Michael Ryan, is a professor of communication in the Jack J. Valenti School of Communication at the University of Houston. Les Switzer is a professor emeritus in communication and history at the University of Houston.
Writing so as to be accessible and of interest to a general
audience, Ryan (communication, U. of Houston) and Switzer
(emeritus, communication and history, U. of Houston) analyze the
role of Christian conservatism in American politics from the
emergence of Protestant conservatism at the beginning of the 20th
century through to the present. They explore how Protestant
conservatism merged with a larger conservative coalition that
achieved astonishing electoral success at all levels of American
government partly because of their ability to achieve a coalition
of political interests, partly because of an emerging consensus
about what constitutes the conservative mindset, and partly because
of conservative success in using their ownership and influence over
commercial and noncommercial media to disseminate their ideas and
attitudes. They also argue that the conservative coalition has been
fracturing in recent years and consider the impact that this might
have on the Christian conservative voice in American politics.
*Reference & Research Book News*
. . . comprehensive, fascinating account of the ebb and flow of
evangelical Christianity's influence on American political life. .
. . Their treatment of this important, potentially controversial
subject is appealingly balanced; the authors hand out both praise
and criticism of Christian conservatives' political behavior and
motives. This thorough, eminently readable survey of one of the
most significant and interesting developments in American politics
and culture since WW II is a welcome addition to the literature.
Summing Up: Recommended. All readers.
*Choice*
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