University of Virginia Library

Acknowledgements

This is a book about televangelists and their followers and how together they are creating a cultural revolution in America. In some respects, M. G. "Pat" Robertson's quest for the presidency has made our task more difficult. The animosity and fear so many Americans feel toward televangelists cloud their ability to objectively evaluate the emerging political strength of the New Christian Right. The fact that we do not share the hysteria many people feel toward evangelical Christians makes us suspect. Scores of people have probed to learn if we are closet evangelicals and private supporters of Robertson's candidacy. We always assure them that we are both unreconstructed 1960s liberals out of the liberal Protestant church tradition-although that doesn't necessarily allay their fears.

If Robertson's candidacy has complicated our task, it surely will help call attention to the issues we are addressing. Whatever distance Rob ertson may finally go in the 1988 presidential sweepstakes, his success will surprise most people, and serious people in every sector of society will have to ask why he did so well. We believe this book provides a foundation for answering that question, although the questions we address are much broader.

We are sociologists by training, but our quest to understand the emer gence of the conservative Christian movement in America has taken us down many paths and across traditional academic boundaries. Immersion in American religious history was an indispensable part of our task. To Martin Marty, who first showed us more than twenty years ago the prac tical value of history for understanding contemporary America, we owe continuing gratitude. Razelle Frankl's tracing of the roots of modern tel evangelism to 19th-century urban revivalism provided a critical link for our understanding of the phenomenon. Joel Carpenter's writings have shown us the continuity of the evangelical movement through most of this century. This project has also taken us onto the turf of political science to a greater degree than either of us had heretofore ventured. Our thanks to Luther Haggard for guidance here.

Our own scholarly orientation to understanding the rise of the New Christian Right is a conceptual field known as resource mobilization the ory. Mayer N. Zald and John N. McCarthy have pioneered this approach

to social movement theory, and they have also helped us better under stand how religious sentiment is channeled into social movements. Many other scholars and colleagues have contributed to our understanding of the relationship between conservative faith and politics in America. We would like to acknowledge especially: Nancy Ammerman, Ben Armstrong, Jim Castelli, David W. Clark, Bob Dugan, George Gallup, Jr., Barbara Hargrove, James D. Hunter, Benton Johnson, Jeremy Rifkin, Tom Bob bins, W. Clark Roof, Rodney Stark, and Paul H. Virts.

Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson are the two key figures in the emer gence of the New Christian Right in America and, naturally, they figure centrally in this book. Without their cooperation and help, our task would have been much more difficult. Both have given generously of their time for many interviews. Our thanks to them and their respective staffs.

Since we are among a very few scholars who systematically study re ligious broadcasting, we have been interviewed by literally hundreds of print and broadcast journalists covering, at one time or another, the ever unfolding story of televangelism during this past decade. If we have been able to provide them with the perspective of the independent observer, we are grateful for the opportunity. But we are also very much in their debt for valuable insights, probing questions, and healthy skepticism, which have challenged our thinking. We consider these people our col leagues in the continuing effort to better understand the role of religious broadcasters in American life. Special gratitude is extended to: Ed Briggs of The Richmond Times-Dispatch, Bruce Bursma of The Chicago Tribune, Russell Chandler and John Dart of The Los Angeles Times, Drew Digby of The Lynchburg News and Advance, Jim Jones of The Fort Worth Star Telegram, Helen Parmley of The Dallas Morning News, and Cecile White of The Houston Chronicle.

We fully recognize that our thesis is controversial. Indeed, many of our colleagues, including some here acknowledged, have told us bluntly that we have taken leave of our senses. Hence, it is especially important to underscore our sole responsibility for any shortcomings in the analysis. But to the extent we are right, those here acknowledged each have our gratitude for sharpening our thinking about the issues we address.

Jeffrey K. Hadden

Charlottesville, Virginia

Anson Shupe

Fort Wayne, Indiana