ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the dilemma of the Christian Right. It explores the question of whether support for the Christian Right is rational. Many scholars in the 1950s argue that supporters exhibited pathological personalities or were deeply alienated from society, but more recent scholarship has challenged that view. The chapter poses two important questions: Does the Christian Right promote democratic participation, and does it promote democratic values. It considers the policies the Christian Right seeks to implement, using proclamations by movement elites, data from surveys, and in-depth interviews with movement activists. The chapter includes a discussion of the disagreements among Christian Right leaders and activists about precisely what policies to pursue in each area and an analysis of what the public thinks of those policy proposals. The Christian Right, like all social movements, is characterized by decentralization and has competing leaders and social movement organizations, each with somewhat different complaints and policy solutions.
