Christian+Coalition

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=__The Christian Coalition__ ﻿= = = **Despite** rigorous campaigning and substantial financial support from conservative fundamentalist Christians during the 1988 elections, Marion Gordon “Pat” Robertson dropped out of the presidential race rather quickly. Soon after (1989), Robertson founded the Christian Coalition to represent the religious right that was re-surfacing in America. Robertson artfully used the resources that he still had left after he quit campaigning for president to begin this largely Republican group. His supporters searched through the remains of the information gathered during his candidacy and compiled a list of the names and contact information of millions of conservative Christians who were interested in politics. This became the basis for the organization, which is still functioning today, and has been one of the largest grassroots movements in the history of the religious right in America.

**//Childhood & Family//**
On March 22nd of 1930, Marion Gordon Robertson was born to Democratic Senator Absalom Willis Robertson and his wife, Gladys Churchill Willis. Robertson’s birthplace was a hospital made from “Stonewall” Andrew Jackson’s old home in Lexington, Virginia. He became a rebellious young man, often going out to drink and party. When he was older, he began being involved in business and political affairs, taking after his father (he grew up in a home that revolved around politics). Robertson’s mother was a Southern belle, perfectly gracious in the social realm. However, after she came to know the Lord, she mostly withdrew from society to spend more time in her home. She prayed daily for her children, hoping that they would come to know the Lord as she did. Pat Robertson married Adelia “Dede” Elmer, and had four children with her: Timothy Bryan, Elizabeth Faith, Gordon Perry, and Anne Carter Robertson.

**//Education//**
During high school, Robertson attended McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Later, he attended three different colleges: including the Washington and Lee University (BA History), Yale Law School (JD – Juris Doctor), and the New York Theology Seminary (MA Divinity).

**//Business & Politics//**
Robertson has an interest in business as a both a hobby and a profession. Over the years, he has founded numerous lasting organizations, including the following: CBN, //The 700 Club// (host), American Center for Law and Justice, Regent University, International Family Entertainment, Operation Blessing International Relief and Development Corporation, and Flying Hospital, Inc. Robertson ran for president in the 1988 elections, but was not particularly successful. Since then, he has been active in government affairs, and supports the Republican Party through activities in ministry, as a televangelist, and through other organizations that he has founded or been a part of.

//﻿Ministry//
Pat Robertson decided to enter the ministry before he even came to know the Lord. He and Adelia began looking for a church, and ended up attending an Evangelical Free Church. From there, Robertson’s search for faith, relationship with God, and the touch of the Holy Spirit began. Eventually he went to school for theology, became a Baptist pastor, and turned into one of the largest televangelists and radio broadcasters of the Christian right. Pat’s personal goal in ministry was “… to be part of God's plan of what He is doing on earth, and…to bring Him glory.”

The Christian Right primarily consists of conservative Christian families – usually Republicans – who have very stringent political ideas. Members of the Christian right are Pro-life, anti-homosexuality, and anti-feminist; they also advocate prayer and religion in the school. Often, being associated with this political sector is viewed negatively, and support for it is viewed with skepticism. However, this has not deterred its members for continuing to act in a manner that is consistent with their beliefs.

After its founding in 1989, the Christian Coalition of America began its ministry using mailing lists gathered during Robertson’s presidential campaign. They sent out Family Value Voter flyers to inform members about political issues in America. The group was created and legally registered long before Robertson even began running for office. Two of Robertson’s closest advisors were Ralph Reed, a hotel waiter who became the founding executive director, and Roberta Combs. Combs was a founding member, and is currently the president and CEO of the Coalition (Robertson resigned in February of 2001 in order to spend more time in ministry). She remains the only female member of the Christian Coalition of America to ever be on its board of directors. Eventually, after much controversy, the Coalition became a 501(c) (4) organization, and remains one today, although there is still conflict with the IRS over the viability of its tax-exempt status. The Christian Coalition now has nearly thirty state chapters, and has divisions all over the world, and at its peak in 1994 had over two million members.

The current goals of the Christian Coalition, as stated on their website, are to: The group continues to provide Christian voter awareness information to millions of people, claiming that, “Today, Christians need to play an active role in government again like never before. If we are going to be able to change policy and influence decisions, it is imperative that people of faith become committed to doing what Ronald Reagan called ‘the hard work of freedom’.
 * **“Represent** the pro-family point of view before local councils, school boards, state legislatures and Congress
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Speak out** in the public arena and in the media
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Train** leaders for effective social and political action
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Inform** pro-family voters about timely issues and legislation
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Protest** anti-Christian bigotry and defend the rights of people of faith”

