor Party federal opposition controls all the state and territory governments.
Canada
Canada has had a
Charter of Rights and Freedoms, an open-ended written constitution, since it was repatriated in 1982. Resultantly, feminist and lesbian/gay law reform groups have been able to secure considerable advances such as the two R. v. Morgentaler cases (
in 1988 and
in 1993), which completely decriminalise abortion in that country, as well as a string of provincial supreme court same-sex marriage victories that led the federal Parliament to introduce federal legislation to enable it in 2005. Despite the recent victory of
Stephen Harper's Conservative Party of Canada at last year's federal election, the latter is currently a minority government. Canada has a pro-family group (
REAL Women of Canada) and pro-life supporters within
Campaign Life Coalition, and political parties like the
Christian Heritage Party of Canada and
Family Coalition Party in Ontario, as well as
Focus on the Family Canada, a satellite of the US-based multinational
Focus on the Family, based in Colorado Springs. These political parties have never been elected to office in legislative bodies, however.
None of these organisations have been able to make any inroad against Canada's feminist or lesbian gay rights movement. Paradoxically, though, censorship policy has been a continued point of contention between Canada's lesbian, gay and arts communities and federal Customs.
United Kingdom
The 'United Kingdom' has also had an active Christian Right movement, whose fortunes peaked during the eighties, under the
Conservative Party administration of
Margaret Thatcher, a social conservative. However,
Mary Whitehouse and her
National Viewers and Listeners Association (now
Mediawatch-uk) were the only political beneficiaries of tighter censorship legislation and policy during the eighties. The Thatcher administration passed
Section 28 of the
Local Government Act 1988, the effect of which was disputed but which aimed to reduce the "promotion" of homosexuality by local authorities.
During the nineties,
John Major pursued a softer stance, and
Edwina Currie, a libertarian Conservative MP, produced a private members bill to reduce the gay male age of consent from twenty-one to sixteen. However, the British Parliament accepted eighteen as a compromise age of consent. In 2001, full age of consent equality prevailed. From 1997 to 2007,
Tony Blair was Prime Minister, and fully supportive of lesbian/gay rights. Under his Labour Party government, Clause 28 was repealed, the gay male age of consent was equalised at sixteen (2001), civil partnership legislation (civil unions) were introduced, and
gay adoption reform passed after several libertarian Conservative MPs crossed the floor to support the measure.
Many "Christian Right" issues are treated of matters of conscience by major parties for the purposes of the parliamentary whip, meaning the policies of parties are less important than those of individual members. In recent years, none of the major political parties have promoted such policies, and parliament has moved away from them in free votes. Outside the major political parties, there have been campaigns from small hard-line groups such as
The Christian Institute and the
Scottish Christian Party. Despite occasional attempts to reduce time limits for abortion access, British pro-life groups have been unsuccessful at limiting women's abortion access, due to that country's long-established and vigilant
pro-choice movement. Some newspapers such as the
Daily Mail and
Daily Express run campaigns and print right-leaning coverage on subjects such as pornography and some of the aims of gay rights campaigners.
Britain, Canada and New Zealand have all faced repeated attempts to introduce voluntary
euthanasia legislation, or decriminalise voluntary euthanasia or
physician-assisted suicide through the courts, in the case of Canada. However, to date, none of these reform efforts have passed the select committee stage in any national, federal or provincial parliament. For example, a euthanasia law reform bill has just been postponed in the United Kingdom's
House of Lords, after a massive anti-euthanasia/pro-care rally in London.
International Organisations
★
Opus Dei
★
Forward in Faith
★
Assemblies of God
Moral Issues and General Beliefs
Issues of sexuality and reproduction
★ Opposition to trafficking in persons for sex slavery worldwide
★ Opposition to
prostitution in the US and elsewhere
★ Opposition to
child pornography
★ Opposition to
pornography because they view it as immoral exploitation of persons
★ Opposition both to
same-sex marriage laws and to other measures to extend civil rights to homosexuals
:(Groups such as the
Focus on the Family and Traditional Values Coalition prefer to describe such measures as special rights for
homosexuals.)
★ An emphasis on the value of the
nuclear family in raising children
★ Opposition to
birth control
★ Opposition to sexual practices diverging from
heterosexual relations within the context of monogamous
marriage
★ Opposition to
divorce (more widely as social disapproval rather than calls for legal restrictions)
★ Neutral to opposing attitudes towards social policies designed to facilitate women working outside the home
Human Life
★ Stronger regulation or prohibition of
abortion especially third trimester partial birth abortions
★ Opposition to
euthanasia
★ Regulation and restriction of certain applications of biotechnology; in particular, both therapeutic and reproductive human cloning and stem cell research that involves the destruction of human embryos. See also
bioethics.
