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The term "Christian Right" is used by scholars and journalists, to refer to a spectrum of Right-wing Christian political and social movements and organizations characterized by their strong support of Conservative social and political values. The "Christian Right" as a politically active social movement includes individuals from a wide variety of theological beliefs, ranging from moderately traditional movements within Lutheranism and Catholicism to theologically more conservative movements such as Evangelicalism , Pentecostalism and Fundamentalist Christianity . TERMINOLOGY The terms Christian Right and , organizations composed of conservative Christians, Muslim social conservatives, and Orthodox Jews sometimes cooperate in national and international projects, especially through the World Congress Of Families and United Nations NGO gatherings.Butler, Jennifer S. 2006. Born Again: The Christian Right Globalized. University of Michigan Press; London: Pluto Press. The term Christian Right is considered pejorative by some observers, who suggest the term and the related term and Dominionism ). The term "Christian Right," however, is used by authors from a wide range of political and religious viewpoints (See references section below). For example, conservative American political commentator Kevin Phillips , feels the terms accurately describes the movement. Some 15% of the electorate in the United States tell pollsters they are allied with the Christian Right, and it is an important voting block within the U.S. Republican Party.John C. Green and Mark Silk, "Why Moral Values Did Count," Religion in the News, Spring 2005, http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/csrpl/RINVol8No1/WhyMoral%20ValuesDidCount.htmGeoffrey C. Layman, and John C. Green. 2006. “Wars and Rumors of Wars: The Contexts of Cultural Conflict in American Political Behavior.” ''British Journal of Political Science'', Volume 36, Issue 1, January 2006, pp 61-89.In recent years, Christian Right groups have appeared in other countries than the United States.Dennis R. Hoover, "A Religious Right Arrives in Canada, "RELIGION IN THE NEWS, Summer 2000, Vol. 3, No. 2, {Link without Title} The term Culture War is used to describe the disagreements over social and political issues between the Christian Right and its more liberal and secular opponentsSine, Tom. 1995. Cease Fire: Searching for Sanity in America’s Culture Wars. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans. HISTORY Jerome Himmelstein writes that: :"The term New Religious Right refers to a set of organizations that emerged in the late 1970s, the Moral Majority (later renamed the Liberty Federation ), the Religious Roundtable , and the Christian Voice ; their leaders, including Robert Grant , Pat Robertson , Jerry Falwell , and Ed McAteer ; and the movement that these leaders and organizations fostered. Though this movement made a broad, religiously based conservative appeal, its deepest roots and most lasting impact were among white evangelicals and fundamentalist Christians" (p. 97). The contemporary "Christian Right" as a nascent political movement began when evangelicals began organizing against a series of Supreme Court decisions, notably Roe V. Wade and also engaged in local battles over Pornography , Obscenity , taxation of private Christian schools, School Prayer , Textbook contents (concerning evolution), Homosexuality and Abortion . One early effort to institutionalize the Christian Right as a politically-active social movement began in 1974 when Dr. Robert Grant , an early movement leader, founded American Christian Cause to advocate Christian moral teachings in Southern California. Concerned that Christians overwhelmingly voted in favor of President Jimmy Carter in 1976, Grant founded Christian Voice to mobilize Christian voters in favor of candidates who share their values. The birth of the New Christian Right , however, is usually traced to a 1979 meeting where televangelist Jerry Falwell was urged to create a " Moral Majority " organization.12 In the US in 1980 Christian leaders and members of the religious right rallied in Washington DC on April 29th and 30th, for an event called ''Washington for Jesus''. Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Dr. William Bright, Benson Idahosa from Africa, and many other high-profile Christians marched on Washington DC, in an effort to get Ronald Reagan, the opposing republican candidate to oust then-Democratic candidate Jimmy Carter out of office. Many of the beliefs of the religious right were outlined and solidified in speeches and statements made by leaders during the event. Other ''Washington for Jesus'' rallies were held in Washington in 1998, 1996, and 2004. ''Washington for Jesus'' was founded by Giminez , the pastor of Rock Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia. CHRISTIAN RIGHT MOVEMENTS: OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES Beyond the United States, other western nations have their own Christian Right movements. A brief summary and evaluation of those movements follow. Australia In Australia , the Christian Right has had mixed fortunes. In the case of the Anti-abortion movement, there has been considerable fragmentation between the Federation of Right to Life Associations and Right To Life Australia . The latter favours direct action tactics, and has tended to alienate public opinion. Two other organisations that both began in 1995 with a Christian Right focus and agenda were the Australian Christian Coalition, now known as the Australian Christian Lobby, and Salt Shakers. The Australian Christian Lobby has its headquarters in Canberra with State Offices, whilst Salt Shakers has a single office in Melbourne. Over time the Australian Christian Lobby has moved from the political right to a centre right position whilst Salt Shakers has not. Both have had their wins and losses over the 11 years that they have been operating. Both organisations form loose coalitions with other