The Religious Right

American religious life has long been marked by dramatic shifts, both in what Americans believe and in how they worship. Ebbs in religious devotion are followed by revivals, and the twentieth century has been no different. In the 1910s, evangelical Christians began pushing a work entitled The Fundamentals, and forever more they have become known as fundamentalists (Martin 10-11). Fundamentalists were reacting to what they called the liberal or modernist wing, which they claimed dominated most of AmericaÆs Protestant denominations at the time (Falwell 79).

The fundamentalists made a rapid rise, challenging for control of the Presbyterian and Baptist church. Those attempts failed, however, as most devotees rejected the fundamentalists as too radical and nativist (Martin 16-17). Fundamentalism waned in the 1930s, a decade during which the movement quietly remade itself. No longer

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ould make a promise to politicians: Address our issues and we will deliver a huge bloc of votes. Several Republican candidates courted this powerful new group, but Reagan won them over, despite a moderate political record and a somewhat checkered past (Martin 209). That affiliation with conservative Republicans soon earned the Moral Majority and its ilk the moniker ôReligious Right,ö a relationship that lasts to this day. Reagan went on to win the Republican nomination, and draft a platform that reflected the agenda of the Religious Right. The Republican platform opposed abortion, retracted traditional party support for the ERA, and called for the appointment of judges who respected the sanctity of life (McKeegan 30). However, Christians had serious misgivings about ReaganÆs choice for a running mate. George Bush, though a man of unquestioned probity and religious devotion, supported Roe v. Wade and represented the Republican partyÆs traditional moderate wing. To assuage Christian concerns, Bush changed his abortion stand and adopted a more conservative tone. Nonetheless, suspicion would always characterize the relationship between Bush and the Religious Right (McKeegan 33). Though just a year old, the Religious Right
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Approximate Word count = 2629
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page)

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