★ Regulation and restriction of the publication and public exhibition of media with sexual content, both
pornography and erotica.
★ Opposition to
sex education classes in public schools. A spectrum of views exist, from advocating no sex education in public schools to advocating
abstinence to advocating modesty, chastity, with education about the purpose of advertising
Issues of the nature and degree of separation of church and state
★ Support for the presence of religion in the public sphere and the official activities thereof, often supported by the claim that the United States was "founded by Christians as a Christian Nation"
★ In the UK, some similar policies are followed, based on the view that Britain’s status as a constitutionally Christian nation should be protected and restored, for instance by enforcing the
Blasphemy Law, increasing school prayer and regarding those in public life as accountable to God.
★ Promotion of
conservative or
literal interpretations of the
Bible as the basis for
moral values, and enforcing such values by legislation
★ Reducing restrictions on government funding for religious charities and schools. However, some politically conservative churches refuse government funding because of their restrictions regarding acceptance of homosexuality and other issues; others endorse President Bush's "
faith-based initiatives" and accept funds.
★ Active private and religious involvement in charitable works (parachurch organization) such as disaster relief, medical care, adoption, help for women with problem pregnancies, development in Third World countries, and partnering with government programs to accomplish the same objectives.
★
Opposition to
Wicca and other
Neopagan faiths receiving equal recognition and freedom of religious expression
★ Opposition to "judicial activism" by federal judges giving decisions perceived as liberal in cases affecting the above issues.
★ Strong support for national leaders, with suggestions that they are "chosen by God"
★ Support of right-wing candidates
Public Funding and Social Development
★ Opposition to federal funding of:
★
★ specific areas of
scientific research
★
★ development of the
arts
Educational issues
★ Support for
voluntary prayer in school
★ Support for
homeschooling, and private schooling, generally as an alternative to secular education rather than for Libertarian reasons. This manifests itself as support for school vouchers.
★ Modification of public school curriculum, including:
★
★ Opposition to the teaching of
evolution
★
★ Promotion of the teaching of
creationism and
intelligent design as opposed to evolution
★
★ Opposition to
sex education
Middle-eastern foreign policy positions
(attributable to beliefs about biblical prophecy or to inter-religious conflict)
★ Support for the
war in Iraq
★ Strong political support for
Israel
Attitudes to Diversity, Apartheid, and Indigenous Rights
The conclusions of a review of 112 studies on Christian faith and ethnic prejudice were summarised by a later study as being that "white Protestants associated with groups possessing fundamentalist belief systems are generally more prejudiced than members of nonfundamentalist groups, with unchurched whites exhibiting least prejudice."
[7] The original review found that its conclusions held "regardless of when the studies were conducted, from whom the data came, the region where the data were collected, or the type of prejudice studied."
[8] More recently, at least eight studies have found a positive correlation between fundamentalism and prejudice, using different measures of fundamentalism.
[11]
A number of prominent members of the Christian Right, including
Jerry Falwell and
Rousas John Rushdoony, supported
segregation.
[9][10]
In ''Thy Kingdom Come'',
Randall Balmer recounts comments that
Paul M. Weyrich, who he describes as "one of the architects of the Religious Right in the late 1970s", made at a conference, sponsored by a Religious Right organization, that they both attended in Washington in 1990:
[11]
Bob Jones University had
policies which refused black students enrolment until 1971, admitted only married blacks from 1971 to 1975, and prohibited interracial dating and marriage between 1975 and 2000.
In an interview with
The Politico,
University of Virginia theologian Charles Marsh, author of ''Wayward Christian Soldiers'' and the son of a Southern Baptist minister, stated:
[12]
A 2006 survey by the
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life found that 19% of all African Americans consider themselves members of the Religious Right, which is more than 1.7 times the national average (11%), nearly double the rate for all U.S. whites (10%), and about the same as for white evangelicals (20%).
[13]
Dominionism
Main articles: Dominionism
Sara Diamond,
Frederick Clarkson, and some other critics of the Christian Right claim that the Christian Right's political agendas are a form of
Dominionism influenced by
Dominion Theology and
Christian Reconstructionism; the latter two are related philosophies that regard
the Bible as the only strictly true reference for civics, government, scientific theory or any scholarly pursuit. Many in the Christian Right oppose this point of view, and no major Christian Right leader has gone on record as advocating Reconstructionism, although some admit being influenced by Reconstructionist philosophical writings.
