101-499: The Traditional Values Coalition ( TVC ) was an American conservative Christian organization. It was founded in 1980 at Anaheim California by Rev. Louis P. Sheldon to oppose LGBT rights . Sheldon's daughter, Andrea Sheldon Lafferty, was initially the executive director and presently (since 2011) serves as president. TVC was influential in the 1980s and 1990s in lobbying for government policy based in Christian fundamentalism . TVC
202-500: A Juris doctor degree in 1967. He served as a field representative for Ole Miss and was president of his fraternity, Sigma Nu . Lott was also an Ole Miss cheerleader, on the same team with future U.S. Senator Thad Cochran . At the time that Lott was president, the Sigma Nu fraternity house was raided by the troops from the 716th Battalion during the " Battle of Oxford ". They discovered a sizeable weapon cache. Regarding his education,
303-525: A "more aggressive" style of leadership and courted the younger Senate conservatives. Lott won by 44 votes to 8. As majority leader, Lott had a major role in the Senate trial following the impeachment of President Bill Clinton . After the House narrowly voted to impeach Clinton, Lott proceeded with the Senate trial in early 1999, despite criticisms that Republicans were far short of the two-thirds majority required under
404-644: A 2007 interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that after he mentioned the term "moral majority", Falwell "turned to his people and said, 'That's the name of our organization. ' " Weyrich would then engineer a strong union between the Republican Party and many culturally conservative Christians. Soon, Moral Majority became a general term for the conservative political activism of evangelists and fundamentalists such as Pat Robertson, James Robison , and Jerry Falwell. Howard Schweber, Professor at
505-429: A 70 percent margin in his congressional district, and was also helped by George H. W. Bush easily carrying the state in the presidential election. He never faced another contest nearly that close. He was re-elected in 1994, 2000, and 2006 with no substantive Democratic opposition. He gave some thought to retirement for much of 2005, however, after Hurricane Katrina , he announced on January 17, 2006, that he would run for
606-480: A Republican. Lott won handily, in large part due to Richard Nixon 's landslide victory in that year's presidential election . Nixon won the 5th district with an astonishing 87 percent of the vote; it was his strongest congressional district in the entire nation. Lott and his future Senate colleague, Thad Cochran (also elected to Congress that year), were only the second and third Republicans elected to Congress from Mississippi since Reconstruction ( Prentiss Walker
707-585: A Russian majority state-owned bank targeted with sanctions over the 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine . Lott was fired by Squire Patton Boggs in June 2020; no explanation was initially provided for his departure. The firm later said Lott was removed because of the anti-racism 2020 protests , though Lott was already in negotiations to leave the firm. Lott joined lobbying firm Crossroad Strategies; John Breaux joined shortly after leaving Squire Patton Boggs. Lott also served on
808-555: A constitutionally protected right in the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling was the driving force behind the rise of the Christian Right in the 1970s. Changing political context led to the Christian Right's advocacy for other issues, such as opposition to euthanasia and campaigning for abstinence-only sex education . Ralph Reed , the chairman of the Christian Coalition, stated that the 1988 presidential campaign of Pat Robertson
909-597: A fourth term. In 1989, on the 25th anniversary of the murder of the civil rights activists James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner , Lott and the rest of the Mississippi congressional delegation refused to vote for the non-binding resolution honoring the three men which nevertheless passed the Congress. He became Senate Majority Whip when the Republicans took control of the Senate in 1995. In June 1996, he ran for
1010-412: A history of Islamophobic statements. Because of this, SPLC classified TVC as a hate group beginning in 2008. The SPLC removed the designation in 2018 because the group appeared to be inactive or defunct. The TVC operated a subsidiary under the name of "Christian Seniors Association" under the leadership of James Lafferty, the husband of Andrea Sheldon Lafferty. It aims to be a conservative alternative to
1111-626: A major role in ending his career as Senate Republican Leader. Lott married Patricia Thompson on December 27, 1964. The couple has two children: Chester Trent "Chet" Lott Jr., and Tyler Lott. Lott is a Freemason , and holds the Grand Cross in the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States in the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite. In April 2007, Lott reached a confidential settlement with
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#17331046449021212-611: A powerful force for political Christianity today. The role of the media for the Religious right has been influential in its ability to connect Christian audiences to the larger American culture while at the same time bringing and keeping religion into play as both a political and a cultural force. The political agenda of the Christian right has been disseminated to the public through a variety of media outlets including radio broadcasting, television, and literature. Religious broadcasting began in
1313-421: A second term in Congress from the state since Reconstruction. They were among the few bright spots in a year that saw many Republicans turned out of office due to anger over Watergate. Lott was re-elected six more times without much difficulty, and even ran unopposed in 1978. However, conservative Democrats continued to hold most of the region's seats in the state legislature, as well as most local offices, well into
