The Christian right in American politics, and support for Israel

Abstract

The Christian right in America, with a major constituency of conservative evangelicals, many of whom are strong supporters of Israel, reached a zenith of public influence in the Reagan era. In the last decade, however, many political analysts and commentators have dismissed the Christian right as lacking influence in politics in the United States. Some have gone further, arguing that the Christian right is a spent force and no longer relevant to the political process. In the light of those arguments, the core aim of this research has been to determine whether or not the Christian right is still influential in American politics. A second major aim has been to determine the Christian right’s attitudes to, and influence toward, U.S. foreign policy on Israel. The activities, strategies and position of the Christian right in American politics have been researched, including three case studies: an in-depth analysis of Pastor Hagee’s 2.2 million-strong Christians United for Israel (CUFI); the Tea Party movement, which has a strong evangelical component; and a largely unnoticed but potentially powerful campaign to train Christian leaders and elect more Christians to Congress and state legislatures. Many Americans would be surprised to learn that the latter includes Christian political training camps for high school students. With access to some of the most influential Christian right leaders in America today, together with interviews with distinguished political scientists, this research shows that far from being a spent force, the Christian right’s influence on American politics is strengthening. Their concomitant policy demands relating to Israel are biblically based and as a result are largely inflexible, representing an impediment to a just and equitable solution to the Israeli/Palestinian peace process.