However, tiny Dominionist sect "
Christian Exodus," which chose Bible Belt
Anderson, South Carolina as a good place to take over local politics and government, has failed to find any support among Christians in the area, and has been unable to get a foothold on their objective.
Dan Olinger, a professor at the
Fundamentalist Bob Jones University in
Greenville said, “We want to be good citizens and participants, but we’re not really interested in using the iron fist of the law to compel people to everything Christians should do.”
And Bob Marcaurelle, interim pastor at Mountain Springs Baptist Church in Piedmont, said the Middle Ages were proof enough that Christian ruling groups are almost always corrupted by power. “When Christianity becomes the government, the question is whose Christianity?” Marcaurelle asked.
February 12, 2007, The State, Columbia, SC "Pastors don’t embrace movement"
Right-wing electoral activism
On rare occasion, small churches ascribing themselves to the views of the Christian Right have taken overtly partisan actions, although such overtly political activities are generally considered inappropriate in most conservative Protestant churches. For example, the pastor of the East Waynesville Baptist Church in
Waynesville, North Carolina "told the congregation that anyone who planned to vote for Democratic
Sen. John Kerry [the Democratic presidential candidate in 2004] should either leave the church or
repent".
[14] The church later expelled nine members who had voted for Kerry and refused to repent.
[15]
Elsewhere, other western Protestant fundamentalist movements have supported conservative state or provincial or national governments. In the case of Australia's
Fred Nile, he has strongly supported current Australian federal Prime Minister
John Howard and his (
Liberal Party of Australia/
National Party of Australia)Coalition federal government, as has South Australia's
Family First party, represented at the state and federal levels.
Similarly, in
Canada,
REAL Women of Canada and
Campaign Life Coalition vociferously supported
Stephen Harper and his
Conservative Party of Canada at the recent Canadian general election in late 2005. Although many are social conservatives, not all federal Conservative MPs voted for a recent federal bill that would have repealed legislation that introduced
same-sex marriage in Canada two years ago. Unfortunately for Harper, his party and the aforementioned social conservatives, social liberal pressure groups were monitoring their websites and those of particular social conservative constituency candidates. In the
Canadian federal election of 2006 for a variety of reasons, Harper and the Canadian Tories only succeeded in achieving a minority government, and seem to have backed away from divisive tactics like repeal of federal
same-sex marriage legislation.
In New Zealand, a unitary state, with a single parliamentary chamber, there was little opportunity for social conservative niche parties to influence politics until the electorate voted for
Mixed Member Proportional electoral reform at a referendum held in 1993.
Thus far,
United Future New Zealand has been the only socially conservative party able to take advantage of this, but has not conspicuously succeeded in preventing sex work decriminalisation or civil union laws, and won reduced support at the
New Zealand general election 2005. At that election, the
Exclusive Brethren may have alienated urban voters from
Don Brash and his
National Party.
In the 'United Kingdom',
Margaret Thatcher actively courted the conservative Christian vote throughout her tenure as Prime Minister (1979-1990). However, despite
Clause 28 and stricter censorship law and policy, the Conservative Family Campaign proved to be divisive, and the
Conservative Party has always had a more active socially liberal
libertarian contingent than its Republican counterpart in the United States. The Conservative Family Campaign was closed down in the late nineties under
John Major, and replaced with a less strident
Conservative Christian Fellowship. To complicate matters, there are also left-wing evangelicals in British Protestant circles, who strongly disagree with the US Christian Right over issues like social and environmental policies, and major evangelical and anti-abortion lobby groups like
CARE,
SPUC and
LIFE have always been careful to appear multipartisan, and not alienate social conservatives within the
Labour Party and
Liberal Democrats.
Under new Tory leader
David Cameron, it appears that the British Conservatives have decided that there is no benefit in seeking social conservative constituencies if they alienate younger, gay, urban professional or female voters.
From the above, one can conclude that while other western Christian Right movements model themselves on the US Christian Right and seek closer ties with their dominant national centre-right parties, that backfired in New Zealand and perhaps Canada, and has only succeeded in Australia, and only at the federal level, at that. In Britain, the
Conservative Party has backed away from actively courting evangelical and fundamentalist voters out of fear of alienating other significant electoral interest constituencies.
