Christian right Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Institutions in the United States== ===National organizations=== One early attempt to bring the Christian right into American politics began in 1974 when [[Robert Grant (Christian Leader)|Robert Grant]], an early movement leader, founded American Christian Cause to advocate Christian ideological teachings in Southern California. Concerned that Christians overwhelmingly voted for President [[Jimmy Carter]] in 1976, Grant expanded his movement and founded [[Christian Voice (USA)|Christian Voice]] to rally Christian voters behind socially conservative candidates. Prior to his alliance with Falwell, Weyrich sought an alliance with Grant.<ref name=weyrichgrant /> Grant and other Christian Voice staff soon set up their main office at the headquarters of Weyrich's Heritage Foundation.<ref name=weyrichgrant>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ehBRJGC7kq0C&pg=PT122|title=What Every American Should Know About Who's Really Running America|first=Melissa|last=Rossi|date=May 29, 2007|publisher=Penguin|via=Google Books|isbn=9781440621031}}</ref> However, the alliance between Weyrich and Grant fell apart in 1978.<ref name=weyrichgrant /> In the late 1980s, Pat Robertson founded the [[Christian Coalition of America]], building from his [[1988 United States presidential election|1988 presidential run]], with Republican activist [[Ralph E. Reed Jr.|Ralph Reed]], who became the spokesman for the Coalition. In 1992, the national Christian Coalition, Inc., headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia, began producing voter guides, which it distributed to conservative Christian churches, both Protestant and Catholic, with the blessing of the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York]].<ref name="SmidtPenning1997">{{cite book|last1=Smidt|first1=Corwin E.|last2=Penning|first2=James M.|title=Sojourners in the Wilderness: The Christian Right in Comparative Perspective|year=1997|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|language=en|isbn=9780847686452|page=51|quote=Perhaps the most prominent example of this was when the Archdiocese of New York joined forces with the Christian Coalition during the New York City school board elections in 1993 and allowed the distribution of Christian Coalition voter guides in Catholic parishes.}}</ref> Under the leadership of Reed and Robertson, the Coalition quickly became the most prominent voice in the conservative Christian movement, its influence culminating with an effort to support the election of a conservative Christian to the [[1996 United States presidential election|presidency in 1996]]. In addition, they have encouraged the convergence of conservative Christian ideology with political issues, such as healthcare, the economy, education and crime.<ref>Micklethwait and Wooldridge, The Right Nation, 2005, 111</ref> Political activists lobbied within the Republican party locally and nationally to influence party platforms and nominations.<ref name="RozellGreenJelenWilcox2003" /> More recently James Dobson's group Focus on the Family, based in Colorado Springs, and the Family Research Council in Washington D.C. have gained enormous respect from Republican lawmakers. While strongly advocating for these ideological matters, Dobson himself is warier of the political spectrum and much of the resources of his group are devoted to other aims such as media.<ref>Micklethwait and Wooldridge, The Right Nation, 2005, 187</ref> However, as a private citizen, Dobson has stated his opinion on presidential elections; on February 5, 2008, Dobson issued a statement regarding the 2008 presidential election and his strong disappointment with the Republican party's candidates.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000006444.cfm |title=Dr. Dobson: ' I Cannot, and Will Not, Vote for McCain' |publisher=CitizenLink |access-date=December 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312200209/http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000006444.cfm |archive-date=March 12, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In an essay written in 1996, Ralph Reed argued against the [[Moral absolutism|moral absolutist]] tone of Christian right leaders, arguing for the Republican Party Platform to stress the moral dimension of abortion rather than placing emphasis on overturning Roe v. Wade. Reed believes that pragmatism is the best way to advocate for the Christian right.<ref>{{Cite journal |jstor = 420824|title = The Evolving Politics of the Christian Right|journal = PS: Political Science and Politics|volume = 29|issue = 3|pages = 461β464|last1 = Moen|first1 = Matthew C.|year = 1996|doi = 10.1017/S104909650004508X}}</ref> ===Partisan activity of churches=== Overtly partisan actions by churches could threaten their 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status due to the [[Johnson Amendment]] of the Internal Revenue Code.<ref>{{cite web|title=Charities, Churches and Politics|url=https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=161131,00.html|publisher=Internal Revenue Service|access-date=July 5, 2011|archive-date=July 4, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704130602/http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=161131,00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In one notable example, the former pastor of the East Waynesville Baptist Church in [[Waynesville, North Carolina]] "told the congregation that anyone who planned to vote for Democratic [[United States Senate|Sen.]] [[John Kerry]] should either leave the church or [[Repentance|repent]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-05-07-church-politics_x.htm|title= Democrats voted out of church because of their politics, members say|website=USA Today}}</ref> The church later expelled nine members who had voted for Kerry and refused to repent, which led to criticism on the national level. The pastor resigned and the ousted church members were allowed to return.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/16/national/16church.html Political Split Leaves a Church Sadder and Grayer], ''[[The New York Times]]'', May 15, 2005</ref> The [[Alliance Defense Fund]], a far-right group now known as the Alliance Defending Freedom, started the Pulpit Freedom Initiative<ref>{{cite news|last=Berlinerblau |first=Jacques |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/georgetown-on-faith/post/where-does-church-end-and-state-begin/2011/10/04/gIQAzy2RNL_blog.html |title=Where does church end and state begin? β Georgetown/On Faith |newspaper=The Washington Post |date= October 5, 2011|access-date=December 26, 2011}}</ref> in 2008. ADF states that "[t]he goal of Pulpit Freedom Sunday is simple: have the Johnson Amendment declared unconstitutional β and once and for all remove the ability of the IRS to censor what a pastor says from the pulpit."