2016-06-30
Reprinted from the September 6, 1999 issue of Christianity Today.

A storm is brewing in the land of the Religious Right. We heard a thunderclap in February 1999 when Paul Weyrich, the man who coined the phrase Moral Majority, wrote a letter to his constituents. He claimed that "we probably have lost the culture war" and that "we need some sort of quarantine." His sentiments reverberated in Blinded by Might, a book written by two former Moral Majority staffers, Ed Dobson and Cal Thomas. To be sure, not everyone in the land responded happily to these rain clouds.

Though it was an intramural dispute among Christians of a politically conservative bent, it was soon picked up by media outlets such as 60 Minutes and The New York Times. At the surface, the squabble centered on the question: Should Christians give up on the Religious Right? But its roots sprang from an issue that Christians since the time of the apostles have had to face: What is the proper relationship between politics, culture, the church, and one's faith and social responsibility?

In this package, key leaders in conservative Christian politics respond to the question of giving up on the Religious Right. Paul Weyrich, James Dobson, Cal Thomas, Ralph Reed, and Jerry Falwell let us in on their discussion. Political veteran Charles Colson offers some closing commentary. While less politically conservative evangelicals may not identify with the Religious Right, the thinkers and movers included here do everyone a favor by openly grappling with what it means to be in the world but not of it.

Paul Weyrich: The Moral Minority

Cal Thomas: Have We Settled for Caesar?

Ralph Reed: We Can't Stop Now

The Reverend Jerry Falwell: I'd Do It All Again

Dr. James Dobson: The New Cost of Discipleship

Charles Colson: What's Right About the Religious Right

more from beliefnet and our partners
Close Ad