Books

Culture Wars 101

Books

History

"Point of View"

Interpretation

I haven't gotten around to these yet.

History
The Churching of America 1776-1990, Winners and Losers in our Religious Economy Roger Finke and Rodney Stark , Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, New Jersey, 1992

I have to admit that I have a bias toward this book. Written about politics, religion, and economics, it ensures that you can never discuss it at a cocktail party. The authors' approach to the study of faith in American culture was (and still is) extremely controversial, but their work provides and framework for understanding the appeal of conservative religions. Sample quote: "... we will more fully develop the proposition that religious organizations are stronger to the degree that they impose significant costs in terms of sacrifice and even stigma upon their members" Click

here for more info.

Religion and Politics in America, Faith, Culture, and Strategic Choices Robert Booth Fowler, and Allen D. Hertzke, Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado, 1995

If combined with Hunter's Culture Wars, this book will tell you pretty much all you need to know about this topic. Organized like a textbook, the twelve chapters cover everything from American religious history to theorizing about the future, and everything in between. Very readable. Sample quote: " Thus, the Christian Right may be as much about representation as it is about anything else, a cry from many evangelicals and fundamentalists that they too should be heard. If this is so, then the Christian Right's ultimate legacy may turn out to be the inclusion in our political system of a large segment of the population that has felt left out." Click here for more info.

Pilgrims in Their Own Land, 500 years of religion in America Marty, Martin E.Penguin Books, New York, New York, 1985

The single best volume dealing with this expansive field. Read this book and know everything about American religion, from indigenous cultures to Eastern and "alternative" religion, with plenty of Christianity thrown in between. Marty is the most respected historian/theologian in the field. Click here for more info.

"Point of View"

Our Hopes, Our Dreams, a Vision for America Gary Bauer, Focus On The Family Publishing, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1996

For those interested in the "broad version" of the religious conservative vision, this book, written by the president of the Family Research Council, is required reading. It covers everything from America's 'moral decay' to the importance of encouraging high school students to take time off from school. Very readable and revealing. Sample quote: "Our [welfare] policies must communicate clearly: It's not the money we begrudge you; it's the chronic behavior that makes our monetary help futile." Click here for more info.

Who's Afraid of The Religious Right?Don Feder, Regency Publishing, Washington DC, 1996

Don Feder is an interesting fellow. An orthodox Jew, he's the Rush Limbaugh of the Christian Right. This book compiles several hundred pages of his earlier essays on the subject, written tightly , bursting with acerbic sarcasm. Sample quote: "One of the conscientious Catholics quoted in the article ... while proclaiming his opposition to the Vatican - insists: 'It's a church I love. But what precisely does he love - the music, the candles, the stained-glass windows, bingo?". Click here for more info.

Interpretation

Culture Wars: the Struggle to Define America, James Davison Hunter, Basic Books, New York, New York, 1991
It is difficult to express how important of a work this is. It is one of the very few resources that strives to present both sides of these often painful issues; and it does this in an intelligent fashion. I'll let Hunter speak for himself: Where cultural conservatives tend to define freedom economically (as individual economic initiative) and justice socially (as righteous living) progressives tend to define freedom socially (as individual rights) and justice economically (as equity) ... [however] what ultimately explains the realignment in America's public culture are allegiances to different formulations and sources of moral authority ... the religiously orthodox [feel] that they are committed to a transcendent foundation for moral judgment ... [while within] the broader progressivist alliance, moral authority emerges primarily, if not exclusively within 'this worldly' considerations." Click here for more info.

