With One Hand He Condems the Right to Damnation, with the Other to Eternal Life

Doing research on my master's thesis (which focuses on educational developments within American Protestantism, 1900-1930) has forced me to reconsider many of my previously held positions regarding the role of Protestantism (and religion more generally) in a democracy. While my thesis deals with the more sympathetic adherents of left-wing Protestant thought (the "Social Gospel") I've found it's not easy to simply lop this group off from their right-wing (Fundamentalist) bretheren, given that they both arise out of evangelical traditions.

It was with this history in mind that I grew rather shocked at my own reaction, recently, to seeing a big group of anti-abortion protesters from all over Wisconsin descend upon Madison. While I remain--fundamentally--opposed to their position, I was nonetheless, for the first time, struck by their activism and by the grassroots nature of their campaign. I found myself envious of their organization, though not in the traditional way that liberals formerly envied the right-- for its ideological cohesion, its loyal "base," and its slick use of framing issues. Instead, I was impressed by their committment to democracy and peaceful protest at a grassroots level.

I am reminded of this story now that I see that Princeton University Press has just published a book with a rather shocking title: The Democratic Virtues of the Christian Right. It's quite possible that my views here come from the background of a naive Jew who never really had to interact with any of these people--and if that's the case, let me know--but at least now I can be that naive Jew while citing political science!