Onward Christian Soldiers : The Religious Right in American Politics

by Wilcox, Clyde; Larson, Carin

• ISBN13: 9780813343334
• ISBN10: 081334333X
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-01-30
• Publisher: Westview Pr

Summary

In this revised and updated third edition ofOnward Christian Soldiers?, Clyde Wilcox and Carin Larson present the history of a movement that has been active in politics for nearly 100 years, but whose influence has grown considerably in recent decades. They describe the groups, their agenda, and the tactics they have used to try to influence public policy. Their mobilization was critical in the Republicans' rise to power in 1994, in George W. Bush's reelection of 2004 in what many observers called the Values Election, and in the passage of constitutional amendments in many states banning same-sex marriage. Yet after years of mobilization, their policy agenda remains largely unfulfilled. Wilcox and Larson present a balanced account of the most controversial social movement of the 20th century. They see positive and negative effects of the movement in American politics, and see opportunities and dangers for the movement in the years ahead. Tackling the sticky political dilemma of the proper role of religious groups in American politics and showing how the contemporary religious right does--and does not--fit into that context,Onward Christian Soldiers?, Third Editionis a critical textbook for today's political science students and one sure to promote active classroom discussion.

Author Biography

Clyde Wilcox is professor of government at Georgetown University. He has published a number of books on religion and politics in the U.S. and abroad, and on interest group politics, including Groups in American Elections: The New Face of Electioneering, Second Edition 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 Larson is a doctoral student in political science at Georgetown University and is currently writing her dissertation on evangelical politics. 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
Introduction: The Christian Right in Context	1	(26)
What Is the Christian Right?	6	(4)
The Controversy	10	(5)
The First Amendment and Church and State	15	(4)
Religion and Politics in America	19	(3)
A Culture War?	22	(2)
Conclusion and Overview of the Book	24	(3)
Revivals and Revolution: The Christian Right in Twentieth-Century America	27	(40)
The Fundamentalist Religious Revolt	29	(6)
The Fundamentalist Political Revolt	35	(4)
The Anticommunist Crusades	39	(1)
The Fundamentalist Right of the 1980s	40	(3)
The Robertson Campaign	43	(3)
The Christian Right, 1920--1990: Continuity and Change	46	(1)
A Second Coming? The Christian Right, 1990--2005	47	(4)
The Target Constituency of the Christian Right	51	(15)
Conclusion	66	(1)
The Christian Right in American Politics	67	(56)
The Christian Right in the First Decade of the New Millennium	69	(17)
Christian Right Action in Electoral Politics	86	(21)
Lobbying Government	107	(12)
Conclusion	119	(4)
Assessing the Christian Right	123	(40)
Is the Christian Right ``Rational''?	126	(5)
The Christian Right and American Democracy	131	(10)
The Christian Right Agenda: Is It Radical or Mainstream?	141	(19)
Conclusion	160	(3)
The Future of the Christian Right	163	(26)
Can the Christian Right Expand?	167	(8)
Can the Christian Right Come to Power?	175	(9)
Premillennialists in the New Millennium	184	(1)
Conclusion	185	(4)
Discussion Questions	189	(2)
Glossary	191	(6)
Notes	197	(8)
References	205	(10)
Index	215