The Costs and Benefits of a Christian Coalition: A Response to Ralph Reed

Ethics at Emory, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 41-43, 1996

Emory Legal Studies Research Paper

3 Pages Posted: 7 Aug 2011 Last revised: 15 Jan 2020

See all articles by John Witte

John Witte

Emory University School of Law

Date Written: 1996

Abstract

This brief Article analyzes the traditional Protestant pedigree of the political teachings of the Christian coalition that formed the heart of the “moral majority” movement of the Reagan era. While applauding the coalition’s efforts to bring moral reform to American society, the Article criticizes one if its intellectual leaders, Ralph Reed, for ignoring the deeper theological foundations of Protestant political thought, and uncritically conflating conservative American Republican thought with the teachings of the Bible and Christian tradition.

Keywords: Ralph Reed, Calvin, Luther, Christian Coalition, moral majority, Protestant political thought, American republicanism

Suggested Citation

Witte, John, The Costs and Benefits of a Christian Coalition: A Response to Ralph Reed (1996). Ethics at Emory, Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 41-43, 1996, Emory Legal Studies Research Paper, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1851233

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Emory University School of Law ( email )

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