https://politicalresearch.org/ The latest research related to American Family Association en https://religiondispatches.org/2022/07/27/if-family-research-council-church-im-taxthechurches-supporter Like other authoritarians, right-wing Christians often prefer to minimize transparency in order to avoid accountability. Those who have considerable power within the social hierarchies prescribed by conservative Christianity can often evade accountability on a variety of fronts. The success of… Wed, 27 Jul 2022 01:26:23 EDT Chrissy Stroop 7be1dc5a-c096-4bfd-a138-f90757e3ea83 https://religiondispatches.org/2022/03/29/gary-north-1942-2022-sought-deny-religious-liberty-enemies-god-he-was-willing-wait If you’ve never heard of Gary North that may be because he wanted it that way. Nevertheless, when North died in Georgia recently at age 80, he’d quietly become one of the notable religious and political architects of our time… Tue, 29 Mar 2022 05:27:33 EDT Frederick Clarkson b9dbb688-b255-45df-88e8-264dfa63f325 https://religiondispatches.org/2020/06/01/lying-name-war-lord-jane-roes-fake-conversion-feature-not-bug-extreme-christian-right The late Norma McCorvey, aka Jane Roe, is back in the news , thanks to the report of her “death bed confession.” In a new documentary about her life, McCorvey, the plaintiff in the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision, Roe… Mon, 01 Jun 2020 01:40:26 EDT Frederick Clarkson 61710caa-afed-4bd3-b5d8-0d59a5dc9b35 https://religiondispatches.org/2020/03/02/speech-religious-broadcasters-william-barr-warns-secular-tyranny-promotes-christian I’ve said it before, and if you’re reading this, you’ve very likely heard the same thing darkly muttered among liberals and progressives if you haven’t said it yourself: I never thought anything could possibly make me miss Attorney General Jefferson… Mon, 02 Mar 2020 12:00:37 EST Chrissy Stroop 3082ca1e-dd62-47c5-9cff-24661f3de5c2 https://religiondispatches.org/2019/01/08/battle-meaning-religious-freedom-day A proposed resolution intended to commemorate perhaps one of the most radical, liberatory, and revolutionary pieces of legislation in the history of the world misses the point. And it’s not a mistake. Tue, 08 Jan 2019 04:08:08 EST Frederick Clarkson 24ad7dd2-d1a9-42b7-ba0a-5b9b1cf81b3f https://religiondispatches.org/2018/11/02/why-white-evangelical-women-arent-swing-voters-they-sometimes-appear-be Even as many white evangelical women speak about traditionally liberal topics, they refuse to openly discuss America’s deep political divides. Fri, 02 Nov 2018 01:28:06 EDT Sikivu Hutchinson 93f6e4b8-a365-457b-aab4-302bc7941ade https://religiondispatches.org/2018/06/05/indiana-republicans-are-debating-gay-marriage-amongst-themselves-0 Social conservatives are gearing up for a fight in Vice President Mike Pence’s home state to make sure the party doesn’t define “strong families” in a way that could include gay and lesbian families. While the old party platform committed… Tue, 05 Jun 2018 02:26:03 EDT Daniel Silliman c7551b84-2551-4532-842d-047abb80e77b https://religiondispatches.org/2018/06/05/indiana-republicans-are-debating-gay-marriage-amongst-themselves Social conservatives are gearing up for a fight in Vice President Mike Pence’s home state to make sure the party doesn’t define “strong families” in a way that could include gay and lesbian families. While the old party platform committed… Tue, 05 Jun 2018 01:48:38 EDT Daniel Silliman 5bd63489-749a-4fbf-8a5b-a86b3b271256 https://religiondispatches.org/2017/06/06/scott-livelys-crimes-against-humanity-arent-conservative-christian-outliers In what might be the most scathing federal ruling ever handed down in favor of a defendant, U.S. District Judge Michael Ponsor on Monday granted Scott Lively’s request for summary judgment in the years-long case alleging Lively committed crimes against… Tue, 06 Jun 2017 05:12:32 EDT Sunnivie Brydum 50611707-479e-4973-ba0d-2f3dd99d7c03 https://religiondispatches.org/2016/06/30/brexit-boosters-why-religious-right-hates-european-union The European Union has been a powerful advocate for advancing the rights of women and LGBT people. That’s why so many Religious Right activists see the EU as an enemy to “traditional values” and the “natural family”—and it helps explain… Thu, 30 Jun 2016 11:38:47 EDT Peter Montgomery f7e57e7a-8a49-468b-8b57-4a326eeada6a https://religiondispatches.org/2016/03/15/religious-right-still-not-dead Super Tuesday and the success of Donald Trump among evangelicals have caused otherwise sensible observers to once again declare the religious right to be dead. As in the past, reports of its death have been greatly exaggerated. Religion scholar Mark… Tue, 15 Mar 2016 11:46:18 EDT Frederick Clarkson 5cde75bb-e207-4ef1-87f0-77cbdbceaac7 https://religiondispatches.org/2015/08/14/barbaric-v-progressive-islam-catholic-church-objects-mexican-court-ok-gay-adoption Islam: ‘Barbaric’ and Progressive The United Nations ambassadors from the US and Chile have invited members of the UN Security Council to an August 24 meeting to discuss the “barbaric treatment” of LGBT people by the so-called Islamic State. Speaking… Fri, 14 Aug 2015 12:05:51 EDT Peter Montgomery 7326a0e2-eefe-4280-b36a-00f618c9e4cc https://religiondispatches.org/2015/06/26/anti-gay-evangelicalism-norm-less-rosy-take-evangelical-tipping-point “I held my tongue as she told me, ‘Son, fear is the heart of love.’ So I never went back.” – Death Cab for Cutie, from “I Will Follow You into the Dark” (2005) Ahead of today’s historic Supreme Court… Fri, 26 Jun 2015 09:23:08 EDT Chrissy Stroop dfa7536f-3ac5-469c-90bb-b1cb60bcd939 https://religiondispatches.org/2015/06/26/religious-right-reax-scotus-spiritual-911 Reactions from conservatives (and those courting their votes) range from angry to apoplectic. With a strong dose of the ridiculous. Fri, 26 Jun 2015 04:35:07 EDT Peter Montgomery bdaeb93c-0499-446a-a9ab-a6a0eee76120 https://religiondispatches.org/2015/05/10/panic-over-churches-tax-exempt-status-gay-married-world A new worry in conservative circles has slowly gathered steam since the Supreme Court heard arguments in Obergefell v. Hodges, on whether the Constitution requires states to issue marriage licenses to and recognize the out-of-state marriages of same-sex couples. During… Sun, 10 May 2015 08:01:07 EDT Sarah Posner 8edd989f-5bb5-4738-9060-b5c107823db2 https://religiondispatches.org/2015/04/19/religion-scholar-gets-it-wrong-indianas-rfra Stephen Prothero breaks from the pack—and gets lost. Sun, 19 Apr 2015 07:16:37 EDT Daniel Clarkson Fisher 2f423b2a-97c2-41ca-9d55-562cb6b95b06 https://religiondispatches.org/2015/04/17/pro-family-ad-helps-explain-fear-marriage-equality In late March The Washington Post published a peculiar ad from the American Family Association (AFA) addressing the U.S. Supreme Court, which will soon issue a ruling on the constitutionality of same-sex marriage bans in a handful of states. The… Fri, 17 Apr 2015 06:20:28 EDT William E. Smith 9424bd2b-6594-40dc-803d-7a7812dd7b61 https://religiondispatches.org/2015/03/16/battle-evangelical-vote In a new profile of supposed evangelical kingmaker David Lane, the New York Times’ Jason Horowitz describes Lane as “emblematic of a new generation of evangelical leaders who draw local support or exert influence through niche issues or their own… Mon, 16 Mar 2015 05:35:47 EDT Sarah Posner 863ef274-e379-41d2-ab6e-cd3568763a0e https://religiondispatches.org/2015/03/09/evangelicals-looking-walker-do-nothing-2016-election When speaking to religious audiences, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker likes to remind people that he goes to church and knows his Bible. These reminders frequently come as Walker seeks to distinguish himself from political opponents in Wisconsin—the ones, he claims… Mon, 09 Mar 2015 03:33:26 EDT Sarah Posner 6e34d549-07bf-4cec-8e9e-ecaab7e8e33e https://religiondispatches.org/2015/02/04/netanyahus-speech-lanes-trip-and-impossibility-boycotts Will Democrats boycott Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech on March 3? Why didn’t Republican National Committee members boycott a trip to Israel hosted by the American Renewal Project and paid for by the American Family Association? Let’s recap: two… Wed, 04 Feb 2015 04:42:39 EST Sarah Posner 3634c679-8706-4368-aaba-a7f50cf5e03d https://religiondispatches.org/2015/01/29/will-getting-rid-bryan-fischer-get-rid-afas-problem Rachel Maddow broke the news last night that Bryan Fischer, the American Family Association’s Director of Issue Analysis, has been fired, following media coverage and pressure from watchdog groups highlighting Fischer’s racist and homophobic views in advance of an AFA-funded… Thu, 29 Jan 2015 09:28:17 EST Sarah Posner 49f59d92-d596-479e-96be-b85df80f4eb9 https://religiondispatches.org/2015/01/27/bid-turn-pastors-politicians “I saw that the skills of a successful politician are the same skills of a successful pastor. The skill set is about the same,” evangelical powerbroker David Lane tells David Brody of the Christian Broadcasting Network. Charitably, one might think… Tue, 27 Jan 2015 02:38:32 EST Sarah Posner 74d454f8-e76d-411f-81c3-38a9ed09e421 https://religiondispatches.org/2014/12/09/republicans-get-free-spiritual-historical-trips-israel Remember a few weeks ago I wrote that Israel will be a 2016 litmus test for evangelical voters? Here’s more evidence that I’m right: Zeke Miller reports in TIME that all Republican National Committee leaders are being offered a free… Tue, 09 Dec 2014 12:31:46 EST Sarah Posner 80bb8905-7ce0-46b4-aca4-4bb19bc4bd8a https://religiondispatches.org/2014/02/27/global-lgbt-recap-ugandan-law-unleashes-vigilantes-anti-gay-americans-want-boost There’s plenty of anti-gay activism in the world, but not enough for some American religious right activists Thu, 27 Feb 2014 11:24:18 EST Peter Montgomery f4ff4e01-c791-4cb5-b4af-033ab9779d6a https://religiondispatches.org/2013/10/22/new-anti-gay-argument-gag-reflex A pastor for the Gospel Coalition offers an immodest proposal. Tue, 22 Oct 2013 04:00:01 EDT Rob Shryock faa4b044-1619-4b6b-aa4e-55f1c9b4ee1b