Phrase 'Religious Right' Misused, Conservatives Say | Christianity Today

Free Newsletters:

RSS Feeds |

Audio |

Twitter

Home > 2009 > February (Web-only)

Christianity Today, February (Web-only), 2009 |

Phrase 'Religious Right' Misused, Conservatives Say

Leaders often identified with the Religious Right want journalists and academics to lay the term to rest.

Sarah Pulliam | posted 2/12/2009 10:19AM

2 of 2

On the other side of the political spectrum, founder of Sojourners Jim Wallis is often associated with the "Religious Left" but would rather be called a progressive. He also dislikes the use of "Religious Right."

"I would not be happy with labeling anyone just right-wing. That's simplistic and reductionist," Wallis said. "Labels are shorthand, sloppy ways to describe someone."

Organizational leaders like Tony Perkins of Family Research Council want a term that includes other religious groups like Catholics, Jews, and Mormons so that they can see themselves as fighting for the same cause.

"It's not accurate to say that the Christian Right or the Religious Right is simply a narrow slice of evangelicals," Perkins said. "Will everyone identify themselves as part of the Religious Right? No, but they do share a portion of values."

Coming up with the best term to describe religious groups who are politically conservative can be tricky for writers. Rice University sociologist Bill Martin, who authored the book With God on Our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America, resists the term "religious conservative" because it has connotations with a group that identifies itself as theologically conservative.

"Mennonites and Amish are religious conservatives," Martin said. "They are pietistic people, but they're not involved politically."

Some journalists have already written obituaries for the Religious Right, but that would be premature, says Michael Cromartie, vice president at the Ethics and Public Policy Center.

"I think it's unwise to say any of these groups are finished," Cromartie said. "Groups like these often grow, regroup, [or] expand when they're in opposition." In other words, perhaps journalists should find a style before 2012.

Related Elsewhere:

See also Christianity Today's September 1999 cover story, "Is the Religious Right Finished?"

More politics coverage is available at our politics blog and politics & law section.

first page |

2 of 2

share this page

February (Web-only) 2009, Vol. 53

E-mail this page

Write CT

Print this article

Post a comment

Reader Reviews are below

Subscribe to Christianity Today and get 3 free trial issues. No credit card required.

Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only.

If you decide you want to keep Christianity Today coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive nine more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The three trial issues are yours to keep, regardless.

Click here for international orders

2-for-1 Gifts!

[Reader Reviews]

Average User Rating:

Displaying 1 - 3 of 54 comments.

See all comments

Rav	Posted: February 21, 2009 11:34 AM

Can greed, political ambitions, intolerance and hypocricy be exclusively attributed to Conservatives, Republicans and Democrats? It seems that the "conservative side of certain Christians groups has been so politically charged that Christian views and values can not been entramped in political agendas and economic ideologies hurting thus Christianity's role in society. Have you ever seen or found any way to criticize Christian leaders of the Republican party who for the most part messed this country? I strongly believe that the goal and objectives of the conservative must be focused on the Christians holding political offices and to be guardian of the values of the Christian message and to look after and evaluate how Christian leaders provide a quality leadership in the arena of politics and economics. May be a new name will come that reflect this accountability for Christians involved in the public life of the nation, I suggest a Christian Political Reflections (CPR) guidance.

tom	Posted: February 20, 2009 3:43 AM


I know a few superb terms to replace "religious right" how about Morons Bigots Wankers Sky Fairy believers Truth twisters Hatred Promoters Suckers thats just a few..and all honest !!!

Mark P. Kessinger

Posted: February 19, 2009 8:30 PM


They can call themselves whatever they want. Whatever term is ultimately used, as soon as it becomes associated in the general public's perception with the typical rhetoric and agenda of the group "formerly known as the religious right," it will have a negative association in the minds of many Americans.

The allotted time for commenting has ended.