Contrasting viewpoints
The Christian Right, while being a fairly large movement, does not represent all evangelicals. Some who are theologically conservative are politically liberal, such as
Tony Campolo and
Stanley Hauerwas. The
Christian Left includes some theological conservatives. Many evangelicals in both the United States and abroad are more or less politically neutral.
Notable persons and organizations said to be members of the Christian Right
Australia
People
★
Tony Abbott Liberal Party Politician, Committed Roman Catholic
★
Kevin Andrews Liberal Party Politician, Committed Roman Catholic
★
Nick Minchin Liberal Party Politician
★
Andrew Evans Family First Politician, Senior Pastor of Paradise Assemblies of God Community Church Adelaide
★
Steve Fielding Family First Politician
★
Guy Barnett Liberal Party Politician
★
John Howard, (The Current Prime Minister), a conservative Anglican
★
David Clarke Liberal Party Politician, member of Roman Catholic group
Opus Dei
★
Alexander Downer Liberal Party Politician
★
John Anderson National Party Politician
★
Mark Vaile National Party Politician, Committed Roman Catholic
★
Barnaby Joyce National Party Politician, Committed Roman Catholic
★ The Most Reverend
Peter Jensen, Anglican Archbishop of Sydney (a Conservative Evangelical Anglican)
★ Cardinal
George Pell, Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of Sydney
★
B.A. Santamaria, founder of the Democratic Labour Party and the
National Civic Council (NCC)
★ The Governor-General, His Excellency Major General
Michael Jeffery, a conservative Anglican
★
Brian Houston Senior Pastor of Hillsong Assemblies of God Church, Sydney
★
Jim Wallace Managing Director Australian Christian Lobby
★
Bill Muehlenberg Spokesman for many Australian Christian organisations including
Focus on the Family in Australia.
★ Rev.
Fred Nile Leader of Christian Democratic Party, Anti-gay Activist
★ Sen.
Brian Harradine
★ Sen.
Concetta Fierravanti-Wells
★ Sen.
Eric Abetz
In Australia, the Liberal Party is considered to be the main politically Conservative party. It and minor parties that include the National Party, Family First and the Christian Democratic Party make up the highly influential politically conservative voice in Australia. These parties have been successful in banning both gay marriage and euthanasia in Australia as well as blocking moves by opposing groups such as the Australian Labor Party and the Australian Greens who wanted to setup heroin injecting rooms and legislate for same-sex civil unions. They also have a history of financially assisting faith-based schools and Christian movements such as the booming Hillsong Church of the Assemblies of God.
Organizations
★
Assemblies of God
★
Australian Christian Lobby
★
Australian Family Association
★
Christian Democratic Party (Australia)
★
Democratic Labour Party
★
Family First
★
Festival of Light
★
Forward in Faith
★
National Civic Council (NCC)
★
Right to Life Australia
★
Salt Shakers
Canada
People
★
Ken Campbell
★
Craig Chandler
★
Michael Coren
★
Stockwell Day
★
Tristan Emmanuel
★
Cheryl Gallant
★
George Grant
★
Stephen Harper
★
Russ Hiebert
★
David Mainse
★
Charles McVety
★
Pat O'Brien
★
John Pacheco
★
Darrel Reid
★
Heather Stilwell
★
David Sweet
★
Merle Terlesky
★
Maurice Vellacott
★
Mark Warawa
★
Elsie Wayne
★
Bill Whatcott
★
Randy White
Organizations
★
Campaign Life Coalition
★
Christian Heritage Party of Canada
★
Defend Marriage Coalition
★
Focus on the Family Canada
★
Institute for Canadian Values
★
REAL Women of Canada
France
People
★
Brigitte Bardot
★
Christine Boutin
★
Denys Cochin
★
Francois Ducaud-Bourget
★
Marcel Lefebvre
★
Jean Ousset
★
Jacques Trémollet de Villers
★
Christian Vanneste
Organizations
★
Alliance pour les droits de la vie
★
Cité catholique
★
Forum of Social Republicans
★
Society of St. Pius X
Germany
Organizations
★
Christian Democratic Union (CDU — ''Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands'')
★
Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU – ''Christlich-Soziale Union in Bayern'')
★
Beter im Aufbruch
★
Deutsche Zentrumspartei
★
Evangelische Allianz Deutschland
★
Pax Europa e.V.