like minded organisations. These coalitions are issue focused and come and go as issues come and go. In New South Wales, Reverend Fred Nile and his Christian Democratic Party have occupied two to three Legislative Council seats since the 1980s. Nile has been conspicuously unsuccessful in his efforts against the popular Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, and lesbian/gay rights legislation in general, as well as Abortion . Similarly, his former vehicle, the South Australia -based Festival Of Light has been ebbing in recent years. In that state, the Family First political party has been elected at the state and federal upper house levels. Victoria used to be the headquarters of the National Civic Council , a conservative Catholic organisation that still produces News Weekly, a conservative Catholic news publication that opposes free market capitalism as well as reproductive choice, voluntary euthanasia and lesbian/gay rights. For a decade, this movement delayed the introduction of Medical Abortion in Australia (1996-2005). As time went on, all Australian states and territories either partially or fully decriminalised abortion access, although keeping abortion-on-demand illegal. Eventually, a unified multipartisan pro-choice movement insured passage of legislation that repealed obstacles within the federal Therapeutic Goods Act. At present, the Australian federal government under the Howard administration has banned / National Party Of Australia )-governed jurisdiction anywhere in the country, as the Australian Labor Party federal opposition controls all the state and territory governments. Canada Canada has had a Charter Of Rights And Freedoms , an open-ended written constitution, since it was repatriated in 1982. Resultantly, feminist and lesbian/gay law reform groups have been able to secure considerable advances such as the two R. v. Morgentaler cases ( In 1988 and In 1993 ), which completely decriminalise abortion in that country, as well as a string of provincial supreme court same-sex marriage victories that led the federal Parliament to introduce federal legislation to enable it in 2005. Despite the recent victory of Stephen Harper's Conservative Party Of Canada at last year's federal election, the latter is currently a minority government. Canada has a pro-family group ( REAL Women Of Canada ) and pro-life supporters within Campaign Life Coalition , and political parties like the Christian Heritage Party Of Canada and Family Coalition Party in Ontario, as well as Focus On The Family Canada , a satellite of the US-based multinational Focus On The Family , based in Colorado Springs. These political parties have never been elected to office in legislative bodies, however. None of these organisations have been able to make any inroad against Canada's feminist or lesbian gay rights movement. Paradoxically, though, censorship policy has been a continued point of contention between Canada's lesbian, gay and arts communities and federal Customs. United Kingdom The United Kingdom has also had an active Christian Right movement, whose fortunes peaked during the eighties, under the Conservative Party administration of Margaret Thatcher , a social conservative. However, Mary Whitehouse and her National Viewers And Listeners Association (now Mediawatch-uk ) were the only political beneficiaries of tighter censorship legislation and policy during the eighties. The Thatcher administration passed Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 , the effect of which was disputed but which aimed to reduce the "promotion" of homosexuality by local authorities. During the nineties, John Major pursued a softer stance, and Edwina Currie , a libertarian Conservative MP, produced a private members bill to reduce the gay male age of consent from twenty-one to sixteen. However, the British Parliament accepted eighteen as a compromise age of consent. In 2001, full age of consent equality prevailed. From 1997 to 2007, Tony Blair was Prime Minister, and fully supportive of lesbian/gay rights. Under his Labour Party government, Clause 28 was repealed, the gay male age of consent was equalised at sixteen (2001), civil partnership legislation (civil unions) were introduced, and Gay Adoption reform passed after several libertarian Conservative MPs crossed the floor to support the measure. Many "Christian Right" issues are treated of matters of conscience by major parties for the purposes of the parliamentary whip, meaning the policies of parties are less important than those of individual members. In recent years, none of the major political parties have promoted such policies, and parliament has moved away from them in free votes. Outside the major political parties, there have been campaigns from small hard-line groups such as The Christian Institute and the Scottish Christian Party . Despite occasional attempts to reduce time limits for abortion access, British pro-life groups have been unsuccessful at limiting women's abortion access, due to that country's long-established and vigilant Pro-choice movement. Some newspapers such as the Daily Mail and Daily Express run campaigns and print right-leaning coverage on subjects such as pornography and some of the aims of gay rights campaigners. Britain, Canada and New Zealand have all faced repeated attempts to introduce voluntary Euthanasia legislation, or decriminalise voluntary euthanasia or Physician-assisted Suicide through the courts, in the case of Canada. However, to date, none of these reform efforts have passed the select committee stage in any national, federal or provincial parliament. For example, a euthanasia law reform bill has just been postponed in the United Kingdom's House Of Lords , after a massive anti-euthanasia/pro-care rally in London. INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS MORAL ISSUES AND GENERAL BELIEFS Issues of sexuality and reproduction
:(Groups such as the Focus On The Family and Traditional Values Coalition prefer to describe such measures as special rights for Homosexuals .)
