Skip to Main Content

The Truth about Conservative Christians: What They Think and What They Believe

Online ISBN:
9780226306759
Print ISBN:
9780226306629
Publisher:
University of Chicago Press
Book

The Truth about Conservative Christians: What They Think and What They Believe

Published online:
21 March 2013
Published in print:
1 October 2006
Online ISBN:
9780226306759
Print ISBN:
9780226306629
Publisher:
University of Chicago Press

Abstract

Ever since the reelection of President Bush, Conservative Christians have been stereotyped in the popular media: Bible-thumping militants and anti-intellectual zealots determined to impose their convictions on such matters as evolution, school prayer, pornography, abortion, and homosexuality on the rest of us. But Conservative Christians are not as fanatical or intractable as many people think, nor are they necessarily the monolithic voting block or political base that kept Bush in power. This book conveys the complexity, variety, and sensibilities of Conservative Christians, dispelling the myths that have long shrouded them in prejudice and political bias. For starters, the authors reveal that class and income have trumped moral issues for these Americans more often than we realize: a dramatic majority of working-class and lower-class Conservative Christians backed liberals such as Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton during their runs for president. And when it comes to abortion, most Conservative Christians are not consistently pro-life in the absolute fashion usually assumed: they are still more likely to oppose the practice than other Americans, but 86 percent of them are willing to tolerate it to protect the health of the mother or when the woman has been raped, and 22 percent of them are even pro-choice.

Contents
Close
This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only

Sign In or Create an Account

Close

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

View Article Abstract & Purchase Options

For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription.

Close