1414-600: A stretch of cotton field. Lott's mother, the former Iona Watson, was a schoolteacher. Lott's father was a philanderer with a drinking problem, and Lott frequently acted as a mediator when his mother threatened his father with divorce. When Lott was in the sixth grade, the family moved to Pascagoula , where Lott's father worked at a shipyard. Lott attended college at the University of Mississippi in Oxford , where he obtained an undergraduate degree in public administration in 1963 and
1515-530: A time period labeled the New Christian Right . While the platform also opposed abortion and leaned towards restricting taxpayer funding for abortions and passing a constitutional amendment which would restore protection of the right to life for unborn children, it also accepted the fact that many Americans, including fellow Republicans, were divided on the issue. Since about 1980, the Christian right has been associated with several institutions including
1616-487: A wait of only one year. In an interview regarding his resignation, Lott said that the new law "didn't have a big role" in his decision to resign. Lott's resignation became effective at 11:30 p.m. on December 18, 2007. On January 7, 2008, it was announced that Lott and former Senator John Breaux of Louisiana , a Democrat, opened their lobbying firm about a block from the White House. In January 2008, he co-founded
1717-557: Is a sin , Lott simply replied, "Yes, it is." Lott's stance against homosexuality was disconcerting to liberal Democratic Party elected officials and the Human Rights Campaign Fund , an advocacy group for gay rights. According to the Anti-Defamation League , Lott was a frequent speaker at the white supremacist group Council of Conservative Citizens . Although he denied knowing of the group's intentions, it
1818-533: Is also a co-chair of BPC's Energy Project. In June 2020 Lott was fired from the Washington law and lobbying firm Squire Patton Boggs while negotiating to join another firm. Days later on June 15, 2020, Lott joined Crossroads Strategies along with his longtime colleague John Breaux . Lott was born in Grenada, Mississippi , and lived his early years in nearby Duck Hill , where his father, Chester Paul Lott, sharecropped
1919-511: Is also known as the New Christian Right (NCR) or the Religious Right , although some consider the religious right to be "a slightly broader category than Christian Right". John C. Green of the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life states that Jerry Falwell used the label religious right to describe himself. Gary Schneeberger, vice president of media and public relations for Focus on
2020-713: Is an American lobbyist, lawyer, author, and politician who represented Mississippi in the United States House of Representatives from 1973 to 1989 and in the United States Senate from 1989 to 2007. Lott served in numerous leadership positions in both chambers of Congress as one of the first of a wave of Republicans winning seats in Southern states that had been solidly Democratic . Later in his career, he served twice as Senate Majority Leader , and also, alternately, Senate Minority Leader . In 2003, he stepped down from
2121-481: Is not a liberal or a conservative value. It's an American value that I would think that we pretty much all agree on." The TVC suggested that homosexuals posed a threat of child molestation; claiming they "have long sought unrestricted access to children for recruitment purposes" and are more willing than others on the right to use the word sodomy in reference to gay men. Historically, the group at one time called for "cities of refuge" to keep AIDS patients from infecting
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#17331046449022222-552: Is regarded as the originator of the process. Members of and organizations associated with the Christian right, such as the Discovery Institute , created and popularized the modern concept of intelligent design, which became widely known only with the publication of the book Of Pandas and People in 1989. The Discovery Institute, through their intelligent design initiative called the Center for Science and Culture , has endorsed
2323-473: Is warier of the political spectrum and much of the resources of his group are devoted to other aims such as media. However, as a private citizen, Dobson has stated his opinion on presidential elections; on February 5, 2008, Dobson issued a statement regarding the 2008 presidential election and his strong disappointment with the Republican party's candidates. In an essay written in 1996, Ralph Reed argued against
2424-594: The Congressional Record from 1999 quotes Senator Lott declaring: "I am a product of public education from the first grade through the second, third, and fourth grades where I went to school at Duck Hill, Mississippi, and I had better teachers in the second, third, and fourth grades in Duck Hill, Mississippi, than I had the rest of my life." While an undergraduate at the University of Mississippi, Lott participated in
2525-618: The AARP . It attracted some attention for distributing financial appeals that are designed to be confused with census material. Louis Sheldon was an associate of Jack Abramoff , the Republican lobbyist jailed for influence peddling . Despite the group's stated opposition to gambling, Sheldon lobbied members of the US Congress to kill the Internet Gambling Prohibition Act . Abramoff directed his client, eLottery, to pay $ 25,000 to
2626-515: The Bruderhof Communities , Schwarzenau Brethren , River Brethren and Apostolic Christians ) are theologically, socially, and culturally conservative; however, there are no overtly political organizations associated with these Christian denominations , which are usually uninvolved, uninterested, apathetic, or indifferent towards politics. Evangelical theologian and pastor Tim Keller stated that conservative Christianity (theology) predates
