ABSTRACT
Contemporary evangelicals condemn the liberalism and secularization of American society, arguing that it issues a license of outrageous freedom to people of all persuasions. At the same time, they deplore the influence of “ big government,” arguing that it encroaches upon individual freedom. A politically and socially conservative movement, the New Religious Right wants to restore the common ground that once belonged to white, AngloSaxon, Protestants who professed a common core Christianity. Evangeli cals believe that this old core, replete with patriarchal and patriotic beliefs, was destroyed when it expanded to include the interests of other religious, racial, ethnic, and special interest groups.
