Christian Voices: Journeys through Faith and Politics in Contemporary American Protestantism

Today, religion plays a significant role in the political positions people take on a number of important issues: stem cell research, abortion, right to life, gay marriage, etc. But how do people of the same faith come to radically different conclusions and positions on these issues? How has the right convinced a majority of evangelical Christians that there is a Biblical mandate to oppose abortion, stem cell research, and gay marriage? Or, why do progressive Christians believe they are called to be the voice of the voiceless, to advocate for the poor and to challenge aggressive foreign policy? This book gives voice to politically active Protestant Christians with an eye toward understanding how people who share the same scriptures, hymns, prayers, and creeds arrive at and embrace radically different political perspectives. Floyd explores the notion of agenda-setting within Christian communities (left and right) and provides an in-depth look at the lives of a small but diverse number of politically active, committed Christians.

In their own words, Protestants across the country explain how they arrive at their political opinions. The thoughts, the ideas, the reasons for celebrating and the causes of despair, will be familiar—at times painfully so—to many. Reading these profiles one may begin to answer those basic questions: how can they call themselves Christian? and how could they possibly have voted for him?. Beginning with a brief overview of religion and politics in the United States and a discussion of recent developments (2001-2005), serious consideration of the key themes raised by the profile chapters follow. These include theology, practice, and connect/disconnect with society (particularly the group/individual's perception of its/their relationship to the world at large). Each chapter describes a different group of people whose political lives have been shaped by their faith and who are willing to think about and talk about their ideas. They take into consideration personal histories, education, work, family and friends, and explore how religious beliefs have shaped people's lives, especially with regard to political decision-making. Extensive interviews allow the voices of those profiled to be clearly heard.