Sojourners in the Wilderness The Christian Right in Comparative Perspective

by Smidt, Corwin E.; Appleby, R Scott; Bendyna, Mary E.; Berkowitz, Laura A.; Calhoun-Brown, Allison; Green, John C.; Guth, James L.; Hallum, Anne Motley; Hoover, Dennis R.; Jelen, Ted G.; Kellstedt, Lyman A.; Lienesch, Michael; Moen, Matthew C.; Penning, Ja

• ISBN13: 9780847686452
• ISBN10: 0847686450
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-08-28
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Summary

While the Christian Right has been the subject of a good deal of scholarly analysis, it has not been adequately studied within a comparative context -- across time, across different institutional systems, or across different religious communities. In Sojourners in the Wilderness, a host of distinguished scholars examine these dimensions of the Christian Right. The contributors analyze the Christian Right historically -- what is its relationship today with earlier manifestations? How have its organizational structures and strategies changed over time? Sociologically -- what are the current opportunities for Christian Right inroads within African-American, Catholic, and Jewish communities?; and politically -- what accounts for the affinity between many evangelical Protestants and the Christian Right within the American political context, while such an affinity appears to be lacking in other political contexts? All of those interested in religion's role in politics and history will find this book valuable.

Table of Contents

List of Tables
Foreword
Introduction
The Origins of the Christian Right: Early Fundamentalism as a Political Movement	p. 3
The Changing Nature of Christian Right Activism: 1970s-1990s	p. 21
The Christian Right Old and New: A Comparison of the Moral Majority and the Christian Coalition	p. 41
Charting the Coalition: The Local Chapters of the Ohio Christian Coalition	p. 57
Bringing in the Sheaves: The Christian Right and White Protestants, 1976-1996	p. 75
Catholics and the Christian Right: An Uneasy Alliance	p. 93
Still Seeing in Black and White: Racial Challenges for the Christian Right	p. 115
Romancing the Jews: The Christian Right in Search of Strange Bedfellows	p. 139
Divided by a Common Religion: The Christian Right in England and the United States	p. 171
The Christian Right under Old Glory and the Maple Leaf	p. 193
The Transformation of the Christian Right in Central America	p. 217
Growing Up Politically: The New Politics of the New Christian Right	p. 235
Citizenship, Discipleship, and Democracy: Evaluating the Impact of the Christian Right	p. 249
Conclusion	p. 269
Index	p. 277
About the Contributors	p. 287
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