★
Partei Bibeltreuer Christen (PBC)
★
German Theocons
★
Trägerkreis "40 Tage beten und fasten für unser Land"
★
Wort und Wissen
'Media:'
★
idea spektrum
★
KATH.NET
★
Medienmagazin "pro"
★
Salz und Licht (PBC)
★
Vers1
New Zealand
People
★
Patricia Bartlett(1926-2000)
★
Graham Capill
★
Keith Hay(1917-1997)
★
Bruce Logan
★
Ewen McQueen
★
Connie Purdue(1912-2000)
★
Marilyn Pryor(1937-2005)
★
Brian Tamaki
★
Anthony Walton
★
Thomas Stafford Williams
Organizations
★
Christian Heritage New Zealand(defunct)
★
Coalition of Concerned Citizens(defunct)
★
Destiny Church
★
Exclusive Brethren
★
Maxim Institute
★
Operation Rescue New Zealand(defunct)
★
Right to Life New Zealand
★
Society for Promotion of Community Standards
★
Future New Zealand
★
Voice for Life
UK
People
★
John Beyer
★
Stephen Green
★
Peter Hitchens
★
Edward Leigh
★
Elizabeth Moberly
★
Frank Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford (deceased)
★
Ian Paisley
★
Margaret Thatcher
★
Monty White
★
Mary Whitehouse (deceased)
★
Ann Widdecombe
★
Richard Williamson
Organizations
★
CARE
★
Christian Institute
★
Christian Voice
★ The
Cornerstone Group of the
Conservative Party
★
Forward in Faith
★
LIFE
★
Scottish Christian Party
★
SPUC
USA
People
★
Howard Ahmanson, Jr, philanthropist
[12]
★
Mother Angelica, Roman Catholic nun,
EWTN founder
★
Gary Bauer, activist
91012
★
Anita Bryant, singer, chairwoman of the
Save Our Children campaign
★ Archbishop
Raymond Leo Burke
★
George W. Bush, Current President of the United States
★
Jack Chick comic strip artist
★
Charles Colson, former White House advisor under President Nixon, ex-con founder of
Prison Fellowship International9
★
Gary DeMar, President of
American Vision
★
James Dobson, Psychologist, radio show host, and founder of
Focus on the Family9
★
William A. Donohue, chairman of the
Catholic League
★
Tony Evans, Urban activist minister, radio preacher,
Promise Keeper9
★
Jerry Falwell, deceased, Baptist pastor and conservative activist
910
★
Maggie Gallagher, Journalist and pundit
★
Hutton Gibson,
Sedevacantist author and Holocaust denier; father of actor
Mel Gibson
★
Franklin Graham, Humanitarian and missionary; son of
Billy Graham
★
Robert Grant, Chairman of
Christian Voice and the
American Freedom Coalition9
★
John Hagee, pastor and author
★
D. James Kennedy, deceased, Founder of Coral Ridge Ministries
9
★
Russell Kirk, author, ''
The Conservative Mind''
★
Tim LaHaye, Writer and author of the "Left Behind" novel series
9
★
Beverly LaHaye, Conservative activist and founder of
Concerned Women for America9
★
Alan Keyes, Conservative black talk show host
★
Stephen Mansfield, author
★
R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President of
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
★
Roy Moore, jurist
★
Marilyn Musgrave, Colorado State Senator
★ Father
Richard John Neuhaus, founder and editor of ''
First Things''
★
Gary North, Christian Reconstructionist
9
★
Michael Novak, Roman Catholic philosopher and Diplomat
★
Tony Perkins, political activist
★
Fred Phelps, leader of the
Westboro Baptist Church and anti-homosexuality activist
★
Ralph E. Reed, Jr., Georgia politician
9
★
Pat Robertson, Conservative political activist, businessman, and televangelist
912
★
Rousas John Rushdoony, (1916–2001) Reconstructionist
912
★
Rick Santorum, former Republican U.S. Senator
★
Francis Schaeffer, deceased; theologian
9
★
Phyllis Schlafly, founder of
Eagle Forum9
★ Bishop
Michael J. Sheridan
★
Randall Terry, anti-abortion activist
9
★
Jack Thompson, attorney protesting violence in the media
★
Jerry Vines, Preacher, former president of
Southern Baptist Convention
★
Donald Wildmon, leads American Family Association
9
Organizations
★
American Decency Association
★
American Family Association
★
American Vision
★
Christian Coalition
★
Christian Voice
★
Concerned Women for America
★
Culture Campaign
★
Eagle Forum
★
Eternal Word Television Network
★
Family Research Council
★
Focus on the Family
★
Live Prayer
★
Moral Majority
★
Operation Rescue/Operation Save America
★
The PTL Club
★
Traditional Values Coalition
}
See also
★
Christian Democratic Party (Australia)
★
Christian extremist terrorism
★
Christian fascism
★
Christian Zionism
★
Complementarianism
★
Dominion Theology
★
Dominionism
★
Evangelical left
★
Evangelicalism
★
Family First Party
★
Family values
★
Fundamentalism
★
Judeo-Christian
★
Intelligent design movement
★
Religious right
★
Christian evangelist scandals
:''Contrast:
Religious right,
Religious left,
Secular left,
Secular right''
Notes
1. Butler, Jennifer S. 2006. Born Again: The Christian Right Globalized. University of Michigan Press; London: Pluto Press.
