Suchergebnisse

When Minnesota's popular sitting governor, a moderate Independent Republican (IR), was denied his own party's endorsement for re-election in June 1994, political analysts nationwide took notice. Throughout the nation, perhaps the most visible manifestation of the rise to prominence of the Christian Right was the quixotic campaign of a little known, fifth generation Minnesota farmer named Allen Quist. But in the wake of Quist's spectacular failure in September's primary election, many observers drew the erroneous conclusion that, at least in Minnesota, the electoral strength of the Christian Right was vastly overstated. In looking beyond the gubernatorial race, it is clear that the Christian Right played a pivotal role in elevating a first-term U.S. representative to the Senate and driving substantial IR gains in the state legislature. Moreover, these successes—and Quist's failure— provide important clues for predicting the future of the movement in Minnesota and elsewhere.

DRAWING ON A DATA SET COLLECTED IN SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, DURING THE 1984 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN, THIS PAPER MEASURES AND CONSIDERS THE EFFECTS OF CHURCH CONTEXT AS WELL AS NEIGHBORHOOD CONTESTS, THIS ADDRESSING TWO QUESTIONS: HOW DOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD ENVIRONMENT AFFECT MEMBERS OF DIFFERENT DENOMINATIONS AND RELIGIONS; AND TO WHAT EXTENT ARE INDIVIDUALS INFLUENCED BY CHURCH ENVIRONMENTS AS OPPOSED TO NEIGHBORHOOD ENVIRONMENTS? THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD ENVIRONMENT DOES HAVE DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS FOR DIFFERENT DENOMINATIONS, ESPECIALLY IN REGARD TO PARTISANSHIP, AND FURTHER SHOWS THAT CHURCH ENVIRONMENTS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN INFLUENCING INDIVIDUAL POLITICAL BEHAVIOR (VOTING), EVEN AFTER CONTROLLING FOR OTHER INDIVIDUAL-LEVEL VARIABLES.

A theory of religious influence on political behavior -- Social networks and church structure: congregations, small groups, informal contacts -- Clergy influences and religious commitment reconsidered: reconciling old and new influences on political behavior -- Church-centered influences on public opinion -- The resourceful believer: generating civic skills in church -- The construction of political mobilization in churches -- Present but not accounted for: churches, institutional treatment, and gender differences in civic resources

Whether clergy are influencing opinions, setting agendas, mobilizing, or empowering parishioners, the primary mechanism is public speech. Using a national sample of 2,400 ELCA (Lutheran) & Episcopal Church clergy, surveyed in the late summer & fall of 1998, we explore the nature, frequency, & determinants of clergy public speech. We find that clergy public speech is relatively pervasive & conveys a significant amount of normative judgments about the workings of the policy process. In assessing its determinants, we find that clergy public speech is a product of personal motivation situated in an environment conducive to action, which includes the pressures exerted by the congregation, national political cues, & community. Specifically, we find that clergy speak out publicly on political issues when mobilized, but also as a way to represent their congregations in the public sphere & to motivate members to add their distinctive voices to public debate. 2 Tables, 23 References. Adapted from the source document.