McChurch - The Christian Rights and Congress

The Christian Rights and Congress

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Religion, Politics, and the Christian Right: Post-9/11 Powers in American Empire (Facets) Princeton theologian Mark Taylor analyzes right-wing Christian movements in the United States amid the powers of religion, politics, empire, and corporate classes in post-9/11 USA.

The real gift of Taylor's book is his argument that this militant Christian faith must be viewed against a backdrop of the American political romanticism and corporatist liberalism of U.S. past and present. Taylor uses the best of cultural and historical studies, while deftly drawing lessons for American readers from theologian Paul Tillich's analysis of power and religion during the rise of fascism and nationalism in Germany of the 1930s.

The result is an innovative framework for interpreting how Christian nationalists, Pentagon war planners and corporate institutions today are forging alliances in the U.S. that have dramatic and destructive global impact. Moving beyond lament, Taylor also leaves readers with a new romance of revolutionary traditions and a new more radical liberalism, revitalizing American visions of spirit that are both prophetic and public for U.S. residents today.
Customer Review: Recommend To Those Who Want To Resurrect Democracy
Prof. Taylor, a Christian Professor of Theology & Culture at the Princeton Theological Seminary, provides a scholarly analysis of the forces eroding our democracy both before and after 9/11. He provides a lot of insight into the dangerous and formidable combined alliance of neoconservatives, Christian right, and the corporate elite. These forces are tearing our democracy to shreds and forming a plutocracy in its place, perhaps even a theocratic plutocracy. The horrible events of 9/11 and the fear reaction that it has caused created fertile ground for their policies to be implemented. The recent eye opener for me is that those policies were in the wings before 9/11 ever happened. Thus, 9/11 is merely the enabling event. The news is not good for minorities, middle and lower classes, or those who treasure their religious and personal freedoms.

I think this book might resonate particularly with Christians who value religious freedoms for all peoples and democracy. This is not to say non-Christians and secular readers should shy away. The book was directed to a general audience and does so admirably. In fact, one of the things I liked about the book was the way Prof. Taylor's faith was there in the background but the message was always for everyone. This problem affects us all and part of the problem has been the sense of polarization occurring in our country. There is a brief epilogue directed specifically to Christian practice in countering Imperialism.

While the author does give the reader some direction for keeping democracy alive, I'm afraid the book didn't leave me with great hope or optimism for turning things around any time soon. I don't pose this as a criticism though as you can hardly blame the author for the mess we are in. Citizens becoming informed is part of the remedy and this book will definitely assist in that cause. Prof. Taylor does offer people cultivating "prophetic spirit" as part of the solution. This will entail people becoming impassioned enough over issues to bond together, to become activists, and take a stand. I think this will need to happen on large scales though to make a difference. Although Prof. Taylor mentions some encouraging actions and groups, I afraid that the large majority of citizens still have their heads in the sand. Corporate media and propaganda don't help either. People have to be motivated to really seek information from outside sources in order to understand what is happening.