Human Life
Issues of the nature and degree of separation of church and state
Public Funding and Social Development
Educational issues
Middle-eastern foreign policy positions (attributable to beliefs about biblical prophecy or to inter-religious conflict)
ATTITUDES TO DIVERSITY, APARTHEID, AND INDIGENOUS RIGHTS The conclusions of a review of 112 studies on Christian faith and ethnic prejudice were summarised by a later study as being that "white Protestants associated with groups possessing fundamentalist belief systems are generally more prejudiced than members of nonfundamentalist groups, with unchurched whites exhibiting least prejudice." The original review found that its conclusions held "regardless of when the studies were conducted, from whom the data came, the region where the data were collected, or the type of prejudice studied."[http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-8294%28197409%2913%3A3%3C281%3ACFAEPA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-Q&size=LARGE&origin=JSTOR-enlargePage More recently, at least eight studies have found a positive correlation between fundamentalism and prejudice, using different measures of fundamentalism.Altemeyer and Hunsberger (1992); Wylie and Forest, (1992); Hunsberger, (1996); Jackson and Esses, (1997); Hunsberger, Owusu and Duck, (1999); Laythe et al., (2001); Altemeyer, (2003)), cited in ''The Psychology of Religion, Third Edition: An Empirical Approach'' (2003), Spilka et al, p466 A number of prominent members of the Christian Right, including Jerry Falwell and Rousas John Rushdoony , supported Segregation . {Link without Title} {Link without Title} In ''Thy Kingdom Come'', Randall Balmer recounts comments that Paul M. Weyrich , who he describes as "one of the architects of the Religious Right in the late 1970s", made at a conference, sponsored by a Religious Right organization, that they both attended in Washington in 1990: {Link without Title} Bob Jones University had Policies which refused black students enrolment until 1971, admitted only married blacks from 1971 to 1975, and prohibited interracial dating and marriage between 1975 and 2000. In an interview with The Politico , University Of Virginia theologian Charles Marsh, author of ''Wayward Christian Soldiers'' and the son of a Southern Baptist minister, stated: {Link without Title}
A 2006 survey by the Pew Forum On Religion & Public Life found that 19% of all African Americans consider themselves members of the Religious Right, which is more than 1.7 times the national average (11%), nearly double the rate for all U.S. whites (10%), and about the same as for white evangelicals (20%). {Link without Title} DOMINIONISM See Also: Dominionism Sara Diamond , Frederick Clarkson , and some other critics of the Christian Right claim that the Christian Right's political agendas are a form of Dominionism influenced by Dominion Theology and Christian Reconstructionism ; the latter two are related philosophies that regard The Bible as the only strictly true reference for civics, government, scientific theory or any scholarly pursuit. Many in the Christian Right oppose this point of view, and no major Christian Right leader has gone on record as advocating Reconstructionism, although some admit being influenced by Reconstructionist philosophical writings. However, tiny Dominionist sect " Christian Exodus ," which chose Bible Belt Anderson, South Carolina as a good place to take over local politics and government, has failed to find any support among Christians in the area, and has been unable to get a foothold on their objective. Dan Olinger, a professor at the Fundamentalist Bob Jones University in Greenville said, “We want to be good citizens and participants, but we’re not really interested in using the iron fist of the law to compel people to everything Christians should do.” And Bob Marcaurelle, interim pastor at Mountain Springs Baptist Church in Piedmont, said the Middle Ages were proof enough that Christian ruling groups are almost always corrupted by power. “When Christianity becomes the government, the question is whose Christianity?” Marcaurelle asked. February 12, 2007, The State, Columbia, SC "Pastors don’t embrace movement" RIGHT-WING ELECTORAL ACTIVISM On rare occasion, small churches ascribing themselves to the views of the Christian Right have taken overtly partisan actions, although such overtly political activities are generally considered inappropriate in most conservative Protestant churches. For example, the pastor of the East Waynesville Baptist Church in Waynesville, North Carolina "told the congregation that anyone who planned to vote for Democratic Sen. John Kerry Democratic presidential candidate in 2004 should either leave the church or Repent ". [http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-05-07-church-politics_x.htm] The church later expelled nine members who had voted for Kerry and refused to repent. {Link without Title} Elsewhere, other western Protestant fundamentalist movements have supported conservative state or provincial or national governments. In the case of Australia's Fred Nile , he has strongly supported current Australian federal Prime