__Analysis__
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**The** wave of conservative, fundamental Christianity that swept across America during the 1980’s played a major role in the history of the Christian Coalition, and the impact it was able to have on society. Although the organization’s influence has diminished over time due to lack of support, financial issues, and an increase of debt, the corporation continues to effect some substantial changes in today’s increasingly secular and liberal society. At the very least, it simply keeps members of the Christian Right informed on the things that are taking place in our government, and across the world. The Coalition has played an instrumental role in history, and the way history has shaped it ultimately defines what it is today.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**History** is, by definition, events that have occurred in the past. However, it is more than just things that happened a long time ago. History can be further explained as choices that are made which lead to the actions that define how the future – or to us, the present – appears. Whether we are conscious of it or not, history has shaped individuals and corporations into what they are now. The Christian Coalition was molded by several key factors. First, there were plans being made for the Coalition before Pat Robertson founded it; the paperwork that would make it a legally recognized corporation was filed quite awhile before Pat Robertson was in the picture. Secondly, in the middle of the 1950’s, the decline of Christianity as a part of family life began. Society, as a whole, started to drift away from conservatism as consumerism exploded, the civil rights movement took off, and the Cold War continued. This only escalated during both the 60’s (continuation of Civil Rights Movement, assassination of Kennedy, Vietnam War Protests) and the 70’s (anti-nuke and anti-war, feminist, civil rights, impeachments, etc.). The direction society had taken disturbed <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">the shrinking group of conservative Christians, and organizations such as the Christian Coalition attempted to inform people on the truth of what was happening in their government, homes, and the world. This caused an interest in the Right Wing to grow, and brought in support for the Coalition to continue its mission of fighting to retain some influence in the government for the conservative Republicans.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Influence on history** can be achieved in many different ways. A single person or event can, within a few moments or many years, alter the course of history. Also, each person or company that has existed has played a part in history. Whether that role was influential or not depended upon the popularity of each one’s goals, their effect upon society, and the tactics used to achieve them. The Christian Coalition made its place in the timeline we label as history, because of the impact it had upon people’s views of the government, and the way it has been able to get people to take an interest in the issues of their nation. The Coalition has regularly been involved in important affairs in Washington, including talking with lawmakers and Congressmen, campaigning to achieve political goals, and speaking at Conservative Christian events. For example, a few of the major situations the Coalition were – and still are – a part of are the issues of homosexuality and abortion. Many times they have campaigned against Pro-choice laws and Gay/Lesbian Rights. The organization is also very much against the feminist movement. At one point Pat Robertson said concerning his views on equal rights for women, "I know this is painful for the ladies to hear, but if you get married, you have accepted the headship of a man, your husband. Christ is the head of the household and the husband is the head of the wife, and that's the way it is, period." Arguments like these portrayed the conservative views of many of the members of the Coalition. The American people were making a stand for what they believed, in an increasingly secular society.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**Today,** the Christian Coalition is struggling to keep afloat. Financial support has declined significantly in the last several years ($2-3 million), and the group has wrestled with legal issues, including lawsuits for racial discrimination, (a weak point of the Coalition), issues over taxes and a case over unpaid legal fees. However, the Christian Coalition still continues to hold an important spot in the politics of America. Now, if you go onto their website ([]), you will find that, on a regular basis, the Coalition sends out newsletters, flyers, press releases, e-mails, RSS feeds, and shares messages online through social networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Action Alerts, and blogs (FeedBurner, Religious Rights Watch, Capitol Notebook, etc). Though the influence that the Coalition has today is not as strong as it once was, I believe it hopes to revive itself through the youth today. This generation has many people who are on fire for God, because they want to be, and He will use that. The Coalition realizes this, and I believe tries to cater to this new revolution among the youth of our nation. They have a page on their website titled “CC on Campus”, which contains a list of their goals, and links to colleges that have a CCOC group. The Christian Coalition of America continues to fight against abortion and homosexuality, and though progress is sometimes slow, the battle for what is right and good still continues.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">**In conclusion**, the Christian Coalition was important to America and its history because its founders saw a need – a way that people could support and express their beliefs to the government in an organized fashion – and followed through on fulfilling that need. The organization provided a channel through which people could work to effect a change in their government, and in their world. The Coalition spoke on behalf of the conservatives of America who wanted the government in the hands of responsible people who would act in the best interest of families, and who could potentially change how Christianity was viewed by its citizens.

Works Cited <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">"About Us | Christian Coalition of America." //Christian Coalition of America | Defending America's Godly Heritage!// Web. 19 May 2011. <http://www.cc.org/about_us>. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">"Christian Coalition of America." //Right Wing Watch//. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/christian- coalition>. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Clarkson, Frederick. "Inside the Christian Coalition." //PublicEye.org - The Website of Political Research Associates//. Web. 25 May 2011. <http://www.publiceye.org/ifas/fw/9201/coalition.html>. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Harrell, David Edwin. //Pat Robertson: a Life and Legacy//. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub., 2010. Print. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">"Joel Hunter." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Web. 25 May 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Hunter>. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Kershner, Isabel, and Mark Landler. "AN ARMY OF THE FAITHFUL - New York Times." //The New York Times - Breaking News, World News & Multimedia//. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/1993/05/16/magazine/l-an-army-of-the-faithful- 212693.html?ref=christiancoalition>. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Kershner, Isabel, and Mark Landler. "THE 1992 CAMPAIGN; Robertson Group Is Accused Of Illegal Political Activity - New York Times." //The New York Times - Breaking News,// <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">//World News & Multimedia//. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/1992/10/22/us/the-1992-campaign-robertson-group-is- accused-of-illegal-political-activity.html?ref=christiancoalition>. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">"Pat Robertson." //NNDB: Tracking the Entire World//. Web. 19 May 2011. <http://www.nndb.com/people/552/000022486/>. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">//PatRobertson.com - The Official Site of Pat Robertson//. Web. 19 May 2011. [].