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Members of the “nervous generation” sought to preserve traditional values as society rapidly modernized during the 1920s.
State laws that banned the teaching of evolution in public schools, like the Tennessee law that was the focus of the Scopes Monkey Trial in 1925, illustrated how Protestant fundamentalism and evangelicalism influenced American politics and society.
The highlight of the trial came when Clarence Darrow, who defended John T. Scopes, questioned the religious beliefs of William Jennings Bryan, an evangelical Christian who interpreted the Bible literally. Darrow’s questions undermined Bryan’s beliefs and highlighted his ignorance of modern science. Some evangelical Protestants considered Darrow’s actions (and the trial) as an attack on their faith.
EXAMPLE
In the 1920s, evangelical ministers began to broadcast radio programs.Perhaps no one used radio more effectively than Aimee Semple McPherson.
In addition to radio, McPherson anticipated the “megachurches” of the late 20th century when she opened a stadium-sized church in a suburb of Los Angeles in 1923. Angelus Temple, as it was named, was the location from which McPherson preached the “Four Square Gospel,” which included four key tenets: God, home, school, and government.
Like the other evangelists of her day, McPherson believed and taught that the Bible was the word of God—exact and complete. It was, therefore, flawless. She also preached Jesus Christ’s universal love and practiced faith healing. Above all, McPherson espoused the individual work ethic. If one had the ability and willpower to work hard, they could be rewarded with a blessed life.
EXAMPLE
McPherson was the first woman to operate a Christian radio station. As over 5,000 people packed into the Angelus Temple to hear her sermons, thousands more listened via the radio.
The popularity of Aimee Semple McPherson (and of her evangelical message) is an example of the influence that religion has had in the lives of Americans throughout the nation’s history. As the 20th century continued, prominent preachers drew large, enthusiastic audiences and, eventually, linked their religious message to political goals. In 1942, the National Association of Evangelicals for United Action was formed.
There were two main reasons for the continuing influence of Christianity in the United States after World War II:
Many Americans opposed communism because they saw it as being anti-religion. The Soviet government confiscated church property, taught atheism in schools, and denigrated religious expression. For these reasons, a number of American politicians and citizens referred to the Soviet Union as “godless.” At the same time, Americans continued to view the United States as a unique, exceptional nation—one empowered by God and called upon by the Declaration of Independence to promote liberty around the world.
As millions of Americans prospered following World War II, they began to consume a variety of nonessential products and services. Rock and roll music was one of them. As performed by Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, and others, it celebrated young love, freedom, and rebellion.
The major movie studios began to release films that involved these themes, and magazines advertised the latest fashions and cosmetics.
As consumption increased, Protestant ministers and other commentators warned that rampant consumerism would destabilize families and lead children astray. They pointed out that Americans were increasingly placing their material desires above their spiritual needs.
In this context of the Cold War and consumerism, evangelical preachers made steady gains. Among the most notable of them was Billy Graham.
Like Aimee Semple McPherson, Graham preached traditional Christian values with the help of modern technology. In the 1920s, McPherson connected with many of her followers via radio. Graham used television in addition to radio to reach his listeners.
EXAMPLE
During the late 1950s, Billy Graham appeared on a weekly television show, hosted a weekly radio broadcast (Hour of Decision), and published a Christian magazine titled Christianity Today.Television networks broadcast Graham’s revivals, also known as “crusades.” In his sermons, he effectively included themes related to the Cold War and rampant consumerism. For example, Graham stated the following to an audience of over 14,000 people in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1958:
Billy Graham, Revival Broadcast, 1958
“The political world is crying for help. Communism and democracy, the East and the West, are at each other’s throats with two diametrically opposed political ideologies. And the whole political world is saying, ‘Help us’ . . . .
We are so taken up with our money-making, so taken up with the amusements and places and comforts of modern American life, that we don’t realize that the forces of evil are closing in round about us. Unless we can turn to God and have His help, we are done for as a nation and as a people.
I do not think that the Charlotte crusade ought to be ‘another crusade’ . . . I think it ought to be something different. I think it ought to be the beginning of a revival throughout the South that can sweep the nation. I think it ought to be something that will set an example to the world and say to the world, ‘We have an answer. We can solve our problems at the foot of the cross as a community, and we have found an answer to our individual needs in Jesus Christ.’”