2727-633: The Christian Coalition of America has used the Internet to inform the public, as well as to sell merchandise and gather members. The Christian right strongly advocates for a system of educational choice, using a system of school vouchers , instead of public education. Vouchers would be government funded and could be redeemed for "a specified maximum sum per child per years if spent on approved educational services". This method would allow parents to determine which school their child attends while relieving
2828-609: The Civil Rights Movement and later, the Civil Rights Act as illegally overturning the separation of powers under the United States Constitution and called for the preservation of racial segregation . The Washington Post reported that Lott had made similar comments about Thurmond's candidacy in a 1980 rally. Lott gave an interview to BET explaining himself and repudiating Thurmond's former views. In
2929-564: The Constitution to convict Clinton and remove him from office. Lott generally pursued a conservative position in politics and was a noted social conservative . For instance, in 1998, Lott caused some controversy in Congress when as a guest on the Armstrong Williams television show, he equated homosexuality with alcoholism , kleptomania and sex addiction . When Williams, a conservative talk show host, asked Lott whether homosexuality
3030-774: The Moral Majority , the Christian Coalition , Focus on the Family , the Alliance Defending Freedom the Family Research Council and the American Center for Law & Justice . While the influence of the Christian right is typically traced to the 1980 Presidential election, Daniel K. Williams argues in God's Own Party that it had actually been involved in politics for most of the twentieth century. He also notes that
3131-733: The Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act to lift restrictions on federal funding for the research. On November 15, 2006, Lott regained a leadership position in the Senate, when he was named Minority Whip after defeating Lamar Alexander of Tennessee 25–24. Senator John E. Sununu (R) of New Hampshire said, after Lott's election as Senate Minority Whip, "He understands the rules. He's a strong negotiator." Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R) said he's "the smartest legislative politician I've ever met." Lott faced no Republican opposition in his primary race. State representative Erik R. Fleming placed first of four candidates in
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3232-530: The United States Congress in the 1990s. Andrea Lafferty worked closely with her father at TVC from the late 1980s to the mid 2010s, becoming executive director by the year 2000 and gaining influence during the George W. Bush White House years from 2001 to 2008. Andrea Lafferty became president of the organization in 2011. The organization was struggling to maintain relevance by the mid 2010s. In March 2018,
3333-529: The moral absolutist tone of Christian right leaders, arguing for the Republican Party Platform to stress the moral dimension of abortion rather than placing emphasis on overturning Roe v. Wade. Reed believes that pragmatism is the best way to advocate for the Christian right. Overtly partisan actions by churches could threaten their 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status due to the Johnson Amendment of
3434-747: The religious right , are Christian political factions characterized by their strong support of socially conservative and traditionalist policies. Christian conservatives seek to influence politics and public policy with their interpretation of the teachings of Christianity . In the United States, the Christian right is an informal coalition which was formed around a core of conservative Evangelical Protestants and conservative Roman Catholics . The Christian right draws additional support from politically conservative mainline Protestants , Orthodox Jews , and Mormons . The movement in American politics became dominant in American conservatism starting in
3535-458: The state atheism espoused by communist countries, secularization came to be seen by many Americans as the biggest threat to American and Christian values, and by the 1980s Catholic bishops and evangelicals had begun to work together on issues such as abortion. The alienation of Southern Democrats from the Democratic Party contributed to the rise of the right, as the counterculture of
3636-484: The teach the controversy approach . According to its proponents, such an approach would ensure that both the strengths and weaknesses of evolutionary theory were discussed in the curriculum. This tactic was criticized by Judge John E. Jones III in Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District , describing it as "at best disingenuous, and at worst a canard." Trent Lott Chester Trent Lott Sr. (born October 9, 1941)
3737-572: The "kinderguardians program" which supported training toddlers with firearms. Lott appeared not to know it was a hoax. Lott has been named an Honorary Patron of the University Philosophical Society , Trinity College, Dublin . Lott is on the Board of Selectors of Jefferson Awards for Public Service . Lott's memoir, entitled Herding Cats: A Life in Politics , was published in 2005. In
3838-502: The 1920s through the radio. Between the 1950s and 1980s, TV became a powerful way for the Christian right to influence the public through shows such as Pat Robertson's The 700 Club and The Family Channel (now Freeform ). The Internet has also helped the Christian right reach a much larger audience. These organizations' websites play a strong role in popularising the Christian right's stances on cultural and political issues, and inform interested viewers on how to get involved. For example,
3939-494: The 1960s provoked fear of social disintegration . In addition, as the Democratic Party became identified with a pro-abortion rights position and with nontraditional societal values, social conservatives joined the Republican Party in increasing numbers. In 1976, U.S. President Jimmy Carter received the support of the Christian right largely because of his much-acclaimed religious conversion. However, Carter's spiritual transformation did not compensate for his liberal policies in