Moral Politics, What Conservatives Know About Politics that Liberals Don't, George Lakoff, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, 1996

Although the title certainly doesn't give it away, this book was written by a liberal professor at Berkeley. Lakoff explains the split in American culture by dividing it into those who adhere to "strict father morality" and those who cling to "nurturant parent morality". Essentially, according to Lakoff, our views on politics are formed by our views on the family. A fascinating concept, but the book suffers two drawbacks: 1) Lakoff can't write to save his life and this book almost succeeds in destroying a fascinating premise; and 2) Lakoff flatters himself by thinking that he approaches his subject without bias. Be wary as you breeze through this one. Still, worth a read. Sample quote: "Conservatives know that politics is not just about policy and interest groups and issue-by-issue debate. They have learned that politics is about family and morality, about myth and metaphor and emotional identification. They have, over twenty-five years, managed to forge conceptual links in the voters' minds between morality and public policy." Click here for more info.

The Naked Public Square Richard John Neuhaus, Eerdman Publishing, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1986

One of the earliest and best attempts to understand the phenomenon of politically active religious conservatives, the first edition of this book came out in 1984. The book is intellectually quite thick ( I consider one or two of the chapters virtually unreadable), but still brilliant and certainly ahead of it's time. Predating Culture Wars by seven years, Neuhaus anticipates almost all of Hunter's major points, but aimed his book more at the intellectual set. Reading this instead of Hunter is something akin to listening to Chuck Berry instead of the Rolling Stones because 'it's all been done already.' Sample quote: "the naked public square cannot remain naked. When the value-bearing institutions of religion and culture are excluded, the value laden concerns of human life flow back into the square under the banner of politics". Click here for more info.

Piety and Politics, Evangelicals and Fundamentalists Confront the World, Richard John Neuhaus, and Michael Cromartie, eds, Ethics and Public Policy Center, Washington DC, 1987

A collection of 26 essays by liberals, conservatives, and scholars, this book is a bit outdated, but still contains some gems by all the big names, like Bill Bennett, Harvey Cox, George Will, George Weigel, Ronald Nash, Jerry Falwell, Chuck Colson, as well as Neuhaus and Hunter. My sources tell me that a new edition is in the works. Click here for more info.

Moral Man and Immoral Society, Reinhold Niebuhr, Scribner's Sons, New York, New York, 1932

Okay, I never read it, but if you're ever going to try to publish anything on this topic, you have to quote this book. It was in his contract or something. Click here for more info.

Politically Incorrect, Ralph Reed, Word Publishing, Dallas, Texas, 1994

The first of three books written by the executive director of the Christian Coalition (the second was the Contract with the American Family) this book is a very positive overview of religious conservatives in American politics. Part apologetic, part political history, it is tasty reading for all those who want to understand the one man who, more than any other, has put the words "Christian Right" on the front pages of newspapers all throughout the country. Parts of it, however, get pretty hard to swallow. Sample quote: "The agenda of religious conservatives is informed by faith, tempered by tolerance, and guided by an abiding respect for the dignity of other human beings". Click here for more info.

Active Faith, Ralph Reed, The Free Press, New York, New York, 1996

Ralph Reed falls prey to his celebrity in this work. There is less history and philosophy, and more stories about Reed's political clout. The book contains some truly bizarre revelations, like his tale of how he helped Lamar Alexander mislead Christian Coalition members about his views on abortion. His credibility is also hurt by Reed's seeming inability to decide whether it's the Coalition's focus on economic issues or moral ones that makes it so successful. Sample quote: "Lamar expressed his desire to make a strong run at the pro-family delegates in spite of his moderate views on abortion. I suggested that he stress his opposition to the federal funding of abortion". Click here for more info.

Additional Books
Now, there's a bunch of good books that I've been reading I have yet to review for this page. I do not, however, want to keep you from learning about them. Therefore, in no particular order:

With God on our Side: The Rise of the Religious Right in America by William Martin

The Search for a Christian America by Noll, Marsden, and Hatch

Religion and the Culture Wars: Dispatches from the Front

The Transformation of the Christian Right by Matthew Moen

The Christian Right and Congress by Matthew Moen

Disciples and Democracy by Michael Cromartie

Eve's Herbs: A History of Abortion and Contraception in the West

Stealing Jesus: How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity

The Christian Coalition : Dreams of Restoration, Demands for Recognition