Onward Christian Soldiers?: The Religious Right in American Politics

This book is a fairly well-balanced introduction to the Christian Right movement in America. Critical, but not demonizing the Christian Right, the book shows that there were a number of waves in which the Christian Right has made a comeback in American politics. Written by a team of solid academics, this is recommended reading for the introductory reader. It is short, and covers a lot of ground in good detail. One shortcoming of the book is its organization, which led to some repetition and redundancy in the book. Not detracting from the overall work, the book serves well as an introduction to the undergraduate reader. What do Wilcox and Larson think? They believe the Christian Right's influence is significant, but also limited. A take-over of American politics or policy does not seem imminent in their view. The legacy of the Christian Right has potential uses, and dangers, but does not in the author's minds pose a grave threat to democracy.

Onward Christian Soldiers? is an excellent book that shows the historical background and the rises and falls of the Christian Right in contemporary American politics.