The History of The "Christian" Right

They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good. ~  Titus 1:16

Churches used to be liberal throughout the modern history of Christianity in the United States, with notable periods of exception of course. Then came Ronald Reagan and Paul Weyrich among others.

Weyrich, the late religious conservative political activist, co-founder of the Heritage Foundation, and Godfather of The “Christian” Right, literally peddled various issues trying to galvanize a conservative “Christian” movement:

His hypothetical “Moral Majority” needed a catalyst—a standard around which to rally. For nearly two decades, Weyrich, by his own account, had been trying out different issues, hoping one might pique evangelical interest: pornography, prayer in schools, the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution, even abortion. “I was trying to get these people interested in those issues and I utterly failed,” Weyrich recalled at a conference in 1990.

The 1978 Senate races demonstrated to Weyrich and others that abortion might motivate conservatives where it hadn’t in the past. He saw his opening and he never looked back.

Abortion is a made up issue designed to coalesce a right-wing political movement. It isn’t even mentioned in the Bible. When you get a chance, check out our related article on abortion.

Prior to the efforts of con-man Paul Weyrich, a 1968 a symposium sponsored by the Christian Medical Society and Christianity Today, the flagship magazine of evangelicalism, refused to characterize abortion as sinful, citing 'individual health, family welfare, and social responsibility' as justifications for ending a pregnancy.

This article in Politico explains the entire early history of The "Christian" Right in great detail. It is a must read. ... As you will learn, abortion was just a ploy to rally a herd mentality. Bigotry was the real motivation behind the madness of Paul Weyrich.

There are many other facets to this story. Frank Schaeffer picks up where Politico left off in his book:
"Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back."

Frank's book is another "must read" for seekers of the Truth.

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Fast forward 35 years to the present. The “Christian” Right has a billion dollar messaging empire that would make Joseph Goebbels envious.

They have nationwide radio networks (Salem Communications and others), worldwide television networks (TBN, home of John Hagee, Hal Lindsey, and many others), publishers, mega-churches, political pundits, best-selling authors, media personalities, celebrity pastors, a vast number of wealthy donors, branded media empires (Focus on The Family, The 700 Club, etc.), Political Action Organizations (The Heritage Foundation, The Christian Coalition, etc.), on and on. The Christian Coalition actually produces "non-partisan" Voter's Guides that it distributes to churches nationwide. The guides are anything but "non-partisan." The fact that they even try to pass them off as "non-partisan" reveals the true nature of the organization, deceit.

The "Christian" Right has an agenda, a ton of money, and they're continuously seeking the power to impose their vision on the entire country via public policy. Some of us have watched the hijacking of our faith over the last 35 years with shock and horror. The agenda of the right has nothing to do with the teachings of Christ. In truth, the two sets of values are opposites in nature.

Most conservative political and religious leaders will deny it, but upon close examination their agenda is best summarized as Objectivism. Some of them will come right out and admit this fact and lavish the tenets of Objectivism with high praise. Others, aware of problems of being associated with Objectivism, will come up with complex rationalizations trying to avoid association. For instance, Paul Ryan says that because he's a Catholic, he rejects Objectivism. Then he turns right around and says that Ayn Rand's books are the basis of his economic and political philosophy. We're not sure how that works given that every page of her books drip with Objectivism. We're not sure how he avoids some pretty harsh cognitive dissonance.

Again, most conservatives will deny this association until the cows come home. Examine the similarities for yourself. Don't take their word for it. Google Objectivism and do some research on it. Look at how closely it match Republican policy. What you'll discover, if you didn't already know, is that the tenets of Objectivism, no matter how they try to spin them, are polar opposites from everything Jesus taught.

5 years ago we decided to sound the alarm and start speaking up about all this. Honestly, it feels a bit like the story of David and Goliath. If someone doesn’t expose what’s happening with a counter narrative, The "Christian" Right and their political bedfellows will achieve their goals. Their financial backers have almost unlimited resources and vast networks of political connections to power. There's not much standing in their way right now given that 79% of white evangelicals vote Republican. Most of them have been taught that Christians have no choice in the matter. There is only one political option for them: "God's Own Party!"

"The unholy alliance of the Political Right and the Religious Right threatens to destroy the America we love. It also threatens to generate a revulsion against God and religion by identifying them with militarism, ecological irresponsibility, fundamentalist antagonism to science and rational thought, and insensitivity to the needs of the poor and the powerless." -- Rabbi Michael Lerner

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