ABSTRACT
Perhaps no movement in contemporary US politics is more misunderstood than the Christian Right. Interpretations of this movement vary dramatically. Defenders of the movement see it as an important voice in US politics trying to restore moral order to an increasingly secular society that tolerates behavior that would have been unthinkable a generation ago. Opponents see the Christian Right as an intolerant group that wants to make everyone else live by its own narrow moral code. Defenders see the movement as a counterpoint to the dominant liberal creed promoted by the mainstream media, higher education, public schools, and Hollywood. Opponents perceive the Christian Right as firmly in control of the Republican Party and at the center of policy decisions when the party has controlled either Congress or the White House. 1
