As we often say, “An epic deception has taken place over the last 35 years. Purveyors of deceit have managed to equate Christianity and right-wing ideology as one and the same in the majority of Christian minds. We know the history, but how this ever happened is unfathomable to us because the two things could not be more opposed. Right-wing ideology is selfish, greedy, arrogant, vengeful, loud, pushy, judgmental, exclusive, controlling, militaristic, aloof, void of empathy, hostile towards the weak and the sick, and many times racist, misogynistic, homophobic and Islamophobic. The list goes on. Does that sound like Jesus?”
This latest incarnation to push Christianity to the right is only the most recent of a long series of efforts to do so, but it has been the most successful by far.
As a Christian who takes your faith seriously you owe it to yourself to understand how this happened. We have gathered a series of articles linked in this blog which will give you a detailed overview of much of the history. After reading the articles we’re sure you will see many things with new eyes.
Each one of these articles presents information in somewhat of a chronological order if you read them one after the other. Each contains information which the others don't. Reading all of them will give you a well rounded view and a good base to start from if you wish to dig deeper.
How Corporate America Invented Christian America
This is a four page article with links to each page at the bottom of each page. It is written by Kevin M. Kruse who is a professor of history at Princeton and the author, most recently, of One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America, from which this article has been adapted.
Yes, it’s true: Evangelicals used to be Christianity’s liberals
A nice overview of some of the historical facts followed up by another article listed directly below.
How the evangelical left became the religious right
A follow up to the article listed directly above. An overview of more of the facts.
The Real Origins of the Religious Right
A meticulously researched and well written four page article detailing the tactics of the last 35 years.
The ‘biblical view’ that’s younger than the Happy Meal
"In 1979, McDonald’s introduced the Happy Meal. Sometime after that, it was decided that the Bible teaches that human life begins at conception. That’s new. If you had asked American evangelicals that same question the year I was born you would not have gotten the same answer."
The Big Four - Agree With Us Or You're Not A Christian
"I learned a few things growing up as an evangelical Christian: that abortion is murder; homosexuality, sin; evolution, nonsense; and environmentalism, a farce. I learned to accept these ideas— the 'big four'— as part of the package deal of Christianity. In some circles, I learned that my eternal salvation hinged on it. Those who denied them were outsiders, liberals, and legitimate targets for evangelism. If they didn’t change their minds after being “witnessed to,” they became legitimate targets for hell."
The Not-So-Lofty Origins of the Evangelical Pro-Life Movement
"Given the dubious origins of the evangelical pro-life movement, and the intractable nature of the conflict, perhaps the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade should serve as an occasion for evangelicals to reconsider their commitment to criminalizing abortion."
Abortion and Judeo-Christian Religion
Yet another exhaustive and well-written article on the topic of abortion.
The Gay Debate: The Bible and Homosexuality
Matthew Vines grew up in Wichita, Kansas, where he attended an evangelical Presbyterian church with his family. Upon graduation from high school, he was accepted into Harvard, where he studied for two years during 2008-2010, focusing on philosophy. He then quit Harvard in order to pursue a full-time study of the Bible's statements on homosexuality in response to widespread belief that homosexual expression is disapproved by God - a belief held at the time by his own parents and their family church. This video and the companion transcript of his presentation is an overview of his conclusions.
Over the decades the now wealthy and politically powerful "Christian" Right has managed to crush most fledgling Christian progressive movements because they are the religion of empire. The majority of the people they’ve brainwashed support their cause. Corporations and war profiteers pour money into these false teachings to buy a base of religious people eager to support their goals. Christian progressives end up being shamed, run off and isolated in many cases.
We've spent 7 years now trying to actively expose the grand scam known as The "Christian" Right every single day. We hope our efforts are a blessing to you and if you suspected these things all along and felt alone in your sentiments those days are now over. You are not alone.
If you feel inclined to support our efforts you may do so here. We are a user supported ministry and we're willing to keep on keeping on as long as we can keep our heads above water.
God Bless,
The Christian Left
This latest incarnation to push Christianity to the right is only the most recent of a long series of efforts to do so, but it has been the most successful by far.
As a Christian who takes your faith seriously you owe it to yourself to understand how this happened. We have gathered a series of articles linked in this blog which will give you a detailed overview of much of the history. After reading the articles we’re sure you will see many things with new eyes.
Each one of these articles presents information in somewhat of a chronological order if you read them one after the other. Each contains information which the others don't. Reading all of them will give you a well rounded view and a good base to start from if you wish to dig deeper.
How Corporate America Invented Christian America
This is a four page article with links to each page at the bottom of each page. It is written by Kevin M. Kruse who is a professor of history at Princeton and the author, most recently, of One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America, from which this article has been adapted.
Yes, it’s true: Evangelicals used to be Christianity’s liberals
A nice overview of some of the historical facts followed up by another article listed directly below.
How the evangelical left became the religious right
A follow up to the article listed directly above. An overview of more of the facts.
The Real Origins of the Religious Right
A meticulously researched and well written four page article detailing the tactics of the last 35 years.
The ‘biblical view’ that’s younger than the Happy Meal
"In 1979, McDonald’s introduced the Happy Meal. Sometime after that, it was decided that the Bible teaches that human life begins at conception. That’s new. If you had asked American evangelicals that same question the year I was born you would not have gotten the same answer."
The Big Four - Agree With Us Or You're Not A Christian
"I learned a few things growing up as an evangelical Christian: that abortion is murder; homosexuality, sin; evolution, nonsense; and environmentalism, a farce. I learned to accept these ideas— the 'big four'— as part of the package deal of Christianity. In some circles, I learned that my eternal salvation hinged on it. Those who denied them were outsiders, liberals, and legitimate targets for evangelism. If they didn’t change their minds after being “witnessed to,” they became legitimate targets for hell."
The Not-So-Lofty Origins of the Evangelical Pro-Life Movement
"Given the dubious origins of the evangelical pro-life movement, and the intractable nature of the conflict, perhaps the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade should serve as an occasion for evangelicals to reconsider their commitment to criminalizing abortion."
Abortion and Judeo-Christian Religion
Yet another exhaustive and well-written article on the topic of abortion.
The Gay Debate: The Bible and Homosexuality
Matthew Vines grew up in Wichita, Kansas, where he attended an evangelical Presbyterian church with his family. Upon graduation from high school, he was accepted into Harvard, where he studied for two years during 2008-2010, focusing on philosophy. He then quit Harvard in order to pursue a full-time study of the Bible's statements on homosexuality in response to widespread belief that homosexual expression is disapproved by God - a belief held at the time by his own parents and their family church. This video and the companion transcript of his presentation is an overview of his conclusions.
Over the decades the now wealthy and politically powerful "Christian" Right has managed to crush most fledgling Christian progressive movements because they are the religion of empire. The majority of the people they’ve brainwashed support their cause. Corporations and war profiteers pour money into these false teachings to buy a base of religious people eager to support their goals. Christian progressives end up being shamed, run off and isolated in many cases.
We've spent 7 years now trying to actively expose the grand scam known as The "Christian" Right every single day. We hope our efforts are a blessing to you and if you suspected these things all along and felt alone in your sentiments those days are now over. You are not alone.
If you feel inclined to support our efforts you may do so here. We are a user supported ministry and we're willing to keep on keeping on as long as we can keep our heads above water.
God Bless,
The Christian Left
