Disciples and Democracy: Religious Conservatives and the Future of American Politics

'Disciples and Democracy goes far beyond the question of religion and politics. This profound book is a serious and significant exploration of the intersection of rights, responsibility, community, and tolerance, conducted in a fashion that illuminates the discussion and enlightened the reader.'Thomas Byren Edsall

Reflecting their origins as conference programs, this little collection's three parts each contain a long paper, a couple of formal responses, and remarks from open discussion. In the first part, "What Do Religious Conservatives Really Want?" the Christian Coalition's executive director answers the question by presenting his organization's agenda, which turns out to be remarkably congruous with regular, nonlibertarian conservativism. The second part's consideration of social issues and the 1992 election depends on analysis of survey data concerning the 1992 electorate and comes to the unusual conclusion that cultural factors affect voting behavior more than economic ones. In the third part, George Weigel's paper on how to express Christian political concerns in the secular public arena is rather thick, but in response both unsuccessful Christian candidate Mike Farris and Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Conference are pragmatically and theologically cogent. As an afterword, sympathetic Democrat Fred Barnes discusses not just why the religious right is not a threat but "Why the Nation Needs the Religious Right." Fine public affairs reading. Ray Olson