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://speakupmovement.org/church/LearnMore/details/5253 |title=Speak Up: Pulpit Freedom Sunday β History of the Pulpit Initiative |publisher=Speakupmovement.org |access-date=December 26, 2011 |archive-date=April 26, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426072406/http://speakupmovement.org/church/LearnMore/details/5253 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ===Electoral activity=== Both Christian right and secular polling organizations sometimes conduct polls to determine which presidential candidates will receive the support of Christian right constituents. One such poll is taken at the [[Family Research Council]]'s Values Voter Summit.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.frcaction.org/index.cfm?c=WASH_BRIEFING|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150512182418/http://www.frcaction.org/index.cfm?c=WASH_BRIEFING|url-status=dead|title=FRC Action|archive-date=May 12, 2015|website=www.frcaction.org}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/presidential-hopefuls-highlight-values-to-christian-conservatives-29775/ |title=Presidential Hopefuls Highlight 'Values' to Christian Conservatives |date=October 20, 2007 |last=Vu |first=Michelle |newspaper=The Christian Post |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130102043700/http://www.christianpost.com/article/20071020/29775_Presidential_Hopefuls_Highlight_'Values'_to_Christian_Conservatives.htm |archive-date=January 2, 2013 |access-date=May 28, 2018 |url-status=unfit}}</ref> George W. Bush's electoral success owed much to his overwhelming support from white evangelical voters, who comprise 23% of the vote. In 2000 he received 68% of the white evangelical vote; in 2004 that percentage rose to 78%.<ref>[http://people-press.org/commentary/display.php3?AnalysisID=103 Religion and the Presidential Vote] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080413120730/http://people-press.org/commentary/display.php3?AnalysisID=103 |date=April 13, 2008 }}, Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, December 6, 2004</ref> In 2016, Donald Trump received 81% of the white evangelical vote.<ref>{{cite web | last1=MartΓnez | first1=Jessica | last2=Smith | first2=Gregory A. | title=How the faithful voted: A preliminary 2016 analysis | url=https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/11/09/how-the-faithful-voted-a-preliminary-2016-analysis/ | date=November 9, 2016 | publisher=[[Pew Research Center]] | access-date=June 12, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last1=Lovett | first1=Ian | title=Evangelicals Back Donald Trump in Record Numbers, Despite Earlier Doubts | url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/evangelicals-back-donald-trump-in-record-numbers-despite-earlier-doubts-1478689372 | date=November 9, 2016 | newspaper=[[The Wall Street Journal]] | access-date=June 12, 2019}}</ref> ===Education=== The [[Home School Legal Defense Association]] was co-founded in 1983 by [[Michael Farris (lawyer)|Michael Farris]], who would later establish [[Generation Joshua]] and [[Patrick Henry College]], and Michael Smith. This organization attempts to challenge laws that serve as obstacles to allowing parents to home-school their children and to organize the disparate group of homeschooling families into a cohesive bloc. The number of homeschooling families has increased in the last twenty years, and around 80 percent of these families identify themselves as evangelicals.<ref>Rosin, God's Harvard, 2007, 61β62</ref> The main universities associated with the Christian right in the United States are: * [[Bob Jones University]] β Protestant Fundamentalist institution, founded in 1927.<ref name=haberman>{{cite journal|doi=10.1111/j.1540-6563.2005.00111.x | volume=67 | issue=2 | title=Into the Wilderness: Ronald Reagan, Bob Jones University, and the Political Education of the Christian Right | year=2005 | journal=The Historian | pages=234β253 | last1 = Haberman | first1 = Aaron| s2cid=143885519 }}</ref> * [[Christendom College]] β Roman Catholic institution, founded in 1977<ref name="Askin(Organization)1994">{{cite book|last=Askin|first=Steve|title=A new Rite: conservative Catholic organizations and their allies|date=February 1, 1994|publisher=Catholics for a Free Choice|language=en }}</ref> * [[Liberty University]] β Baptist institution, founded in 1971<ref name="Anderson2014">{{cite book|last=Anderson|first=John|title=Conservative Christian Politics in Russia and the United States|date=September 19, 2014|publisher=Routledge|language=en |isbn=9781317606635|page=164|quote=Some Christian Right leaders established their own institutions, such as Pat Robertson's Regents University and Jerry Falwell's Liberty University.}}</ref> * [[Regent University]] β Evangelical Christian institution, founded in 1977<ref name="Anderson2014"/> ===Media=== The media has played a major role in the rise of the Christian right since the 1920s and has continued to be a powerful force for political Christianity today. The role of the media for the Religious right has been influential in its ability to connect Christian audiences to the larger American culture while at the same time bringing and keeping religion into play as both a political and a cultural force.<ref name="Diamond"/> The political agenda of the Christian right has been disseminated to the public through a variety of media outlets including radio broadcasting, television, and literature. Religious broadcasting began in the 1920s through the radio.<ref name="Diamond">Diamond, S. (2000) Not by Politics Alone: The Enduring Influence of the Christian right. New York: Guildford Press.</ref> Between the 1950s and 1980s, TV became a powerful way for the Christian right to influence the public through shows such as Pat Robertson's ''[[The 700 Club]]'' and The Family Channel (now [[Freeform (TV channel)|Freeform]]). The Internet has also helped the Christian right reach a much larger audience. These organizations' websites play a strong role in popularising the Christian right's stances on cultural and political issues, and inform interested viewers on how to get involved. For example, the [[Christian Coalition of America]] has used the Internet to inform the public, as well as to sell merchandise and gather members. Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page