The Strategy of the Religious Right: Christian Fiction or Political Agitation?

• Authors: Paulina Napierała
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The American Religious Right has been an important actor on the American political scene since the 1970s. The Religious Right’s leaders have been using various strategies and methods aimed at convincing politicians and the general public to apply the teachings of conservative Christianity to politics and public policy. Some of these activities, however, are very diffi cult to classify as typical political agitation methods, for example the publication of the Left Behind series. Theoretically classifi ed as Christian fi ction, the series presents many ideas that overlap with the political agenda of the Religious Right. This article presents a short review of methods used by the Religious Right, and attempts to properly classify the Left Behind series through a thorough analysis of its contents, focusing in particular on the political ideas included in Left Behind.

Keywords

EN

Religious Right

• Publisher: Księgarnia Akademicka
• Journal: Ad Americam
• Year: 2012
• Volume: 13
• Pages: 45-65

Contributors

author

Paulina Napierała

• Jagiellonian University

References

• Armstrong Chris. “Caveat Gyrator (Elvis Priestly, Part II)”, Christianity Today 17 Jan 2003. DOA: February 2012. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/news/2003/jan17.html
• Beliefnet. Inspiration. Spirituality. Faith, You Helped This Happen. Partial transcript of comments from the Thursday, September 13, 2001 edition of the ‘700 Club.’ DOA: May 2007. http://www. beliefnet.com/Faiths/Christianity/2001/09/You-Helped-This-Happen.aspx
• Boronski Łukasz. Hermeneutyka dyspensacjonalistyczna – jej korzenie, charakter i metoda, [in:] Pasek Zbigniew (ed.). Protestancka kultura slowa, Krakow: Nomos, 2009, pp. 68-83
• Boronski Łukasz. Teologiczne i historyczne korzenie chrzescijanskiego syjonizmu (an unpublished work), Religious Studies Institute, Jagiellonian University, 2007.
• Bruce Steve. Fundamentalizm, Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Sic!, 2004.
• DeMar Gary. “A Review of The Remnant”, The PersistSite. DOA: February 2012. http://www. preteristsite.com/plain/demarremnant.html
• DeMar Gary. End Times Fiction: A Biblical Consideration of the Left Behind Theology, Nashville: Thomas Nelson Pubs, 2001.
• DeMar Gary. When All Else Fails, Use the “A” Word – Anti-Semitism! American Vision, DOA: May 2007. http://www.americanvision.org/articlearchive/05-31-05.asp
• Flesher LeeAnn Snow. Left Behind? The Facts Behind the Fiction, Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 2006.
• Gribben Crawford. Writing the Rapture: Prophecy Fiction in Evangelical America, New York: Oxford University Press, 2009.
• Haija Rammy M. “The Armagedon Lobby: Dispensationalist Christian Zionism and the Shaping of US Policy Towards Israel-Palestine”, Holy Land Studies: A Multidisciplinary Journal 5(1) 2006: pp. 75-95. DOA: July 2007. http://muse.jhu.edu/demo/holy_land_studies/ v005/5.1haija.html
• Johns Loren L. “Conceiving Violence: The Apocalypse of John and the Left Behind Series”, Direction Journal Fall 2005, Vol. 34 No. 2, pp. 194-214. DOA: February 2012. http://www. directionjournal.org/article/?1400
• Kirkpatrick David D. “Christian Right Labors to Find ‘08 Candidate”, New York Times, February 24, 2007.
• Kirkpatrick David D. “The 2004 Campaign: The Conservatives: Club of the Most Powerful Gathers in Strictest Privacy”, New York Times, August 28, 2004.
• LaHaye Tim, Jenkins Jerry B. Are We Living in the End Times? Current Events Foretold in Scripture… And What They Mean, Wheaton IL: Tyndale 1999.
• Lampman Jane. “Apocalyptic – and atop the bestseller lists. Author Tim LaHaye takes on the fi nal battle between good and evil”, Christian Science Monitor. DOA: February 2012. http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0829/p14s01-lire.html/%28page%29/2
• Leung Rebecca. “Rise Of The Righteous Army”, CBN News 5 December 2007. DOA: February 2012. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/02/05/60minutes/main598218.shtml
• Marsden George M. Religion and American Culture, Orlando: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1990.
• Marsden George M. “Fundamentalism and American Evangelicalism”, [in:] Dayton D.W., Johnston R. K. (ed.), The Variety of American Evangelicalism, Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press, 1991.
• Napierała Paulina. “Defending Religious and National Identities. A Comparative Study between Polish and American Religious Right Movements” [in:] Borowik I., Zawiła M. (ed.) Religions and Identities in Transition, Krakow: Nomos, 2010, pp. 131-148.
• Napierała Paulina. „Amerykańska prawica religijna oraz rola Christian Coalition w jej rozbudowie i aktywizacji”, Politeja Pismo Studiów Międzynarodowych i Politycznych Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, Nr 1 (7), Kraków 2007, pp. 419-447;
• Napierała Paulina. “Christian Zionism and Its Infl uence on American Foreign Policy” [in:] Mania A., Laidler P., Wordliczek Ł. (eds.) U.S. Foreign Policy: Theory, Mechanisms and Practice. Kraków: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego, 2007, pp. 539-548.
• Olson Carl E. “No Rapture for Rome. The Anti-Catholics behind the Best-selling Left Behind Books”, DOA: February 2012. http://archive.catholic.com/thisrock/2000/0011fea2.asp
• Religion News Service, June 26, 2003.
• Rossing Barbara. The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation, New York: Basic Books, 2004.
• Standaert Michael. Skipping Towards Armageddon: The Politics and Propaganda of the Left Behind Novels and the LaHaye Empire, New York: Soft Skull Press, 2006.
• Tołwiński Jan. Kształtowanie się poglądów amerykańskiego fundamentalizmu protestanckiego od I wojny światowej, Warszawa: Fundacja Chrześcijańskiej Kultury i Oświaty, 2000.
• Urban Hugh B. America, Left Behind. Bush, the Neoconservatives, and Evangelical Christian Fiction. DOA: May 2007. http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/2006/2006-2.html
• Utter Glenn H., Storey John W. The Religious Right: a reference handbook, Santa Barbara: ABCCLIO, 1995.
• Vlach Michael J. What is Dispensationalism?. Theological Studies, DOA: May 2007. http://www. theologicalstudies.org/dispen.html
• Wagner Donald. “Christian Zionists, Israel and The “Second Coming”, Daily Star September 10, 2003. DOA: July 2007. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article4930.htm
• Wald Kenneth D. Religion and Politics in the United States, Lanham: Rowman and Littlefi eld Publishers, 2003.
• Watson Justin. Christian Coalition. Dreams of Restoration, Demand for Recognition, Bloomsburg, PA, 1999.
• Wuthnow Robert. The Restructuring of American Religion, p. 205. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1988.
• Włoch Wojciech, “Dyspensacjonalizm” [in:] Gadacz T., Milerski B. (eds.) Religia. Encyklopedia PWN, Warszawa: PWN, 2001-2004.
• Zunes Stephen. “The Infl uence of Christian Right on U.S. Middle East Policy”, Foreign Policy in Focus 2004. DOA: July 13, 2007. http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/560.