Modernity and Fundamentalism
The New Christian Right in America
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5635653 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Steve Bruce (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1990 |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 477 |
| Publication date | 1990-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | British Journal of Sociology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0007-1315 • E-ISSN: 1468-4446 |
| Publisher | JSTOR (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2307/590663 |
| OpenAlex | W2027677416 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 6 |
ABSTRAC'r The apparent resurgence of conservative or fundamentalist religion in various parts of the world calls into question sociological orthodoxy about secularization. This essay uses the example of the failure of the new Christian right (NCR) in America as an opportunity to reconsider the relationship between religion and modernity. In addition to assessing the career of the NCR, it argues that there are obvious reasons why fundamentalist movements will not succeed in establishing an imperium. Although the cognitive threats to supernaturalistic religion of science and technology can be readily neutralised, the problems of adapting to social, cultural and religious pluralism cannot. In the language of church, sect, and denomination, fundamentalism can maintain itself in a sectarian form but given that the cultural homogeneity required for a church no longer exists, expansion into the wider society brings pressure to shift to a more denominational self-image. A number of events combine to make this an opportune moment to review the career of the new Christian right (NCR) in America and assess the general lessons for the study of religion and politics in modern democracies. The Reagan presidency- for which the NCR claims some credit- has ended. Revd Pat Robertson's attempt to shift the movement into a higher gear by contesting the Republican party presidential nomination has provided us with good poll data. Revd Jerry Falwell has formally wound up Moral Majority Inc., one of the best-known of NCR organizations. The Supreme Court has produced a judgement which threatens to erode rights to abortion. I will briefly sketch the origins and nature of the NCR, evaluate its impact, and then offer some general observations about the relationship between fundamentalism and modernity
Aesthetics · Christian right · Epistemology · Fundamentalism · Modernity · Political science · Politics · Sociology · American Constitutional Law and Politics · History · Law · Philosophy · Religion and Society Interactions · Religious studies
Religions, Nations, and Transnationalism in Multiple Modernities
Attitudes towards Religious Pluralism
The New and Improved Clint Eastwood
Von moralischer Kommunikation zur Kommunikation über Moral / From Moral Communication to Communicating about Morality
Framing Faith
Themes of modernity in new religious movements and new social movements
| Unique citing works | 6 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,18 |
| Citation span | 1993 - 2017 (25) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 6 |