Frontiers Newsmagazine
February 18, 2000
http://www.frontiersweb.com

Right Goes Wrong
Deconstructing the Christian Right Movement

Surina Khan

Two years ago, I was updating a directory of right-wing organizations for a project on which I was working. As I continued down the list, I dialed the number for Focus on the Family, one of the largest Christian-right organizations, which is led by Dr. James Dobson. A very cheery woman at the other end of the line answered the phone, "Focus on the Family, may I help you?"

"Yes, may I have your mailing address please?" I asked politely.

"Yes, dear. It's Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, 80995," the kindly lady replied.

"Do I need to use a street address or a P.O. Box?" I asked, noticing she hadn't given me either.

"No, dear, you don't need those, we have our very own ZIP code, so you don't need to worry about the street address."

"Oh, OK, thank you," I replied, stunned by this new information. Focus on the Family is so huge that it has its own ZIP code. Now that's a scary reality.

And Focus on the Family is only one of many organizations that make up the infrastructure that supports the entire movement. These organizations are the pillars on which the right wing rests. They consistently provide the basic resources needed for the movement to survive and prosper, including monetary support. And their members make it possible for the right to respond quickly to political crises or political opportunities - opportunities like the ex-gay movement, which the Christian right has promoted in the media over the last two years.

Collectively, infrastructure organizations on the right have formed an effective network that acts much like a spider web: It provides a highway of communications and a structure of support for the movement - a movement that includes mass-based organizations, lobbyists, media outlets, legal organizations, leadership-development groups, and, of course, funding sources.

No one organization controls the right. No single funder is behind the right. Multiple networks of organizations and funders, with differing and sometimes competing agendas, make up the right wing in this country.

Ironically, despite all the talk of a gay agenda, it is actually the Christian right that has an agenda. Their goal is to promote a theocracy based on a literal interpretation of Scripture. The Christian right promotes Christian nationalism, an ideology that seeks to use government laws and regulations to impose fundamentalist Christian values on the entire nation. The Rev. D. James Kennedy, president of the Center for Reclaiming America, envisions the U.S. as a Christian nation. In an article in Freedom Writer magazine, Kennedy is quoted as saying, "I am sure that only a Christian-controlled country is going to be able to stand up to the impending threat and avert the approaching disaster that our nation is facing." If the Christian right has its way, the walls separating church and state would be eliminated. In this world, you can be sure that schools would not be allowed to teach gay-positive materials, let alone have gay-straight alliances or even sex education.

While very focused on their goals, members of the right in recent years have managed to create a more subtle strategy that is less virulent. On the one hand, leaders like Pat Robertson, Pat Buchanan and Randall Terry still express militant and overtly hateful rhetoric about feminism, LGBT issues, immigrant rights and reproductive rights, among other issues. At the same time, there are those who put on a more appealing public face. They flex their political muscle within the Republican Party with a "no compromising" social and political agenda while simultaneously reaching out with a "compassionate conservative" spin. For example, they use more "tolerant" language when referring to LGBT people while simultaneously promoting reparative therapy and the ex-gay movement. Love the sinner, hate the sin. They are advancing a rigid definition of personal and family identity that says the only path to personal happiness is through a heterosexual identity, but cloak their anti-gay ideas in language that does not sound overtly homophobic in an effort to recruit people.

A Look Back at 1999

Even though the right has become more sophisticated in presenting its message, in 1999 Christian-right organizations continued to attack LGBT people with the same coordinated strategy they have employed since the 1970s.

Last year, right-wing organizations targeted a whole slew of LGBT concerns including same-sex marriage, gay issues in schools, the American Psychological Association, hate crimes legislation, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), the court ruling on the Boy Scouts, and even McDonald's.

Did somebody say McDonald's? Who knew that the home of the Happy Meal was "pro-gay"? According to a September 1999 fund-raising appeal from Concerned Women for America (CWA), a national anti-feminist women's organization: "McDonald's Corporation has caved in to the demands of radical homosexuals and added the words 'sexual orientation' to the fast-food chain's nondiscrimination and sexual-harassment policy." Signed by CWA chair Beverly LaHaye, the letter warned that the new policy "poses a direct threat to tens of thousands of American teen-agers who work at McDonald's-many of them good Christian kids who attend churches like yours."

