The Theocons: Secular America Under Siege

Damon Linker

What do you believe about America?

Do you believe the Catholic Church should be actively intervening in American politics on the side of the Republican Party?

Do you believe the federal government should be channeling billions of tax dollars a year to churches and other religious organizations?

Do you believe a microscopic clump of cells in a petri dish possesses the same rights that you possess?

Do you believe a doctor who performs abortions— and a woman who chooses to have an abortion— should be arrested and charged with murder?

Do you believe the public schools should actively teach children to doubt the scientific theory of evolution?

Do you believe legally available contraception is producing a “ culture of death” in the United States?

Do you believe that the United States should be a Christian nation?

The theocons answer YES to all of these questions.

DO YOU?

If you don’ t, you will agree that The Theocons is a critically important look at the conservative forces that are transforming the political and cultural landscape of our country, to such an extent that the separation of church and state as we have known it will cease to exist.

George W. Bush has gone out of his way to blur the line between religion and politics in America— this is acknowledged by his strongest supporters no less than by his most strident critics. The most common explanation of the president’ s religious agenda points to rise of evangelical Protestantism. Yet as Damon Linker demonstrates in his groundbreaking book, an exclusive focus on the role ofevangelicals misses the heart of the story. At its core, the Bush administration’ s overt religiosity represents the triumph of an ideological movement that for the past several decades has devoted itself to fashioning a theocratic governing philosophy for the United States— a governing philosophy rooted in Roman Catholicism. Led by Father Richard John Neuhaus, this group of “ theoconservatives” has actively sought to roll back the division of church and state in American life.

The election of 2000 brought the theocons to the peak of political power and influence in Washington. Their ideas inspire the most controversial and divisive policies of the Bush administration— policies whose ultimate goal is nothing less than the end of secular politics in America.

“For anybody who wants to understand the growing public role of American religion, [The Theocons] is a book to reckon with.”

The New York Times Book Review

“Literate and reasonable. . . . One of the most enlightening critiques of the Religious Right to date.” —Booklist

“The Theocons constitutes a major step toward reclaiming the liberal heritage that has made America great.”

Alan Wolfe, author of The Transformation of American Religion

“Invaluable. . . . Alarming. . . . Devastating as a critique of the theocratic ambitions of those who now control the Republican Party.”

Andrew Sullivan

An essential history of the influential men who have spearheaded the movement to erode the wall separating church and state.

Beginning as far-left radicals during the 1960s, the theocons in Damon Linker’s book (including Richard John Neuhaus, Michael Novak, and George Weigel) gradually transitioned to conservatism when they grew frustrated with the failures of the decade’s revolutionary goals. Linker shows how, starting during the Reagan administration, they worked to forge a Christian alliance between Evangelical Protestants and Conservative Catholics. By injecting the language of faith into political life, this movement appealed to a wide swath of voters and ultimately played a central role in the election of George W. Bush. The Theocons is an absorbing and revelatory look at an ideological crusade that every American needs to know about.

Damon Linker is a Senior Writing Fellow in the Center for Critical Writing at the University of Pennsylvania. His essays and reviews have appeared in The New Republic, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Commentary, National Review, The Weekly Standard, Policy Review, The Public Interest, The Review of Politics, The Review of Metaphysics, and the American Behavioral Scientist. From May 2001 to February 2005, he worked under Richard John Neuhaus at First Things—first as associate editor of the journal, then as its editor. Prior to joining the magazine, he taught political philosophy at Brigham Young University and served as a speechwriter for New York’s Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani. Linker studied history, philosophy, and writing at Ithaca College, graduating with a BA in 1991. He went on to earn an MA in European history from New York University and a Ph.D. in political science from Michigan State University. Born in New York City, Linker currently lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two children.