2. George Weigel, ''Politics Without God'', Basic Books, 2005
3. Stanley Kurtz, [4]
4. Jon Ward, "Liberals gather to plumb depths of Christian Right" (May 3, 2005 issue).
5. John C. Green and Mark Silk, "Why Moral Values Did Count," Religion in the News, Spring 2005, http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/csrpl/RINVol8No1/WhyMoral%20ValuesDidCount.htm
6. Geoffrey C. Layman, and John C. Green. 2006. “Wars and Rumors of Wars: The Contexts of Cultural Conflict in American Political Behavior.” ''British Journal of Political Science'', Volume 36, Issue 1, January 2006, pp 61-89.
7. Dennis R. Hoover, "A Religious Right Arrives in Canada, "RELIGION IN THE NEWS, Summer 2000, Vol. 3, No. 2, [5]
8. Sine, Tom. 1995. Cease Fire: Searching for Sanity in America’s Culture Wars. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans.
9. With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America, , William, Martin, Broadway Books, ,
10. Roads to Dominion, , Diamond, Sara, Guilford Press, ,
11. Altemeyer and Hunsberger (1992); Wylie and Forest, (1992); Hunsberger, (1996); Jackson and Esses, (1997); Hunsberger, Owusu and Duck, (1999); Laythe et al., (2001); Altemeyer, (2003)), cited in ''The Psychology of Religion, Third Edition: An Empirical Approach'' (2003), Spilka et al, p466
12. Mobilizing Resentment, , Jean, Hardisty, Beacon Press, ,
Further reading
★ Diamond, Sara. 1995. ''Roads to Dominion: Right-Wing Movements and Political Power in the United States.'' New York: Guilford. ISBN 0-89862-864-4.
★ Green, John C., James L. Guth and Kevin Hill. 1993. “Faith and Election: The Christian Right in Congressional Campaigns 1978–1988.” ''The Journal of Politics'' 55(1), (February): 80–91.
★ Himmelstein, Jerome L. 1990. ''To The Right: The Transformation of American Conservatism''. Berkeley: University of California Press.
★ Marsden, George. ''Understanding Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism''.
★ Martin, William. 1996. ''With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America'', New York: Broadway Books. ISBN 0767922573
★ Noll, Mark. 1989. ''Religion and American Politics: From the Colonial Period to the 1980s''.
★ Noll, Mark and Rawlyk, George: ''Amazing Grace: Evangelicalism in Australia, Canada, Britain, Canada and the United States:'' Montreal: McGill-Queens University Press: 1994: ISBN 0-7735-1214-4
★ Ribuffo, Leo P. 1983. ''The Old Christian Right: The Protestant Far Right from the Great Depression to the Cold War''. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. ISBN 0-87722-598-2.
★ Wald, Kenneth. 2003. ''Religion and Politics in the United States''.
★ Wilcox, Clyde. ''Onward Christian Soldiers: The Religious Right in American Politics''.
★ Wills, Garry. ''Under God: Religion and American Politics''.
External links
Neutral
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God's Country - Defining the differences among American Fundamentalist, Evangelical and Liberal Christians
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Christian Right headlines
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Talk To Action : Analysis Of The Christian Right
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Americans United for Separation of Church & State
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The Christian Right - Are they today's Puritans?
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DefCon: Campaign to Defend the Constitution
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Religious Right Watch
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Theocracy Watch
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Working For Change
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Interview with author Chris Hedges, who argues the Christian Right hurts Democracy in his book '' Jan. 2007
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Christian Voice
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Christian Coalition
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Faith and Values Coalition
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Pro-Life Campaign Committee
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American Center for Law and Justice
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