Conservative Resurgence

Conservative Resurgence
Name	Conservative Resurgence
Date	1970s–1990s
Place	United States

Conservative Resurgence is a late 20th-century movement within American evangelicalism and related institutions that sought to reshape denominational leadership, theological education, and public policy. Emerging in the 1970s and consolidating through the 1980s and 1990s, it intersected with prominent political, religious, and cultural actors and organizations, influencing debates among leaders, seminaries, media outlets, and elected officials.

Background and Origins

The movement arose amid debates involving figures such as Billy Graham, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Francis Schaeffer, and Carl F. H. Henry and institutions including Fuller Theological Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary, Sewanee:The University of the South, and Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. It responded to trends traced to earlier events like the Scopes Trial, the formation of the National Association of Evangelicals, the publication of works by J. Gresham Machen, and schisms exemplified by the reorganization of Presbyterian Church in the United States bodies. The milieu included media outlets such as Christianity Today, The Christian Century, National Review, and broadcasters like ABC, CBS, NBC, and C-SPAN that covered disputes over appointments at bodies like the Southern Baptist Convention and councils such as the World Council of Churches.

Key Figures and Organizations

Prominent leaders associated with the movement included James P. Boyce-linked traditions via seminaries, organizational strategists like Paul Weyrich, activists such as Ralph Reed, and pastors like John Hagee, James Dobson, and Tim LaHaye. Institutional players featured Southern Baptist Convention, National Association of Evangelicals, Moral Majority, American Family Association, Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, and think tanks including The Heritage Foundation, Acton Institute, and Intercollegiate Studies Institute. Media and publishing nodes included Hewlett-Packard-era technologies for dissemination, periodicals like WorldNetDaily, radio networks like Salem Media Group, and book publishers such as HarperCollins and Zondervan that carried authors like Lee Strobel and Josh McDowell.

Ideology and Goals

Advocates advanced theological positions that drew from traditions linked to Augustine of Hippo, John Calvin, Charles Spurgeon, B. B. Warfield, and modern interpreters like John Stott and J. I. Packer. Goals emphasized confessional fidelity at seminaries including Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, doctrinal statements similar to historical creeds like the Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed, and positions on public morality aligned with activists connected to Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and later George W. Bush. Policy aims overlapped with litigation and legislative actors such as Baker v. Nelson litigants, state attorneys general, and organizations filing amicus briefs alongside entities like Americans United for Separation of Church and State in opposing or supporting initiatives.

Strategies and Tactics

Tactics combined grassroots mobilization by groups like Concerned Women for America, electoral coordination similar to efforts by Republican National Committee, and internal denominational campaigning mirrored in procedures from historic councils like the First Council of Nicaea. Strategies included placing allies on boards of institutions such as Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, influencing trustees at universities like Liberty University and Gordon College, and leveraging media platforms including The 700 Club and Nightline. Organizers employed voter guides akin to those distributed by League of Women Voters-style groups, used campaign consultants associated with Karl Rove-type operatives, and coordinated legal strategies with organizations such as Alliance Defending Freedom.

Political and Cultural Impact

The movement affected electoral coalitions involving Evangelicalism in the United States, alliances with conservative factions in the Republican Party (United States), and relationships with politicians like Richard Nixon, Bob Dole, Mike Huckabee, and Rick Santorum. Culturally, it influenced curricula at seminaries, publishing trends at houses like Crossway Books and InterVarsity Press, and representations in film industries linked to producers working with Sony Pictures and Warner Bros.. Debates reached academic circles at Harvard Divinity School, Yale Divinity School, and Duke Divinity School, and intersected with litigation in courts up to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Criticism and Controversy

Critics included leaders from The Christian Century, scholars at Princeton University, and clergy in denominations such as the Episcopal Church (United States), United Methodist Church, and Presbyterian Church (USA). Controversies involved disputes over academic freedom at institutions like Southern Methodist University and cases spotlighted by journalists at The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, and broadcasters like NPR. Opponents raised concerns echoed by figures such as Walter Rauschenbusch-influenced social gospel advocates, labor organizations like AFL–CIO, and civil liberties groups including American Civil Liberties Union.

Legacy and Contemporary Influence

The movement's legacy is visible in contemporary networks connecting seminaries, media, and policy organizations: alumni from seminaries now serving in institutions like Wheaton College (Illinois), leadership roles in organizations such as Samaritan's Purse and World Vision, and involvement with international bodies like the United Nations. Its influence persists in partisan realignments involving Tea Party movement factions, religious voter mobilization evident during administrations of Donald Trump, and cultural production by companies linked to Pure Flix Entertainment. The debates continue in academic symposia at venues including Princeton Theological Seminary and public forums hosted by Brookings Institution and American Enterprise Institute.

Category:American religious movements