The Democratic Virtues of the Christian Right
eBook - PDF

The Democratic Virtues of the Christian Right

  1. 216 pages
  2. English
  3. PDF
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

The Democratic Virtues of the Christian Right

About this book

The Christian Right is frequently accused of threatening democratic values. But in The Democratic Virtues of the Christian Right, Jon Shields argues that religious conservatives have in fact dramatically increased and improved democratic participation and that they are far more civil and reasonable than is commonly believed.


Shields interviewed leaders of more than thirty Christian Right organizations, observed movement activists in six American cities, and analyzed a wide variety of survey data and movement media. His conclusions are surprising: the Christian Right has reinvigorated American politics and fulfilled New Left ideals by mobilizing a previously alienated group and by refocusing politics on the contentious ideological and moral questions that motivate citizens. Shields also finds that, largely for pragmatic reasons, the vast majority of Christian Right leaders encourage their followers to embrace deliberative norms in the public square, including civility and secular reasoning.


At the same time, Shields highlights a tension between participatory and deliberative ideals since Christian Right leaders also nurture moral passions, prejudices, and dogmas to propel their movement. Nonetheless, the Christian Right's other democratic virtues help contain civic extremism, sharpen the thinking of activists, and raise the level and tenor of political debate for all Americans.

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Yes, you can access The Democratic Virtues of the Christian Right by Jon A. Shields in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Theology & Religion & Political History & Theory. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Contents
  2. List of Tables and Figures
  3. Acknowledgments
  4. INTRODUCTION
  5. CHAPTER ONE: Democratic Education in the Christian Right
  6. CHAPTER TWO: Christian Radicalism
  7. CHAPTER THREE: The Varieties of Pro-Life Activism
  8. CHAPTER FOUR: Deliberation and Abortion Politics
  9. CHAPTER FIVE: Reviving Participatory Democracy
  10. CHAPTER SIX: Participation, Deliberation, and Values Voters
  11. Notes
  12. Index