Donald Wildmon, president of the American Family Association (AFA), had sent out his Big Mac mailing a few months earlier in June: "Fast-food chain caves to homosexual activists," it screamed. "Homosexual activists see the decision by McDonald's to add sexual orientation to its employment policy as having the potential to cause a 'domino effect' that will cause others in the food industry to follow suit." Well, let's hope he's correct.

The Family Research Council (FRC) weighed in on employment nondiscrimination as well. "There they go again. Under their mantra of 'tolerance,' liberal politicians and 'gay' activists are pushing the federal government to bully business owners and employers to 'tolerate' sexual behaviors they find unhealthy and objectionable," said FRC chief spokesperson Janet Parshall in a June 1999 press release. "With ENDA, President Clinton has created a club to beat people of faith into submission to a politically correct but morally bankrupt employment policy."

Speaking of tolerance, the August 1999 issue of Family News , the monthly newsletter of Focus on the Family, recommended some reading: "The New Tolerance: How a Cultural Movement Threatens to Destroy You, Your Faith, and Your Children," by Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler. "How much 'tolerance' can we tolerate?" barks the blurb recommending the book. "Like it or not, we're in a culture that's increasingly bent on sabotaging the foundations of our faith. That's why 'The New Tolerance' is an important book to read. Written by best-selling author Josh McDowell and Bob Hostetler, it reveals what's behind the cultural 'tolerance' movement and gives ways to counteract its destructive efforts on your faith and your family. The authors also explain how to discern between acceptance and approval and how to lovingly respond to a society that seems willing to tolerate anything except biblical truth." You have to read between the lines here. Dobson may not mention gays, but you can bet that the tolerant society he is so against has something to do with us.

Meanwhile, the decision by the New Jersey state Supreme Court mandating that the Boy Scouts of America cannot oust gay men as scouts and leaders sent right-wingers into a tizzy. Jerry Falwell sent out an e-mail appeal in November informing us that his son, Jerry Falwell Jr., chief counsel for Falwell's Liberty University, and Matthew Staver, chief counsel for Falwell's Liberty Counsel (Falwell's legal arm), have filed an amicus curiae brief in support of the Boy Scouts. "We are praying that our efforts will play a role in reversing the disastrous court decision against the Boy Scouts," noted the Falwell appeal. According to Falwell, Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, also had a few words to share about the Boy Scouts decision, saying, it "shows that pro-homosexual 'sexual orientation' laws are being used to punish people and groups for their moral conviction that homosexuality is wrong. ... America will cease being a free nation if this decision and others like it prevail."

There is a common theme here: Christian-right leaders are feeling victimized. Their freedoms are being curtailed. They're afraid that they'll have to be "tolerant" which is in direct conflict with their religious beliefs. As Parshall says, "The New Jersey Supreme Court decision compelling the Boy Scouts of America in the state to admit avowed homosexuals as scouts and leaders victimizes the Boy Scouts and devastates the freedom of association in America."

LaHaye goes so far as to say that her right to free speech will be infringed upon. In an August fund-raising appeal condemning hate crimes legislation, LaHaye wrote: "Hate-crimes laws infringe on free speech. A Hate Crime Act would criminalize thoughts rather than actions." She continued, "Civil government cannot successfully ban feelings, thoughts, or beliefs-things like hate, jealousy, or lust. ...When individuals are prosecuted under hate-crimes laws, the trial can become a wide-range inquiry into the defendant's beliefs. The civil government should not be permitted to regulate a person's beliefs into 'approved' and 'disapproved' categories."

Christian-right organizations also continue to use ex-gays to promote their anti-gay agenda, persisting in their crusade to convince us that we, too, can become ex-gays. The right is still upset that the American Psychiatric Association has rejected therapy aimed at converting lesbians and gay men into heterosexuals. "It is unfortunate that the American Psychiatric Association has given up on homosexuals; I am living proof that homosexuals can change," wrote FRC staffer Yvette Cantu in a May 14 e-mail release. FRC also announced a "Truth in Love" television campaign aimed at converting gays.