Minister John Howard and his ( Liberal Party Of Australia / National Party Of Australia )Coalition federal government, as has South Australia's Family First party, represented at the state and federal levels. Similarly, in Canada , REAL Women Of Canada and Campaign Life Coalition vociferously supported Stephen Harper and his Conservative Party Of Canada at the recent Canadian general election in late 2005. Although many are social conservatives, not all federal Conservative MPs voted for a recent federal bill that would have repealed legislation that introduced Same-sex Marriage In Canada two years ago. Unfortunately for Harper, his party and the aforementioned social conservatives, social liberal pressure groups were monitoring their websites and those of particular social conservative constituency candidates. In the Canadian Federal Election Of 2006 for a variety of reasons, Harper and the Canadian Tories only succeeded in achieving a minority government, and seem to have backed away from divisive tactics like repeal of federal Same-sex Marriage legislation. In New Zealand, a unitary state, with a single parliamentary chamber, there was little opportunity for social conservative niche parties to influence politics until the electorate voted for Mixed Member Proportional electoral reform at a referendum held in 1993. Thus far, United Future New Zealand has been the only socially conservative party able to take advantage of this, but has not conspicuously succeeded in preventing sex work decriminalisation or civil union laws, and won reduced support at the New Zealand General Election 2005 . At that election, the Exclusive Brethren may have alienated urban voters from Don Brash and his National Party . In the United Kingdom, Margaret Thatcher actively courted the conservative Christian vote throughout her tenure as Prime Minister (1979-1990). However, despite Clause 28 and stricter censorship law and policy, the Conservative Family Campaign proved to be divisive, and the Conservative Party has always had a more active socially liberal Libertarian contingent than its Republican counterpart in the United States. The Conservative Family Campaign was closed down in the late nineties under John Major , and replaced with a less strident Conservative Christian Fellowship . To complicate matters, there are also left-wing evangelicals in British Protestant circles, who strongly disagree with the US Christian Right over issues like social and environmental policies, and major evangelical and anti-abortion lobby groups like CARE , SPUC and LIFE have always been careful to appear multipartisan, and not alienate social conservatives within the Labour Party and Liberal Democrats . Under new Tory leader David Cameron , it appears that the British Conservatives have decided that there is no benefit in seeking social conservative constituencies if they alienate younger, gay, urban professional or female voters. From the above, one can conclude that while other western Christian Right movements model themselves on the US Christian Right and seek closer ties with their dominant national centre-right parties, that backfired in New Zealand and perhaps Canada, and has only succeeded in Australia, and only at the federal level, at that. In Britain, the Conservative Party has backed away from actively courting evangelical and fundamentalist voters out of fear of alienating other significant electoral interest constituencies. CONTRASTING VIEWPOINTS The Christian Right, while being a fairly large movement, does not represent all evangelicals. Some who are theologically conservative are politically liberal, such as Tony Campolo and Stanley Hauerwas . The Christian Left includes some theological conservatives. Many evangelicals in both the United States and abroad are more or less politically neutral. NOTABLE PERSONS AND ORGANIZATIONS SAID TO BE MEMBERS OF THE CHRISTIAN RIGHT Australia People
In Australia, the Liberal Party is considered to be the main politically Conservative party. It and minor parties that include the National Party, Family First and the Christian Democratic Party make up the highly influential politically conservative voice in Australia. These parties have been successful in banning both gay marriage and euthanasia in Australia as well as blocking moves by opposing groups such as the Australian Labor Party and the Australian Greens who wanted to setup heroin injecting rooms and legislate for same-sex civil unions. They also have a history of financially assisting faith-based schools and Christian movements such as the booming Hillsong Church of the Assemblies of God. Organizations
Canada People
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France People
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Germany Organizations
Media: New Zealand People
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UK People
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USA People
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Contrast: Religious Right , Religious Left , Secular Left , Secular Right NOTES FURTHER READING EXTERNAL LINKS Neutral Critical Supportive
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