The Evangelicals: The Real Origins of the Religious Right, and Why It Matters

The Evangelicals: The Real Origins of the Religious Right, and Why It Matters Randall Balmer PhD'85, Princeton University John Phillips Professor in Religion, Dartmouth College 09/14/22 The Religious Right is flexing its powerful muscles these days; in the last few months alone they have gained the right to prayers at school, forced public funding for religious institutions, and repealed a half-century-old right to choice for women. The tradition of separation of church and state espoused by our founding fathers seems to be in deep jeopardy. How have we arrived at this predicament? One of the most durable myths in recent history is the fiction that the Religious Right galvanized as a political movement in response to the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Evangelicals, however, considered abortion a Catholic issue throughout the 1970s. Most evangelicals were silent when the Roe decision was handed down, and those who did comment actually applauded the ruling. The real origins of the Religious Right may surprise you. Prof. Randall Balmer, a world-renown authority on the subject explores the American Evangelical movement from the First Great Awakening till their last, and most ominous, reincarnation in the late 70s. Balmer discusses why the nature of their new rise to power should give all of us pause on what could be next. Time is allocated for Q&A.