Summary
Title: For a Christian America: A History of the Religious Right
Author: Ruth Murray Brown
Publisher: Prometheus Books
ISBN: 1573929735
Pro:
• Well-written, easy to read history of the Religious Right
• Points out role women have played in Religious Right
Con:
• None
Description:
• History of the modern Religious Right
• Exploration of how opposition to the ERA changed fundamentalism
• Based upon many interviews and more than 25 years of research
Book Review
There have been many books on the history of American fundamentalism and the Religious Right, but Ruth Murray Brown’s focuses upon a very specific thesis. Based upon 25 years of research, Brown is able to trace the rise of the modern Religious Right to a single issue: the Equal Rights Amendment. This is the topic which galvanized the Religious Right, releasing pent up fears about the course of society and causing a massive grass-roots mobilization of religious conservatives.
Why the Equal Rights Amendment? Supporters of the ERA assumed that it would find easy ratification and eventual inclusion in the Constitution, but the backlash was both surprising and vociferous. According to opponents, the ERA would be used to restructure American society and the family in ways which would violate God’s plan and prevent Christians from doing what they felt was right:
- Of those reporting that they gave the ERA campaign the highest priority in the last few months before the deadline, all chose “against God’s plan.” Closely tied for second were that “it would encourage an unbiblical relationship between men and women,” and that it would “weaken families.” It was precisely because of their belief that the ERA was “unbiblical” and would result in the destruction of “God’s plan for the family” as set forth in the Bible that fundamentalists opposed it so vigorously.
Even during the ERA battles we can find the basic themes which have continued to animate the Religious Right through to today: America is threatened from within and without by enemies of God; if America is to continue to receive Gods’ blessings and remain God’s chosen nation to lead the world, American Christians are called to fight those enemies.
This involves restoring traditional moral standards, returning people to the faith of God, and rebuking the forces of moral and social decay. Although specific political issues may change — ERA, abortion, homosexuality — these fundamental principles remain the same.
One very interesting aspect about the growth of the modern Religious Right which Brown explores in detail is the role played by women. The Religious Right is normally seen as very paternalistic and even anti-women, but women were the early leaders in the opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment. Today we see the Religious Right led by people like Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell, but they wouldn’t be where they are without women like Phyllis Schlafly and Beverly LeHaye. Even the infamous take-over of the Southern Baptist Convention by fundamentalists was accomplished as a result of the efforts of women:
- The insurgent conservative men were supported by Southern Baptist women who had learned their political skills in the ant-ERA campaign.
For a Christian America: A History of the Religious Right, by Ruth Murray Brown
- In her account of the “Baptist battles,” Nancy Ammerman, a sociologist of religion, noted theat activists from Eagle Forum and the pro-life movement were among those speaking for the insurgents who sought, among other things, to stop the ordination of women.
Brown’s is not a long book and it doesn’t do much to explore many of the arguments used by both sides of the various social and legislative battles. Nevertheless, it does cover a lot of ground in terms of people and organizations, like the development of the Moral Majority, Focus on the Family, the Christian Coalition, and Concerned Women for America. Brown also provides information about many hot-button issues like humanism, school prayer, evolution, the role of women in society, and more.
Brown’s goal is not to attack, but to understand. Brown is sympathetic to the concerns of the women involved in these movements, although she does not hesitate to criticize when such criticism is warranted. She has created an excellent bit of history which anyone interested in the development of the modern Religious Right and American fundamentalism would do well to read.
