The Immense Power and Influence of The Christian Right

The birth of The Christian Right can be traced to a 1979 meeting where televangelist Jerry Falwell was urged to create a "Moral Majority" organization. Since then they have come to be an immense power in American culture and politics.  We don’t think they’re doing the work Jesus taught us to do. While throwing around terms like “Family Values” and “Christian Nation” they subjugate women, and cast aside the poor, the sick, the alien, the oppressed, and anyone else that doesn’t fit in their exclusive club.

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Here's a loose timeline of their activities:

• 1979 — Jerry Falwell founds Moral Majority, which is often said to be the beginning of the New Christian Right. Concerned Women for America is formed. 1980s

• 1980 — Washington for Jesus founded by John Giminez, the pastor of Rock Church in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Dr. William Bright, Benson Idahosa from Africa, and many other high-profile Christians marched on Washington, in an effort to support Ronald Reagan's presidential run. This event provides a place for the Christian right to outline many of their beliefs in speeches and statements.

• In response to Christian right influence, the Republican Party platform drops support for the Equal Rights Amendment, which it had backed since 1940, and adopts language supporting the restoration of school prayer and opposing abortion.

• Ronald Reagan elected president, serving two presidential terms (1981–1989). Republicans capture the Senate for the first time since 1952.
• 1982 — On May 18, 1982, President Reagan introduced a proposed School Prayer Amendment to the United States Constitution.
• 1983 — The Family Research Council is formed. On March 8, 1983, President Ronald Reagan addresses the annual convention of the National Association of Evangelicals and refers to the Soviet Union as an "evil empire"; the speech becomes known as the "Evil Empire" speech. President Reagan publishes an article entitled "Abortion and the Conscience of a Nation."
• 1984 — President Ronald Reagan proclaims January 13, 1984 to be National Sanctity of Human Life Day. President Reagan announces the adoption of the Mexico City Policy, which required "all non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that receive federal funding to refrain from performing or promoting abortion services, as a method of family planning, in other countries."
• 1987 — Pat Robertson founds the Christian Coalition, which later becomes the most prominent voice in the Christian right.
• 1988 — George H. W. Bush is elected president with the support of most conservative Christian voters.
• 1989 — Liberty Counsel is formed.

1990s

• 1990 — The American Center for Law and Justice is formed.
• 1992 — The Christian Coalition produces voter guides and distributes them to conservative Christian churches.
• 1994 — Conservative Republicans take control of the House of Representatives, led by Christian conservative Newt Gingrich. The Alliance Defense Fund is formed.
• 1996 — The Defense of Marriage Act is enacted.
• 1998 — Voters in Alaska pass an amendment to the Alaska State Constitution banning same-sex marriage.

2000s

• 2000 — The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) is passed.
• In Boy Scouts of America v. Dale, the United States Supreme Court holds that the First Amendment allows the Boy Scouts to exclude openly homosexual males from membership in its organization.

• Nebraska passes an amendment to its state constitution banning same-sex marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships.
• George W. Bush is elected president with the overwhelming support of white conservative evangelical voters.
• 2001 — President George W. Bush re-institutes the Mexico City Policy.
• 2002 — The Born-Alive Infants Protection Act of 2002 is enacted. Nevada passes an amendment to its state constitution banning same-sex marriage.
• 2003 — The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 is enacted.
• 2004 — Thirteen states pass amendments to their respective state constitutions banning same-sex marriage and, in some cases, other unions. The Unborn Victims of Violence Act is enacted. President George W. Bush announces his support for a Federal Marriage Amendment. President Bush is elected to a second term in office.
• 2005 — Texas passes an amendment to its state constitution banning same-sex marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships.
• 2006 — Eight states pass amendments to their respective state constitutions banning sames-sex marriage and, in some cases, other unions. President George W. Bush vetoes the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2006.
• 2007 — The National Organization for Marriage is formed. President George W. Bush vetoes the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007. The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 is upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States in the case of Gonzales v. Carhart.
• 2008 — Barack Obama is elected President of the United States. Obama would be largely opposed by the Christian right. The states of Arizona, California, and Florida pass amendments to their respective state constitutions banning same-sex marriage and, in Florida's case, civil unions and domestic partnerships.

2010s

• 2010 — With the help of the Christian right and the Tea Party Movement, the Republican party takes a majority of seats in the United States House of Representatives and makes historic gains in state legislatures.
• 2011 — States pass a record number of laws that restrict access to abortion.
• 2011-2012 — The primary process for the 2012 Republican Party presidential nomination occurs. Former Governor of Massachusetts and 2008 presidential contender Mitt Romney prevails, but socially conservative former Sen. Rick Santorum's candidacy makes him a favorite among the Christian right.
• 2012 — North Carolina passes an amendment to its state constitution banning same-sex marriage and other unions.
  

The Organizations of The Christian Right

The Christian Coalition of America

The Christian Coalition of America (CCA), a 501(c)(4) organization, is the successor to the original Christian Coalition created in 1989 by religious broadcaster and former presidential candidate Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson, and is a US Christian advocacy group, which includes Christian fundamentalists, neo-evangelicals and conservative charismatics.  In 1990, the national Christian Coalition, Inc., began producing voter guides which it distributed to conservative Christian churches. 40 million guides were distributed in the 1992 and 1996 presidential election years. Complaints that the voter guides were actually partisan led to the denial of the Christian Coalition, Inc.'s tax-exempt status in 1999. Later that same year, the Coalition prevailed in its five year defense of lawsuit a brought by the Federal Election Commission. They continue to publish Voter guides to this day which they distribute to churches. While they use clever wording, they are obviously partisan.

