Family Values and the Rise of the Christian Right

by Seth Dowland

During the last three decades of the twentieth century, evangelical leaders and conservative politicians developed a political agenda that thrust "family values" onto the nation's consciousness. Ministers, legislators, and laypeople came together to fight abortion, gay rights, and major feminist objectives. They supported private Christian schools, home schooling, and a strong military. Family values leaders like Jerry Falwell, Phyllis Schlafly, Anita Bryant, and James Dobson became increasingly supportive of the Republican Party, which accommodated the language of family values in its platforms and campaigns. The family values agenda created a bond between evangelicalism and political conservatism.

Family Values and the Rise of the Christian Right chronicles how the family values agenda became so powerful in American political life and why it appealed to conservative evangelical Christians. Conservative evangelicals saw traditional gender norms as crucial in cultivating morality. They thought these gender norms would reaffirm the importance of clear lines of authority that the social revolutions of the 1960s had undermined. In the 1970s and 1980s, then, evangelicals founded Christian academies and developed homeschooling curricula that put conservative ideas about gender and authority front and center. Campaigns against abortion and feminism coalesced around a belief that God created women as wives and mothers—a belief that conservative evangelicals thought feminists and pro-choice advocates threatened. Likewise, Christian right leaders championed a particular vision of masculinity in their campaigns against gay rights and nuclear disarmament. Movements like the Promise Keepers called men to take responsibility for leading their families. Christian right political campaigns and pro-family organizations drew on conservative evangelical beliefs about men, women, children, and authority. These beliefs—known collectively as family values—became the most important religious agenda in late twentieth-century American politics.

Genres: Religion, History, Politics, Nonfiction, Race

280 pages, Hardcover

First published October 30, 2015

Reviews

[Donald Powell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive and objective review of the titled subject. This scholar recorded the diverse reasons behind the Christian Right as well their success, failure and endurance. The author's analysis was an academic and scholarly review, revealing almost no judgment or proselytizing. While the book is mostly a history study, a reader cannot help cogitate on the issues raised. In my case leading to judgments and condemnation. So much of what has been the American Christian Right, in my opinion, seems contrary to what Jesus Christ taught, I could not avoid some disdain and, more appropriately, pity.
Isabelle Wilkerson in her important book, Caste, cited this book by Seth Dowland, for which I am grateful.

[Sebastian Štros · Rating 3 out of 5]

I should not have continued with this book. I was a victim of the sunk cost fallacy.

I started to read the book after reading in How Democracies Die that Evangelicals voted more for Democrats in 1950s than they did for Republicans. This book was basically about the narrative which aligned conservatives with Republicans. Formerly, many conservatives (mostly Southerners) voted left-economic Democrats and many liberals (Northerners) voted laissez-fair Republicans.

However the book went too deep into one direction. It covers completely, minutely and professionally the narrative of Family Values. It has three parts: Children (against secular and immoral teaching in schools), Mothers (on abortion and against feminism they propose their moral teaching role at home) and fathers (against LGBTQ and pro military agendas).

There is probably nothing truly theoretically valuable in the book. The same old arguments about the fall of tested values, failing masculinity and misplaced femininity. The sparse surprises are an intersection of topics and unlikely coalitions e.g.: using language of civil rights movement like "all people have undeniable rights" for anti-abortion campaigns "foetuses have rights too!". But really these soundbites are all that raises one's eyebrows.

If you want the history of arguably the most influential right-wing narrative of second half of 20th century, the go for it. If you want like me a broader picture of what took place in domestic political alignments in US, this book is way too narrow.

[Amydee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fascinating. It is not an "easy read" especially if you are emotionally invested. I am, so I found I had to pace myself. Even so, it was so informative and affirming it was hard to take a break. I will probably read it more than once and have marked all over its margins!

Four stars because there were a few sections I thought could have been a little more concise. The information was accurate, but the presentation in certain areas was a little disorganized. I recommend it to anyone who wants a chronological picture of how white Protestant Fundamentalism has shaped our country, and how it still is today.

[Daniel Crouch · Rating 4 out of 5]

His criticisms of the religious right are not fair at times (which is something you don't have to exaggerate to do well), but his structuring and analysis of the movement centered on the theme of "family values" makes Dowland's work an important contribution

[Jeffrey N. Hora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disturbing and highly informative.

[Kylie Vernon · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was brilliant. a topical understanding of the many explanatory threads that contributed to the rise of the evangelical religious right. i particularly enjoyed the sections about textbook politics and home schooling. i’ve seen the evidence of both deeply in how people regard school curriculums in the Christian bubble.

overall very insightful, easy to read, generally unbiased, charitable while still critical, and definitely going to inform my view of evangelicalism going forward.