ABSTRACT
To understand the authoritarian populist religious right, it is crucial to complement the historical excavation of how and why such movements grew. While the historical roots I traced out in Chapter 4 are important, we also have to look at the world through their eyes now. Before I begin, however, it is important to remember that strong religious convictions can go in many directions, including progressive ones. An example of the latter would be such things as base-community movements throughout Latin America and elsewhere. 1 Therefore, we need to realize that such convictions need not inexorably lead to conservative positions. At times, organizations form around considerably more progressive social and political issues. Indeed, some bear a striking resemblance to liberation theology in its taking up of concerns about social justice, poverty, racial segregation, and so on. However, the dominant tendencies of religious activism (at least those that get the most attention in the media), especially in the United States, move in conservative directions for reasons of theology, social position, temperament, and as we just saw, history.