But the biggest beef for Christian-right organizations last year was gay and lesbian issues in schools. The hoopla started with the opposition to "It's Elementary," a documentary for educators and parents about including gay issues in the classroom, which was broadcast nationally on PBS. "A pro-homosexual bombshell has been fired into our children's elementary schools. It's designed to accomplish three goals: 1) subvert our children's innocence; 2) turn them from the beliefs and values you hold dear; and 3) indoctrinate them with false moral teachings," claimed the March 5 issue of AFA's Action Alert. AFA came out with its own video, "Suffer the Children," which "exposes how this powerful pro-homosexual propaganda film is targeting our children."

The FRC concurred. "The so-called documentary 'It's Elementary' is nothing more than homosexual propaganda that robs children of their innocence and usurps parental authority," wrote Parshall in a June 18 e-mail release.

More recently, Christian-right organizations have been up in arms about the publication "Just the Facts: About Sexual Orientation and Youth," a 12-page booklet published by an impressive roster of leading organizations including the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Counseling Association, the American Association of School Administrators, the American Federation of Teachers, the American School Health Association, the American Psychological Association, the Interfaith Alliance Foundation, the National Association of School Psychologists, the National Association of Social Workers, and the National Education Association.

"Just the Facts," which says that homosexuality is not unhealthy and doesn't require a "cure," was distributed to more than 15,000 school systems across the country. No wonder Christian-right leaders are freaking out. "We're all for the facts about homosexuality getting out, but you won't find them in this publication," fired Parshall in a Nov. 23 e-mail release. "This is another attempt by the homosexual lobby to silence any views on homosexuality but its own. The primer does not acknowledge the unhealthy consequences of homosexuality. It presents a one-sided case that promotes homosexuality by advocating censorship of information in schools about the opportunity for individuals to experience a healthy change and leave the homosexual lifestyle."

Although Christian-right leaders may appear to be on the defensive, with their claims of being "victims of tolerance and censorship," we can't lose sight of the incredible infrastructure they have created. Not only has the right organized quick response to such situations as described above, but they have built an effective political machine that has elected officials and strengthened potential officeholders whom we can ill afford to ignore.

Not too long ago, when Ralph Reed was head of the Christian Coalition, right-wing organizations employed stealth campaigns to further their goals. But as we enter the 21st century, the right no longer needs to use such tactics because its leaders have been so skillful in organizing a social and political movement that has effectively shifted the entire country further to the right. What used to be considered a rightist opinion is easily moderate or centrist these days. For example, in California, race-based affirmative action has been eliminated with the now moderate (read rightist) message that we live in a color-blind society.

Challenging The right

To effectively challenge right-wing institutions we must distinguish between the followers and the leaders of right-wing movements. Leaders are often professional right-wingers. Followers, on the other hand, may not be well-informed. They are often mobilized by fears about family and future based on information that, if true, would indeed be frightening. To critique and expose the leaders of right-wing organizations is the work of a good progressive organizer, writer or activist. In the case of the followers, it is important to reserve judgment and listen to their grievances, and then respond in a way that is thoughtful and respectful and that offers a vision of what our progressive, pluralistic, democratic vision might look like. Perhaps we might be able to reach the followers of right-wing movements instead of alienating them.

It's also important to respect people's religious beliefs. Everyone has a right to seek redress of his or her grievances. This is equally true when those grievances are based on religion. In an open and democratic society, it is important to listen to all members of society and take them seriously, even if we might be vehemently opposed to them. They do not, however, have a right to impose their beliefs on others.

In public forums, especially, it's important to avoid slogans, name-calling and demonizing members of the right. Slogans and sound bites have their place, but they are not sufficient as an organizing strategy. Simple anti-right slogans do not help people understand why the right sounds convincing but is wrong. Phrases like "religious, political extremists" are labels, not arguments, and will often backfire at the neighborhood and community level.