4040-672: The 1993 March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation as "perverted". It contrasted the march unfavorably with the Civil Rights era March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom as an attempt drive a wedge between the LGBT and Black communities. The video was distributed widely to churches in America, in particular to African-American churches. The video features Senator Trent Lott and William J. Bennett making anti-gay statements. Media scholars Linda Kintz and Julia Lesage describe
4141-538: The 2000s. In 1980 , he served as Ronald Reagan 's Mississippi state chairman. He served as House Minority Whip (the second-ranking Republican in the House) from 1981 to 1989; he was the first Southern Republican to hold such a high leadership position. Lott ran for the Senate in 1988, after 42-year incumbent John Stennis announced he would not run for another term. He defeated Democratic 4th District Congressman Wayne Dowdy by almost eight points. Lott won by running up
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4242-472: The Breaux-Lott Leadership Group, a "strategic advice, consulting, and lobbying" firm together with former Louisiana Senator John Breaux . The firm was later acquired by law and lobbying firm Patton Boggs , now Squire Patton Boggs following the June 2014 merger with Squire Sanders . In September 2014, lobbyist filings revealed that Lott was contracted to advocate on behalf of Gazprombank ,
4343-574: The Christian right (politics). Keller asserted that being a theological conservative does not require a person to be a political conservative, and that some political progressive views around economics, helping the poor, the redistribution of wealth , and racial diversity are compatible with theologically conservative Christianity. Conservative writer Rod Dreher has stated that a Christian can be theologically conservative while still holding left-wing economic views or even socialist views . In 1863, representatives from eleven Christian denominations in
4444-572: The Christian right had previously been in alliance with the Republican Party in the 1940s through 1960s on matters such as opposition to communism and defending "a Protestant-based moral order". Similarly, scholar Celestini Carmen traces the John Birch Society (JBS)'s focus on culture war issues and rhetoric of apocalypticism , conspiratorialism , and fear to the rise of the Christian right through JBS members and Christian right activists Tim LaHaye , Phyllis Schlafly , and others. In light of
4545-535: The Christian right supported the aims of the temperance movement . Since the late 1970s, the Christian right has been a notable force in both the Republican Party and American politics when Baptist pastor Jerry Falwell and other Christian leaders began to urge conservative Christians to involve themselves in the political process. President Jimmy Carter's backing of the Equal Rights Amendment led to
4646-486: The Christian right's power within the American political system is attributed to their extraordinary turnout rate at the polls. The voters that coexist in the Christian right are also highly motivated and driven to get out a viewpoint on issues they care about. As well as high voter turnout, they can be counted on to attend political events, knock on doors and distribute literature. Members of the Christian right are willing to do
4747-504: The Democrats, allowing them to regain the majority. He was due to become majority leader again in early 2003 after Republican gains in the November 2002 elections . Lott spoke on December 5, 2002, at the 100th birthday party of Senator Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, a retiring Republican senator who had switched parties from the Democrats decades earlier. Thurmond had run for President of
4848-607: The EADS North America (now known as Airbus ) board of directors. On February 14, 2009, The New York Times reported the indictment of Judge Bobby DeLaughter for taking bribes from Richard Scruggs , Lott's brother-in-law. Scruggs represented Lott in litigation against State Farm Insurance company after the insurer refused to pay claims for the loss of his Mississippi home in Hurricane Katrina . According to The New York Times, federal prosecutors have said that Lott
4949-454: The Family , states that "[t]erms like 'religious right' have been traditionally used in a pejorative way to suggest extremism. The phrase 'socially conservative evangelicals' is not very exciting, but that's certainly the way to do it." Evangelical leaders like Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council have called attention to the problem of equating the term Christian right with Evangelical Protestants . Although evangelicals constitute
5050-625: The Internal Revenue Code. In one notable example, the former pastor of the East Waynesville Baptist Church in Waynesville, North Carolina "told the congregation that anyone who planned to vote for Democratic Sen. John Kerry should either leave the church or repent ". The church later expelled nine members who had voted for Kerry and refused to repent, which led to criticism on the national level. The pastor resigned and
5151-506: The June Democratic primary, but did not receive the 50 percent of the vote required to earn the party's nomination. Fleming and the second-place finisher, business consultant Bill Bowlin, faced off in a runoff on June 27, which Fleming won with 65% of the vote. Fleming criticized Lott for not doing enough to alleviate poverty in "the poorest state in the nation." Fleming's bid was viewed as a longshot, and Lott handily defeated him with 64% of
