Overview

This investigation sheds new light on the confrontational stance the religious right has taken toward contemporary America by examining the nature and origins of its highly charged ideas. It traces its belief system, commonly called the Christian Worldview, to four Christian thinkers (Abraham Kuyper, Cornelius Van Til, Rousas John Rushdoony, and Francis Schaeffer) known for their anti-modernist, authoritarian, and in some cases, openly theocratic ideas. Although virtually unknown to most Americans, these men have been treated like patron saints by the religious right. Their ideas, seriously discussed within the movement and codified in Christian Worldview documents during the 1980s, have been widely disseminated to followers through textbooks and seminars, evolving over time into standard talking points. The book then examines how the ideology buttresses the movement's controversial, right-wing agenda. It explores how the Christian Worldview advances a concept of total truth that is unique to biblical Christians and enables them to redefine freedom, law, government, and even history and science, in their own infallible terms. A vision for the future and plan of action are formed on the basis of these certainties. The book concludes by discussing the danger the ideology poses to pluralist society and offers intelligent ways of confronting it.

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9780974704203

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James C. Sanford is a historian, professor, bookseller, editor, blogger, and political commentator with a focus on the thinking and influence of the Christian Right. He is the author of Great Freethinkers. He lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

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