Onward Christian Soldiers?: The Religious Right in American Politics / Edition 4

by Clyde Wilcox, Carin Robinson

Overview

They have money, influence, power - and they turn out to vote. "They" are groups like Focus on the Family, Family Research Council, and Concerned Women for America (all parts of the Christian Right. But, are they a serious threat to religious liberty, bent on creating a theocratic state, or the last defenders of religion and family values in America). Bringing the story of the religious right up to the Obama administration, this revised fourth edition explores the history of the movement in twentieth and early twenty-first century American politics. The authors review the expansion of the Christian Right through George W. Bush's second administration and evaluate how the religious right fared in the 2006 and 2008 elections. Although figureheads of the religious right remain in the news, their power in Washington may be declining, and the authors consider the fate of the religious right under the Obama administration. Examining how the religious right both does and does not fit into the proper role of religious groups in American politics, Onward Christian Soldiers? is an essential addition to the Dilemmas in American Politics series.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813344539
Publisher:	Westview Press
Publication date:	07/27/2010
Series:	Dilemmas in American Politics Series
Edition description:	Fourth Edition, Dilemmas in American Politics Series
Pages:	266
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Clyde Wilcox is professor of government at Georgetown University. He has published a number of books on religion and politics in the United States and abroad, and on interest group politics, including Interest Groups in American Elections: The New Face of Electioneering and The Values Campaign: The Christian Right in the 2004 Elections. He also writes on gender politics, campaign finance, and the politics of science fiction.

Carin Robinson is assistant professor of political science at Hood College. She has published articles about religion and the Bush presidency, the lobbying of religious groups in state elections, and on evangelicals in American politics.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations ix

Preface xi

1 Introduction: The Christian Right in Context 1

What Is the Christian Right? 8

The Controversy 13

The First Amendment and Church and State 18

Religion and Politics in America 21

A Culture War? 26

Conclusion and Overview of the Book 27

2 Revivals and Revolution: The Christian Right in Twentieth-Century America 29

The Fundamentalist Religious Revolt 31

The Fundamentalist Political Revolt 37

The Anticommunist Crusades 41

The Fundamentalist Right of the 1980s 42

The Robertson Campaign 45

The Christian Right, 1920-1990: Continuity and Change 48

A Second Coming? The Christian Right, 1990-2004 49

The Passing of the Guard: The Christian Right After 2004 54

The Target Constituency of the Christian Right 55

Conclusion 73

3 The Christian Right in American Politics 75

The Christian Right in the First Decade of the New Millennium 77

Christian Right Action in Electoral Politics 100

Lobbying Government 123

Conclusion 138

4 Assessing the Christian Right 139

Why Do People Support or Join the Christian Right? 142

The Christian Right and American Democracy 147

The Christian Right Agenda: Is It Radical or Mainstream? 157

Conclusion 175

5 The Future of the Christian Right 177

Can the Christian Right Expand? 181

Can the Christian Right Come to Power? 188

Premillennialists in the New Millennium 201

Conclusion 202

Discussion Questions 207

Glossary 209

Notes 215

References 223

Index 235

Editorial Reviews

At a time when the significance of the Christian Right has become harder to discern thanks to recent political developments, Wilcox and Robinson provide an informed and insightful account of this long-lived social movement. Readers of this new edition will find the same balance, fair-mindedness and wisdom that characterized the previous editions. On a subject so often treated polemically, this book remains a welcome corrective."
—Kenneth D. Wald, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, University of Florida

"A cogent introduction to the 'religious right' in American politics, now revised and updated. Wilcox and Robinson navigate this complex and controversial subject with skill and fairness, covering the movement's origins, goals, activities, and impact."
—John C. Green, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, University of Akron

“Wilcox and Robinson have only improved what was already a classic text. Onward Christian Soldiers? remains the ‘must read' work on the Christian Right. However, it is not only an excellent introduction to the Christian Right movement; it also poses many challenging questions about the role of religion in American politics—and society.”
—David E. Campbell, John Cardinal O'Hara, C.S.C. Associate Professor of Political Science, University of Notre Dame

From the Publisher

Proceedings of a November 1995 symposium. Arranged in eight sections, 101 contributions discuss transformations in undercooled liquids; directional solidification; particle beam-induced transformations; interfaces--thermodynamics and reactions; amorphous materials--structure and transformations; solid state transformations; ordering and phase separation; and other transforamtions. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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