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#17331046449025252-576: The LA School District into the 1990s, but gradually expanded into a national organization with a Washington, D.C. headquarters. TVC created a video called Gay Rights/Special Rights in 1993. The widely-distributed video was a powerful tool in the anti-gay rights movement of the 1990s. In the 1990s TVC claimed to represent over 43,000 Christian churches in the United States. Sheldon and his daughter Lafferty met with president US George W. Bush on eight occasions. TVC exerted considerable influence in
5353-612: The SPLC noted that the organization is "a ghost of its former self, if it exists at all. Its website disappeared from the internet last year, and its phone line is disconnected". Lou Sheldon died in 2020. At the time of his death, Sheldon was suing the organization he founded, claiming that "TVC no longer functions as a legitimate lobby organization" but instead conducts fraudulent fundraising to benefit Andrea Lafferty and her husband. TVC maintained an office in Anaheim California where it
5454-613: The Senate Democrats for the remainder of his term. Thereafter, Lott again served as Senate Minority Leader. Following Republican gains in the 2002 midterm elections , Lott was slated to again become Majority Leader when the next Senate session began in January 2003. However, on 20 December 2002, after significant controversy following comments he made regarding Strom Thurmond 's presidential candidacy, Lott resigned as Senate Minority Leader. Though no longer in leadership, Lott remained in
5555-576: The Senate until resigning in 2007. Fellow Republican Roger Wicker won the 2008 special election to replace him. Lott became a lobbyist, co-founding the Breaux–Lott Leadership Group. The firm was later acquired by law and lobbying firm Patton Boggs . Lott serves as a Senior Fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), where he focuses on issues related to energy, national security, transportation and congressional reforms. Lott
5656-590: The State Farm insurance company after suing State Farm for fraud. Lott lost his Mississippi home due to Hurricane Katrina, and State Farm declined to pay an insurance claim after ruling the home had water damage. Trent Lott Academy in the Pascagoula School District is named after him. Lott is also the namesake of Trent Lott International Airport in Moss Point, Mississippi . The character of Lott Dod ,
5757-572: The TVC criticized for many years, likening it to a false flag operation. The gap between the TVC and other conservative groups was described by Winnie Stachelberg of the pro- LGBT Human Rights Campaign as follows: "They're out there every day supporting discrimination against gay people on nearly every issue, and you don't see that so much from other groups." The Coalition took this as a compliment. By comparison, Jerry Falwell stated in his later years, "Civil rights for all Americans...gay, straight, et cetera,
5858-570: The Traditional Values Coalition. The group has also been linked to the Mariana Islands worker abuse scandal , as it was used by Abramoff to pay for the trip of Representative Bob Schaffer to visit the island. The Denver Post reported that the TVC paid the $ 13,000 travel bill for the trip organized by Abramoff's lobbying firm. Abramoff's lobbying team would prepare questions and "factual backup" for friendly lawmakers. Trips to
5959-407: The U.S. Senate to replace another retiree, John C. Stennis . After Republicans took the majority in the Senate, Lott became Senate Majority Whip in 1995 and then Senate Majority Leader in 1996, upon the resignation of presidential nominee Bob Dole of Kansas. Following GOP losses in the 2000 Senate races that resulted in a 50–50 split, Lott briefly became Senate Minority Leader, as Democrat Al Gore
6060-460: The United States in 1948 on the Dixiecrat (or States' Rights Democratic) ticket. Lott said: "When Strom Thurmond ran for president, we voted for him. We're proud of it. And if the rest of the country had followed our lead, we wouldn't have had all these problems over the years, either." As a senator and presidential candidate, Thurmond maintained an explicit States' Rights platform that challenged
6161-533: The United States organized the National Reform Association . The organization's goal was to amend the U.S. Constitution to make the country a Christian state . The National Reform Association is one of the first organizations through which adherents from several Christian denominations worked together in an attempt to enshrine Christianity in American government. The Christian Civic League of Maine , founded in 1897, and other early organizations of
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#17331046449026262-865: The University of Wisconsin-Madison, writes that "in the past two decades", "Catholic politicians have emerged as leading figures in the religious conservative movement." An early attempt to bring the Christian right into American politics began in 1974 when Robert Grant , a movement leader, who founded the American Christian Cause to advocate Christian ideological teachings in Southern California. Concerned that Christians overwhelmingly voted for President Jimmy Carter in 1976, Grant founded Christian Voice to rally Christian voters behind socially conservative candidates. Prior to his alliance with Falwell, Weyrich sought an alliance with Grant. Grant and other Christian Voice staff soon set up their main office at
6363-417: The articles came up for debate before the full House (as did the other Republicans who voted against impeachment in committee). Lott became very popular in his district, even though almost none of its living residents had been represented by a Republican before. As evidence, in November 1974, Lott won a second term in a blowout. Cochran was also reelected in a rout; he and Lott were the first Republicans to win
6464-450: The blessing of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York . Under the leadership of Reed and Robertson, the Coalition quickly became the most prominent voice in the conservative Christian movement, its influence culminating with an effort to support the election of a conservative Christian to the presidency in 1996 . In addition, they have encouraged the convergence of conservative Christian ideology with political issues, such as healthcare,