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The Family Research Council

The Family Research Council is a hate group according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The Council opposes abortion for any reason, believes homosexuality should be against the law, and believes global warming is a hoax. FRC was listed as a hate group after it falsely linked gay males to pedophilia. It basically lobbies the government to make laws that govern our personal and private lives. The Council is a Christian Right-wing organization that has a heavy influence on the Republican Party, hence all the abortion laws they propose.

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Council for National Policy

Tim Lahaye founded the Council for National Policy and and Kenneth Cribb is the current President.  Tim LaHaye (born April 27, 1926) is an American evangelical Christian minister, author, and speaker. He is best known for the Left Behind series of apocalyptic fiction, which he co-wrote with Jerry B. Jenkins (for more on 'the rapture' check this article out). He has written over 50 books, both fiction and non-fiction. The CNP is a conservative organization for social conservative activists. Described by The New York Times as a “little-known group of a few hundred of the most powerful conservatives in the country,” the organization is perhaps the most powerful among the ranks of The Christian Right. Members include the likes of James Dobson, Pat Robertson, Tony Perkins, Phyllis Schlafly, and Edwin Feulner Jr. What makes this group particularly dangerous is that they support theocracy and Dominionism as national policy. They are also incredibly secretive and that’s scary.

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The American Family Association

Classified as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, the American Family Association is headed by Tim Wildmon. AFA is just like every other conservative Christian group. It opposes abortion and gay rights, as well as other public policy goals such as deregulation of the oil industry and lobbying against the Employee Free Choice Act. The group has actively boycotted just about any business that disagrees with them. In the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, the AFA released a video in which “God” tells a student that students were killed in schools because God isn’t allowed in schools anymore and blamed the shootings on abortion and lack of prayer in schools. AFA is against all other religions and has an obsession with Christmas, often boycotting companies that do not mention Christmas in their advertising.

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Family Talk

James Dobson is a Family Talk radio personality.  A frequent guest on Fox News, he is perhaps the most influential religious leader on the Christian-Right even though he has never been ordained. Dobson believes that women should only focus on mothering (and probably cooking too) and is totally against gay rights. He supports private schools and special tax privileges for religious schools. He opposes sex education and only supports abstinence as the only technique for pregnancy prevention. Dobson started all of the anti-gay, anti-women, and anti-education speeches that are now commonplace in the Republican Party. [Note from The Christian Left: This is the saddest entry for us.  Some of us used to really enjoy James Dobson.  It's unfortunate that he joined the extreme right. Maybe he'll see the light some day.]

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American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ)

The American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) is a conservative Christian, pro-life group that was founded in 1990 by Pat Robertson. It was conceived as a counterweight to the American Civil Liberties Union, an organization which Robertson maintains is "hostile to traditional American values." The name and acronym, ACLJ, was intentionally chosen for its similarities to the ACLU. It has attracted much media attention for its lawsuits, such as its campaign to oppose changes to the constitution of United States that would permit abortion and its attempts to block the construction of an Islamic cultural center near the former site of the World Trade Center.  Chief Counsel Jay Sekulow quickly established the organization as a key player in the right-wing movement, litigating a variety of cases at all levels, including the Supreme Court. The ACLJ has been particularly active in fighting marriage equality and defending the Pledge of Allegiance, while Sekulow has maintained very close ties to the Bush White House and played a central role in pushing for the confirmation of Supreme Court Justices Roberts and Alito.

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Salem Communications

Salem Communications (NASDAQ: SALM) is a U.S. radio broadcaster, Internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher specializing in evangelical Christian and conservative political talk radio. It owns 99 commercial radio stations, 65 of which are in the top 25 markets. Salem is the fifth largest U.S. radio station owner after Clear Channel, Cumulus, CBS Radio, and Entercom. The company focuses on acquiring radio stations with powerful transmitters, unlike most Christian broadcasters who tend to purchase many low-power translators. Salem owns more AM than FM stations, and covers one-third of the U.S population.

Salem Communications was founded by Stuart Epperson and Edward Atsinger III and, unlike many Christian broadcasters, is a for-profit corporation. Also, unlike their non-profit counterparts, Salem stations transmit high-powered signals in commercial radio bands.  The founders of Salem Communications support various religious causes. Epperson was recently reported in Time magazine as one of the "25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America." In 2004 he co-chaired Americans of Faith, a religiously-based Republican electoral campaign. Both founders have served on the Council for National Policy. They gave $100,000 to the Bush presidential reelection campaign and $780,000 to the 2000 "California Defense of Marriage Act" (Proposition 22) ballot measure. On air personalities include, Bill Bennett, Mike Gallagher, Dennis Prager, Michael Medved, Hugh Hewitt, and Cal Thomas.

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The Heritage Foundation

The Heritage Foundation is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. Heritage's stated mission is to "formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense." While The Heritage Foundation isn't a Christian organization per se, they are in bed with The Christian Right and cooperate with its organizations on a regular basis. The Heritage Foundation is extremely powerful and has its hands in every level of government. For more information read the Wiki article.

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