The Cold War and consumerism, combined with controversies related to identity politics, mobilized evangelical Protestants during the 1960s and 1970s.
Like Billy Graham, evangelical ministers including Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson preached that premarital sex, homosexuality, and drug use contributed to a decline in family values. Instead of supporting the Great Society and equal protection for all citizens, these ministers mobilized their listeners to oppose the sexual revolution.
In a 1981 letter, Falwell claimed that Americans were under attack as a result of a “homosexual revolution.” Based on his view that homosexuality was a sin, he argued that acceptance of gay rights would earn the United States the same fate as Sodom and Gomorrah, the Biblical cities that God destroyed to punish the inhabitants for their sins.
Jerry Falwell, Evangelist
“I refuse to stop speaking out against the sin of homosexuality . . . .
Romans 1:24-28, Paul clearly condemns the sin of homosexuality. In verse 28, when a nation refuses to listen to God’s standards of morality, the bible declares, ‘God gave them over to a reprobate mind.’
Recently 250,000 homosexuals marched in the streets of San Francisco. Several weeks ago 75,000 more were marching in the streets of Los Angeles . . . .
It sounds a great deal like Sodom and Gomorrah. As I interpret Scripture, when a society becomes like Sodom and Gomorrah, it is not far from destruction . . . .
Practicing and flaunting gays are teaching children in classrooms today. They are preaching in some of our pulpits today, and they are exerting great influence on television networks today. They have plans for your children and mine. They have plans for turning America into a nation that will cause ‘God to give us over to a reprobate mind.’”
Falwell’s insistence that homosexuality was a sin and that the gay rights movement was leading the United States into a disaster of biblical proportions shows that evangelical Protestants were highly involved in the “culture wars” of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.
For these reasons, Jerry Falwell’s Moral Majority and other evangelical organizations sought the assistance of Republicans associated with the New Right to advance their agenda. This relationship was solidified in the 1980s. Evangelical Christians, including Falwell’s Moral Majority, were among the strongest supporters of Ronald Reagan’s campaign for president in 1980. By this time, evangelical Christians had become an important political and social force in the United States.
Billy Graham established close relationships with several presidents, including Ronald Reagan.
Jerry Falwell met with President Reagan on several occasions during the 1980s to discuss issues that concerned the Moral Majority.
Despite the support he received from conservative Christians, Reagan was not an ideologue. However, he did believe that traditional values were threatened by an immoral popular culture. Although Reagan did not actively seek the reversal of Roe v. Wade and did not call for a constitutional amendment to protect prayer in schools, he and other Republicans cultivated the support of evangelical leaders during the 1980s.
By the early 1990s, many of the core beliefs of evangelical Protestantism—including the infallibility of the Bible, individual salvation, and U.S. exceptionalism—were shared by conservative Republicans.
During the 1992 presidential primaries, Republican incumbent George H. W. Bush was challenged by conservative Pat Buchanan. Although Buchanan failed to win the nomination, he spoke at the Republican National Convention in 1992, declaring that a “cultural war” for the “soul of America” was underway.
According to Buchanan, the Democratic platform (i.e., the platform that Bush’s opponent, Bill Clinton, would implement if elected) “would impose on America: abortion on demand, a litmus test for the Supreme Court, homosexual rights, discrimination against religious schools, women in combat units.”
“[T]hat’s not the kind of change America needs,” Buchanan continued. He went on to state that the core tenets of evangelicalism had been incorporated into the Republican platform, including the following:
Source: This tutorial curated and/or authored by Matthew Pearce, Ph.D with content adapted from Openstax “U.S. History.” Access for free at openstax.org/details/books/us-history LICENSE: CREATIVE COMMONS ATTRIBUTION 4.0 INTERNATIONAL
REFERENCES
“Christ’s Answer to the World,” B. Graham Center Archives, billygrahamlibrary.org
Buchanan: Culture Wars, 1992 and Falwell Letter “Homosexual Revolution” both Ret: The American Yawp, bit.ly/2pRrAkG