6565-546: The book, Lott spoke about the remark he made at the Strom Thurmond birthday party, former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, and his feelings of betrayal toward the Tennessee senator, claiming "If Frist had not announced exactly when he did, as the fire was about to burn out, I would still be majority leader of the Senate today." He also described former Democratic Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota as "trustworthy". He also revealed that President George W. Bush , then–Secretary of State Colin Powell , and other GOP leaders played
6666-441: The core constituency of the Christian right, not all evangelicals fit the description, and a number of Roman Catholics are also members of the Christian right's core base. The problem of description is further complicated by the fact that the label religious conservative or conservative Christian may apply to other religious groups as well. For instance, Anabaptist Christians (most notably Amish , Mennonites , Hutterites ,
6767-408: The decade. Lott served as administrative assistant to House Rules Committee chairman William M. Colmer , also of Pascagoula , from 1968 to 1972. In 1972, Colmer, one of the most conservative Democrats in the House, announced his retirement after 40 years in Congress. He endorsed Lott as his successor in Mississippi's 5th District , located in the state's southern tip, even though Lott ran as
6868-458: The development of the Christian right and the embrace of many evangelical conservatives to Republican Party candidates. In response to the rise of the Christian right, the 1980 Republican Party platform assumed a number of its positions, including adding support for a restoration of school prayer . The past two decades have been an important time in the political debates and in the same time frame religious citizens became more politically active in
6969-419: The disparate group of homeschooling families into a cohesive bloc. The number of homeschooling families has increased in the last twenty years, and around 80 percent of these families identify themselves as evangelicals. The main universities associated with the Christian right in the United States are: The media has played a major role in the rise of the Christian right since the 1920s and has continued to be
7070-421: The economic burden associated with private schools. The concept is popular among constituents of church-related schools, including those affiliated with Roman Catholicism. The Protestant members of the Christian right in the United States generally promote the teaching of creationism and intelligent design as opposed to, or alongside, biological evolution. Some supporters of the Christian right have opposed
7171-424: The economy, education and crime. Political activists lobbied within the Republican party locally and nationally to influence party platforms and nominations. More recently James Dobson's group Focus on the Family, based in Colorado Springs, and the Family Research Council in Washington D.C. have gained enormous respect from Republican lawmakers. While strongly advocating for these ideological matters, Dobson himself
7272-516: The effort at the 1964 national convention of the Sigma Nu fraternity to oppose a civil rights amendment proposed by the Dartmouth College and Duke University chapters to end mandatory racial exclusion by the fraternity. Lott sided with the segregationists who defeated the amendment. The Dartmouth chapter subsequently seceded from the fraternity, and Sigma Nu remained whites-only until later in
7373-496: The electoral work needed to see their candidate elected. Because of their high level of devotion, the Christian right does not need to monetarily compensate these people for their work. Led by Robert Grant advocacy group Christian Voice , Jerry Falwell's Moral Majority, Ed McAteer 's Religious Roundtable Council, James Dobson 's Focus on the Family , Paul Weyrich 's Free Congress Foundation and The Heritage Foundation , and Pat Robertson 's Christian Broadcasting Network ,
7474-625: The general population. Lafferty's response to a Gallup poll suggesting a tilt in public opinion towards gay rights was this: "Jesus didn't ask for a 'show of hands' at the Sermon on the Mount. We, His followers, should not ask America to vote on which of his teachings they choose to obey." The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) enumerated false statements made by TVC, including the claim that gay people travel door-to-door to steal American children and transform them into homosexuals. The SPLC also notes that TVC has
7575-641: The headquarters of Weyrich's Heritage Foundation. The alliance between Weyrich and Grant fell apart in 1978. In the late 1980s, Pat Robertson founded the Christian Coalition of America , building from his 1988 presidential run , with Republican activist Ralph Reed , who became the spokesman for the Coalition. In 1992, the national Christian Coalition, Inc., headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia, began producing voter guides, which it distributed to conservative Christian churches, both Protestant and Catholic, with
7676-732: The island for congressmen and staff would be a key tool to "build permanent friends", the memo said. The congressional junkets to the Mariana Islands were designed to build support in Congress among Republican lawmakers to block labor and immigration legislation for the islands, which had been found to harbor squalid working conditions and abusive labor practices. Christian right Defunct Newspapers Journals TV channels Websites Other Economics Gun rights Identity politics Nativist Religion Watchdog groups Youth/student groups Miscellaneous Other The Christian right , otherwise referred to as
7777-689: The late 1970s. The Christian right gained powerful influence within the Republican party during the presidency of Ronald Reagan in the United States in the 1980s. Its influence draws from grassroots activism as well as from focus on social issues and the ability to motivate the electorate around those issues. It is part of social conservatism in the United States . The Christian right has advanced socially conservative positions on issues such as creationism in public education , school prayer , temperance , Christian nationalism , Christian Zionism , and Sunday Sabbatarianism , as well as opposition to
7878-822: The minds of Christian conservatives; according to Jerry Falwell, "Americans have literally stood by and watched as godless, spineless leaders have brought our nation floundering to the brink of death." In 2016, Patricia Miller said that the "alliance between evangelical leaders and the Catholic bishops has been a cornerstone of the Christian Right for nearly twenty years". The Christian Right has engaged in battles over abortion, euthanasia , contraception , pornography , gambling, obscenity , Christian nationalism , Sunday Sabbatarianism (concerning Sunday blue laws ), state sanctioned prayer in public schools , textbook contents (concerning creationism ), homosexuality , and sexual education . The Supreme Court's decision to make abortion
7979-511: The new Religious Right combined conservative politics with evangelical and fundamentalist teachings. The birth of the New Christian right, however, is usually traced to a 1979 meeting where televangelist Jerry Falwell was urged to create a "Moral Majority" organization. In 1979, Weyrich was in a discussion with Falwell when he remarked that there was a "moral majority" of Americans ready to be called to political action. Weyrich later recalled in
8080-479: The organization maintained that "individuals may be free to pursue such behaviors as sodomy, but [that they] will not and cannot tolerate these behaviors." However, the TVC's stances against homosexuality and the LGBT rights movement were, comparatively, more confrontational than those of many groups with similar views. There were a number of smaller groups that take a harder line, most notably Westboro Baptist Church , which
8181-645: The ousted church members were allowed to return. The Alliance Defense Fund , a Christian right group now known as the Alliance Defending Freedom, started the Pulpit Freedom Initiative in 2008. ADF states that "[t]he goal of Pulpit Freedom Sunday is simple: have the Johnson Amendment declared unconstitutional – and once and for all remove the ability of the IRS to censor what a pastor says from
8282-491: The position after controversy due to his praising of Senator Strom Thurmond 's 1948 segregationist Dixiecrat presidential bid. From 1968 to 1972, Lott was an administrative assistant to Representative William M. Colmer of Mississippi, who was also the chairman of the House Rules Committee . Upon Colmer's retirement, Lott won Colmer's former seat in the House of Representatives. In 1988, Lott ran successfully for
8383-480: The post of Senate Majority Leader to succeed Republican Bob Dole , who had resigned from the Senate to concentrate on his presidential campaign . Lott faced his Mississippi colleague Thad Cochran , the then- Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference . Cochran cast himself as an "institutionalist" and who would help to rebuild public trust in Congress through compromise over conflict. Lott promised
8484-628: The president's choice." After losing the Majority Leader post, Lott was less visible on the national scene, although he did break with some standard conservative positions. He battled with Bush over military base closures in his home state. He showed support for passenger rail initiatives, notably his 2006 bipartisan introduction, with Sen. Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey , of legislation to provide 80 percent federal matching grants to intercity rail and guarantee adequate funding for Amtrak . On July 18, 2006, Lott voted with 19 Republican senators for
8585-400: The pulpit." Both Christian right and secular polling organizations sometimes conduct polls to determine which presidential candidates will receive the support of Christian right constituents. One such poll is taken at the Family Research Council 's Values Voter Summit. George W. Bush's electoral success owed much to his overwhelming support from white evangelical voters, who comprise 23% of
8686-401: The story "disappear[ed] from the mainstream press within forty-eight hours", "bloggers kept researching the story" until, "finally, the story broke back into the mainstream press." The New York Times , however, attributed his resignation to "ruthless maneuvering" by Karl Rove and George W. Bush to depose Lott, "a threat to the president’s agenda", and replace him with Frist, who had "long been
8787-433: The teaching of biological evolution , embryonic stem cell research , LGBT rights , comprehensive sex education , abortion , euthanasia , use of drugs , and pornography . Although the term Christian right is most commonly associated with politics in the United States, similar Christian conservative groups can be found in the political cultures of other Christian-majority countries . The Christian right
8888-600: The teaching of evolution in the past, but they did not have the ability to stop it being taught in public schools as was done during the Scopes Trial in Dayton, Tennessee , in which a science teacher went on trial for teaching about the subject of evolution in a public school. Other "Christian right organizations supported the teaching of creationism, along with evolution, in public schools", specifically promoting theistic evolution (also known as evolutionary creationism) in which God
8989-603: The video as a "titillating peepshow that conceals a battering ram" against gay rights, and consider it a follow-up to the 1992 video The Gay Agenda . In some ways, the aims of the group were those of a Christian right . It did not provide formal position statements but outlined the traditional values it was fighting for as follows: The group then explained in paragraphs titled "Discrimination and Tolerance" and "Love and Hate" how it aimed to deal with accusations that its activities were based on hatred of those not following similar beliefs. Without stating what action should be taken,
9090-473: The vote in November. On November 26, 2007, Lott announced that he would resign his Senate seat by the end of 2007. According to CNN , his resignation was at least partly due to the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act , which forbade lawmakers from lobbying for two years after leaving office. Those who left by the end of 2007 were covered by the previous law, which he cosponsored and which required
9191-489: The vote. In 2000 he received 68% of the white evangelical vote; in 2004 that percentage rose to 78%. In 2016, Donald Trump received 81% of the white evangelical vote. The Home School Legal Defense Association was co-founded in 1983 by Michael Farris , who would later establish Generation Joshua and Patrick Henry College , and Michael Smith. This organization attempts to challenge laws that serve as obstacles to allowing parents to home-school their children and to organize
9292-402: The wake of the controversy, Lott resigned as Senate Republican Leader on December 20, 2002, effective at the start of the next session, January 3, 2003. Bill Frist of Tennessee was later elected to the leadership position. In the book Free Culture , Lawrence Lessig argues that Lott's resignation would not have occurred had it not been for the effect of Internet blogs . He says that though
9393-510: Was designated an anti-gay hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), citing TVC's use of "known falsehoods—claims about LGBT people that have been thoroughly discredited by scientific authorities—and repeated, groundless name-calling." The SPLC reported that the Traditional Values Coalition may have effectively ceased to function as of 2018. It was still filing IRS forms as of 2019. Evangelical preacher Lou Sheldon
9494-408: Was founded. A Washington, D.C. office, run by Andrea Lafferty, provided lobbying access to the federal government. Barbara Sheldon was the chairwoman of TVC's Colorado branch. Sheldon complained that LGBT acceptance was "raising doubts in children's minds about religious prohibitions of homosexuality" and organized opposition to protecting Colorado school students from homophobic bullying. Cyndi Lamm
9595-508: Was induced by Scruggs to offer DeLaughter a federal judgeship in order to gain the judge's favor. In 2012, Lott testified in federal court that he never told DeLaughter that he would be recommended for a federal judgeship. For the 2016 presidential election, Lott served as a national co-chair for John Kasich , before shifting his support to Donald Trump's campaign once he became the nominee. In 2018 Sacha Baron Cohen 's television program Who Is America? premiered showing Lott supporting
9696-510: Was later revealed members of his family had CCC membership. After the 2000 elections produced a 50–50 partisan split in the Senate, Vice President Al Gore 's tie-breaking vote gave the Democrats the majority from January 3 to 20, 2001, when George W. Bush took office and Vice President Dick Cheney 's tie-breaking vote gave the Republicans the majority once again. Later in 2001, he became Senate Minority Leader again after Vermont senator Jim Jeffords became an independent and caucused with
9797-473: Was still Vice President and President of the Senate at the beginning of the new term on January 3, 2001. Seventeen days later, Lott was restored as Senate Majority Leader after Republicans regained control of the chamber upon the inauguration of the new vice president, Dick Cheney , on January 20. Lott was Senate Majority Leader until June 6, 2001, when Vermont Senator Jim Jeffords changed his party affiliation from Republican to Independent , and caucused with
9898-746: Was the 'political crucible' that led to the proliferation of Christian Right groups in the United States. Randall Balmer and other scholars on the other hand, have suggested that the New Christian Right Movement's rise was not centered around the issue of abortion, but rather Bob Jones University 's refusal to comply with the Supreme Court's 1971 Green v. Connally ruling that permitted the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to collect penalty taxes from private religious schools that violated federal laws regarding integration . Much of
9999-674: Was the California executive director of Anita Bryant 's 1977 anti-gay Save Our Children campaign. Sheldon started his own organization in the 1980s to carry on his anti-LGBT advocacy, initially named the American Liberties Institute, later the California Coalition for Traditional Values, and finally the Traditional Values Coalition. In 1984 TVC organized parents to oppose Project 10, a Los Angeles School District stay-in-school program for LGBT youth. TVC continued to battle
10100-597: Was the director of the Nebraska branch. Lamm moved away from California, to Nebraska, in 1988 because TVC was unsuccessful in opposing LGBT rights in Los Angeles Schools . She believed that giving children information about homosexuality could cause them to become gay, and so chose to raise her family elsewhere. The video Gay Rights/Special Rights: Inside the Homosexual Agenda made by TVC in 1993 attempted to depict
10201-479: Was the first in 1964). Lott's strong showing in the polls landed him on the powerful House Judiciary Committee as a freshman, where he voted against all three articles of impeachment drawn up against Nixon during the committee's debate. After Nixon released the infamous "smoking gun" transcripts (which proved Nixon's involvement in the Watergate cover-up), however, Lott announced that he would vote to impeach Nixon when
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