The Rise of the Religious Right |
As Jerry Falwell tells it, his change from separatism to political activism was an awakening from a long slumber. Following the disaster of the Prohibition movement in the 1920s, fundamentalist churches in America had become focused on inward transformation rather than outward engagement. It was enough, Falwell and others thought, to "preach, pray, and practice" the gospel in private life.
But during the 1970s, in response to Supreme Court decisions about abortion and prayer in the schools, Falwell began to rethink this posture of detachment. In 1979, he founded the Moral Majority organization and became actively involved in promoting the presidential campaign of Ronald Reagan.
Moral Majority became one of the country's largest political action organizations, gathering Catholics, Mormons, and Jews, together with evangelical Protestants, to work for conservative political causes.
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Read an abridged version of "A Disciplined, Charging Army," a 1981 article by Frances Fitzgerald telling the story of Falwell's transformation.
Additional Links
Read survey data on current American religious beliefs and their connection to political affiliations.
Read a 2005 update on evangelicals and politics suggesting that the issues have broadened beyond traditional conservative causes.
Read a review of The Myth of a Christian Nation, a recent book suggesting that American evangelicals are retreating into a new "pietistic withdrawal."
Watch Falwell tell the story of his change from separatism to activism: