2008 Woodie Awards
RSSReligious activism effects politics, professor says
By Becca Raphael
Issue date: 10/23/07 Section: News
To explain the rise in political activism amongst evangelicals, Professor Randall Balmer of Barnard College spoke at Linderman Library Tuesday on his book "Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and Threatens America."
Balmer, a professor of American religious history, is a widely published author and scholar who was raised as a devout evangelical Christian.
Balmer spoke on the evolution of evangelical activism within the American political system. While the religious group has a history of being apathetic, issues such as the Scopes trial of 1925 and the Roe v. Wade verdict against the banning of abortions sparked a push to action.
According to Balmer, these issues were not the main reason for the rise in political activism amongst the evangelicals. The most important political concern, which began the development of the reputation of evangelicals in politics, was the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
In a court case dealing with the Internal Revenue Service, schools and universities that engaged in racial discrimination were no longer eligible for tax exemptions. This included Bob Jones University of Greenville, S.C., where interracial dating was forbidden.
According to evangelicals, the government should not be able to insist on how something should be run, especially when there are consequences involved. As a result, they supported Bob Jones University when it decided to sue in order to retain its tax exemptions.
"The case caught the attention of evangelical leaders," Balmer said. "They chose to interpret the IRS ruling as an assault on evangelical subculture."
With a base of political activism, evangelicals continued to make themselves a strong presence in government affairs throughout the coming decades. They have made themselves activists for pressing issues such as women's rights. Evangelicals believe if there are strong women within their religious group, then there are strong women in the rest of the country who should have a role in its leadership, Balmer said.
Balmer, a professor of American religious history, is a widely published author and scholar who was raised as a devout evangelical Christian.
Balmer spoke on the evolution of evangelical activism within the American political system. While the religious group has a history of being apathetic, issues such as the Scopes trial of 1925 and the Roe v. Wade verdict against the banning of abortions sparked a push to action.
According to Balmer, these issues were not the main reason for the rise in political activism amongst the evangelicals. The most important political concern, which began the development of the reputation of evangelicals in politics, was the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
In a court case dealing with the Internal Revenue Service, schools and universities that engaged in racial discrimination were no longer eligible for tax exemptions. This included Bob Jones University of Greenville, S.C., where interracial dating was forbidden.
According to evangelicals, the government should not be able to insist on how something should be run, especially when there are consequences involved. As a result, they supported Bob Jones University when it decided to sue in order to retain its tax exemptions.
"The case caught the attention of evangelical leaders," Balmer said. "They chose to interpret the IRS ruling as an assault on evangelical subculture."
With a base of political activism, evangelicals continued to make themselves a strong presence in government affairs throughout the coming decades. They have made themselves activists for pressing issues such as women's rights. Evangelicals believe if there are strong women within their religious group, then there are strong women in the rest of the country who should have a role in its leadership, Balmer said.