Expose those who benefit from right-wing campaigns. One of the most common ways the right advances its policies is to argue that they will benefit the "average" person, though that is most often not the case. It helps in exposing this deception to point out who actually stands to benefit and who will stand to lose from the policy being proposed. Sometimes the greatest beneficiaries of a right-wing campaign are the organizations conducting it. When Pat Robertson ran for president in 1988, chances are he knew he would not win the Republican nomination. But his campaign resulted in the formation of the Christian Coalition, which was built on the mailing list of Robertson's failed presidential candidacy.

Campaigns are recruitment tools. So, if potential new members can be reached by a certain position, that is sometimes in and of itself the reason the campaign is mounted. Historically, the right has used the issues of homosexuality and abortion to recruit and mobilize people and to raise money. Because these issues are emotional and affect many, the right has cashed in on them and most likely they will continue to do so. They will identify and seize any opportunity that will elevate their broader political agenda. It's a sad and terrifying commentary.

Unfortunately, there are no easy answers. We have to continue educating ourselves in order to undertake the massive public education campaign that needs to occur to challenge and oppose the right wing threat to democracy and diversity. At Political Research Associates (PRA), where I work, we advocate using a three-step process in responding to the campaigns of misinformation waged by the right. We call it the three Rs: Rebut, Rebuke and Reaffirm. Rebut false and inaccurate claims; rebuke those who use scapegoating or demagoguery; and reaffirm what a progressive goal or agenda would accomplish for the betterment of society.

And last, but certainly not least, I think we need to listen for leadership from people who bear the brunt of the right's attacks: people of color, poor people, immigrants, people on welfare, and others who are constantly having to come up with ways to survive the injustices being waged against them. In short, we have to make connections between all these different issues and work in coalition together to challenge the right. For starters, you can call us at PRA for more information about right-wing organizations or a selected listing of organizations that are challenging the right and promoting democracy and diversity.

Surina Khan is an associate analyst at Political Research Associates, a Massachusetts-based think tank and research center that monitors the U.S. political right.

Top of the right
A few facts on key organizations

American Family ASSociation

Founded in 1977 by Donald Wildmon

AFA "stands for traditional family values, focusing primarily on the influence of television and other media-including pornography-on our society." AFA specializes in leading corporate boycotts and is specifically interested in fighting pornography, depictions of sexuality, and positive portrayals of LGBT people in the arts and media. Their Web site is at http://www.afa.net

The Center for Reclaiming America

Established by Dr. D. James Kennedy as an outreach of Coral Ridge Ministries. CRA's mission is to "inform the American public and motivate people of faith to defend and implement the biblical principles on which our country was founded." CRA has members in all 50 states. Their Web site is at
http://www.reclaimingamerica.org

Christian Coalition

Founded in 1989 by Pat Robertson.

The Christian Coalition claims more than 2 million members. Its goals include, "strengthening the family, protecting innocent human life, and defending the institution of marriage." Holds an annual "Road to Victory" conference to educate, train and mobilize grassroots constituencies.

Concerned Women for America

Founded in 1979.

CWA describes itself as "the nation's largest public policy women's organization, with over 500,000 members nationwide." CWA has a staff of 30 and chapters in all 50 states. Their Web site is at http://www.cwfa.org

Family Research Council

Originally founded in 1983, merged with Focus on the Family from 1988-1992and then reorganized as a separate 501C3 in 1992

FRC "exists to reaffirm and promote nationally, and particularly in Washington, D.C., the traditional family unit and the Judeo-Christian value system upon which it is built." Find out more at
http://www.frc.org

Focus on the Family

Founded in 1977 by Dr. James Dobson.

FOF has more than 1,300 employees, a budget of more than $110 million, and a 46-acre campus in Colorado Springs, Colo. FOF publishes 10 magazines which are sent to 2.3 million people a month, as well as multiple books, videos, and films. Dobson's radio broadcast is heard on over 4,000 stations around the globe. Their Web site is at
http://www.family.org

Traditional Values Coalition

Founded in 1980 by the Rev. Louis Sheldon.

The Coalition claims a membership of "over 43,000 churches." TVC is a lobbying organization while its sister organization, the Traditional Values Education & Legal Institute, serves as a foundation "dedicated to educating and supporting churches in their effort to restore America's cultural heritage." Their Web site is at
http://www.traditionalvalues.org

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