Is the Good Book Good Enough? Evangelical Perspectives on Public Policy

by Ryden, David K.; Amstutz, Mark R.; Barnett, Timothy J.; Beckwith, Francis J.; Calo, Zachary R.; Kirkemo, Ron; Lenerville, Jacob; Melkonian-Hoover, Ruth; Monsma, Stephen V.; Patterson, Eric; Polet, Jeffrey J.; Toly, Noah J.; Walsh, Jennifer E.

• ISBN13: 9780739177075
• ISBN10: 0739177079
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-06-07
• Publisher: Lexington Books

Summary

The political emergence of evangelical Christians has been a signal development in America in the past quarter century. And while their voting tendencies have been closely scrutinized, their participation in the policy debates of the day has not. They continue to be caricatured as anti-intellectual Bible thumpers whose views are devoid of reason, logic, or empirical evidence. They're seen as lemmings, following the cues of Dobson and Robertson and marching in lock step with the Republican party on the 'culture wars' issues of abortion, gay rights, and guns. Is The Good Book Good Enough? remedies the neglect of this highly influential group, which makes up as much as a third of the American public. It offers a carefully nuanced and comprehensive portrait of evangelical attitudes on a wide range of policies and their theological underpinnings. Each essay applies an evangelical lens to a contemporary issue - environmentalism, immigration, family and same-sex marriage, race relations, global human rights, foreign policy and national security, social welfare and poverty, and economic policy. The result thoroughly enriches our understanding of evangelicalism as a prism through which many view a wide range of policy debates.

Author Biography

David K. Ryden is professor of political science at Hope College.

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Evolving Policy Agenda of Evangelical Christians	p. 1
Engaging America: Evangelical Approaches to Domestic Policy Questions	p. 21
Evangelicals and the Environment: From Political Realism to a Politics of Freedom	p. 23
Evangelicals and Poverty	p. 41
To Do Justly and Love Mercy: Using Scripture to Guide Criminal Justice Policy	p. 57
Enlightened Economics and Free Markets	p. 75
Better Late Than Never? Evangelicals and Comprehensive Immigration Reform	p. 95
Engaging the World: Evangelical Views on Global Issues	p. 113
The Roots of Evangelical Humanitarianism and International Political Advocacy	p. 115
Evangelicals and Foreign Policy in an Era of Conflict	p. 133
"The New Internationals": Human Rights and American Evangelicalism	p. 149
Evangelicals, Pakistan, and the War in Afghanistan: Scriptural Resources for National Security Issues	p. 165
Engaging Culture: Counterforce or Capitulation?	p. 183
Love Rightly Understood: Reflections on the Substance, Style, and Spirit of Evangelical Activism and (Same-Sex) Marriage Policy	p. 185
Evangelicals and the Elusive Goal of Racial Reconciliation: The Role of Culture, Politics, and Public Policy	p. 205
Politics, Evangelicals, and the Unavoidability of Metaphysics	p. 225
The Good Book as Policy Guide: Characteristics, Critiques, and Contributions of Evangelical Public Policy Participation	p. 237
Bibliography	p. 267
Index	p. 283
About the Contributors	p. 289
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