Randall Balmer’s Fake News About the Christian Right

The modern conservative Christian political movement commonly known as the “Religious Right” or the “Christian Right” began in the late 1970s in response to adverse changes in American society. Many Christians became involved in politics for the very first time, and they were credited with contributing to the election of President Ronald Reagan in 1980.

Since then, countless books have been written about this phenomenon. Some of the books have aspired towards scholarly neutrality, but for the most part, they have portrayed the Christian Right in a negative light. They falsely characterize Christian political activism as a dark and dangerous influence on American society, rather than the positive revitalization that it actually represents.

Support for President Donald Trump by many prominent Christians has escalated the inaccurate criticism of the Christian Right. Many academics and mainstream media commentators hate Trump and commonly depict his defenders as racists.

Randall Balmer

One scholar, historian Randall Balmer of Dartmouth College, has been writing for years that racism was the foundational premise of the Christian Right. His portrayal of the movement is very misleading, but because it makes conservative Christians look bad, he receives accolades from various academics and other leftists.