The Religious Right is an unfriendly term for faith-based politicians who take a traditional stance on issues of personal morality.
For most observers - particularly left-liberal observers - the ‘religious right’ is caricatured as only interested in a narrow range of wedge issues including abortion and homosexuality.
In those terms, Britain's religious right - such as it is - enjoyed some brief successes in New Labour’s first Parliament when the late Baroness (Janet) Young torpedoed Labour’s first attempt to repeal Section 28 and when Brian Souter held (and won) a pro-Section 28 referendum across Scotland.
The fact that Labour repealed Section 28 in Westminster and Holyrood with negligible impact on their majorities illustrates the fact that the 'narrow religious right' has little influence in Britain - mainly because of the nation’s small and poorly-organised number of orthodox believers (especially when compared to America where the religious right have successfully adopted entryist tactics). At the 2004 US election 'moral issues' were identified as THE top issue of concern to voters. 80% of that group (21% overall) voted Republican.
Towards a broader religious right
The narrowness of the old RR’s agenda limited its appeal. A fiery leftish preacher once accused a British audience of evangelicals of “not giving a shit” about thousands of Africans dying from hunger every week. In response to the sharp intakes of breath across the auditorium he said the worst thing was that they were more concerned at his use of a four letter word than what he’d said about world hunger.
The RR is learning that an unbalanced preoccupation with certain moral issues can be as questionable (- as unbiblical) as a denial of favoured teachings.
There are strong reform movements within the British and American RR. Alongside their commitment to traditional morality evangelical Christians are demonstrating a practical passion for the poor at home and overseas – a passion unmatched by almost any other section of society. In this respect. the RR are applying their own version of the ‘And theory’.
Comments