despite such enthusiastic participation, the history of the conservative faith traditions over the last 175 years has been one of declining influence, especially in the realm of ideas and imagination. It is true that their political influence has undulated over the years; presently, it is quite high in certain sectors. But culturally, these faith traditions have moved from a position of offense to one of defense. Once prominent in almost all spheres of American public life, setting the agenda and framing public goals, conservative believers have fallen to relative impotence. Indeed, in some
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