Synopses & Reviews
This volume demonstrates that the Christian Right has a surprising past. Historical analysis reveals that the countercultural movements and evangelicalism share a common heritage. Shires warns that political operatives in both parties need to heed this fact if they hope to either, in the case of the Republican Party, retain their evangelical constituency, or, in the case of the Democratic Party, recruit new evangelical voters.
Review
"Shires shows how some countercultural values from the 1960s era survive in the motivations of participants in what would seem an entirely different social movement, socially activist evangelical Protestantism. His well-documented case is original and provocative. Tim Miller, Kansas University
Review
"Preston Shires blends insider familiarity with historical analysis in this revealing account of the Christian Right's indebtedness to the all-encompassing spirituality and sense of entitlement characteristic of the counterculture generation of the 1960s. Highlighting the importance of 'Jesus Freaks' who brought new forms of self-expression into Protestant evangelicalism, Shires calls attention to the rejection of rational, scientific thinking as a thread running from the 60s counterculture to the Christian Right. This book contributes significantly to understanding the fervent supernaturalism evident in American public life today." Amanda Porterfield, Robert A. Spivey Professor of Religion and Director of Graduate Studies, Florida State University
About the Author
Preston Shires (Ph.D. University of Nebraska) is Instructor in History, SE Community College in Lincoln, NE.