Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite

353 Pages·2007·1.56 MB·English

by  D. Michael Lindsay

Advance Praise for
Faith in the Halls of Power:
How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite
‘‘Faith in the Halls of Power is an extraordinary, definitive examination of
evangelicalparticipationinAmericanculturalandpoliticalaffairs.Lindsay
bringsagiftforthoughtful,clearwritingtobearonanimpressiveamount
of research, and the entire project is guided by a sincere and refreshing
effortto be fair. It sparkles with insight.’’
—Frederica Mathewes-Green, columnist for Beliefnet.com
and author of Facing East: A Pilgrim’s Journey
into the Mysteries of Orthodoxy
‘‘Whoarethoseevangelicals?Wheredidtheycomefrom?Andwhatdothey
intendtodowithourcountry?SuchquestionsaskedbyinnumerableAmeri-
cans receive in this book a response that is both sympathetic and critical.
MichaelLindsayputsallofusintohisdebtwiththisthoughtfulanalysisofthe
riseofanewcenterofleadershipinourpubliclife.’’
—The Rev. Richard John Neuhaus,Editor-in-Chief,
First Things
‘‘Anoutstandingbook.Ifmoreproofwereneededthatsimplestereotypes
aboutAmericanevangelicals,whetherfromLeftorRight,areinadequate,
thisbook supplies it abundantly.’’
—Mark Noll, authorof America’s God
‘‘Given the confusion and misunderstanding surrounding the evangelical
movement in the U.S., Michael Lindsay has produced a work of lasting
importance. A keen and disciplined researcher of the religious scene,
Lindsayhas drawn uponhundreds ofpersonal interviewswithevangelical
leadersrepresentingthepowercentersofpolitics,academe,entertainment,
andbusiness.Hebringsreadersaclearandauthenticaccountoftheextent
towhichevangelicalsarechangingAmerica.’’
—GeorgeGallup, Jr., FoundingChairman,
The George H.Gallup InternationalInstitute
‘‘Evangelicals are sometimes painted as complete morons; sometimes
they’re marginalized, sometimes demonized, sometimes ignored. Seldom
aretheypresentedasamultifacetedmovementwithtexture,tension,depth,
andevenparadox.MichaelLindsaystrikestheneededbalanceandpresents
‘thestateoftheunion’forevangelicalsintheU.S.’’
—Brian McLaren, author ofA New Kind ofChristian
‘‘Michael Lindsay’s new book gives us a strikingly lively account of Ameri-
can evangelicalism at a time when an elite that was once largely closed to
evangelicals now includes them in significant numbers. He makes it clear
that evangelicalism is a diverse phenomenon, even in some respects an
amorphous one, but in one regard, devotion to radical individualism,
evangelicals are more similar to than different from other Americans. In
thiscrucialrespecttheycannotbeconsideredcounter-cultural,whichmay
be encouraging ordepressing news depending on one’s point ofview.’’
—Robert Bellah,co-author of Habits of theHeart
‘‘Drawing on hundreds of personal interviews, Michael Lindsay has richly
capturedwhatC.WrightMillswouldhaveneverseenahalf-centuryago—
but has now become a potent pillar of America’s ‘power elite.’ United by
faith and friendship, evangelicals have built the networks, acquired the
assets,andembracedthecallingtoremakeAmericanpoliticsandculture.
Faith in the Halls of Power is a compelling portrait of one of the most far-
reachingbut least appreciated social transformations of our time.’’
—MichaelUseem, Professor ofManagement and Director
of the Center for Leadership and Change,Wharton School,
University of Pennsylvania
‘‘The stereotype of evangelical Christians as uneducated, rural, and cul-
turally marginal has been slow to break down. Yet evangelicals are promi-
nent among political and economic power brokers, active in cultural
production, and increasingly well represented among elite university stu-
dents. Michael Lindsay does a large service by tracing the extent and
pathways of this change. He shows an incorporation into the American
‘mainstream’ that is changing not only U.S. society at large but also the
evangelical movement that has long seen itself as marginalized. That so
many have been slow to see the pattern of change makes his book all the
morewelcome.’’
—CraigCalhoun,UniversityProfessoroftheSocialSciences,
New YorkUniversity
‘‘Whether you are a disgruntled evangelical who sometimes fears that the
media’s caricature of evangelicals is true or a skeptic who dismisses evan-
gelicals as members of the flat-earth society—or something in between—
this is the book for you! Through D. Michael Lindsay’s first-rate scholar-
ship,wearegivenafairandaccurateaccountofwhoevangelicalsreallyare
and how they have influenced our culture for the good. In our age of
divisiveness and distrust,this isawelcome contribution.’’
—Rebecca Manley Pippert, author of Hope Has
Its Reasons and Out of theSaltShaker
E
faith in the halls of power
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faith in the
halls of power
E
How Evangelicals
Joined the American Elite
d. michael lindsay
1
2007
3
OxfordUniversityPress,Inc.,publishesworksthatfurther
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Copyright#2007byD.MichaelLindsay
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Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,
storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,
electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,orotherwise,
withoutthepriorpermissionofOxfordUniversityPress.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Lindsay,D.Michael.
Faithinthehallsofpower:howevangelicalsjoinedtheAmericanelite/
byD.MichaelLindsay.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferences.
ISBN978-0-19-532666-6
1. Evangelicalism—UnitedStates—History.
2. Elite(Socialsciences)—UnitedStates—History. I. Title.
BR1642.U5L562007
277.3'083—dc22 2007004790
1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
onacid-freepaper
To Rebecca and Elizabeth
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contents
preface xi
introduction 1
part i: campaigns, coalitions, and the oval office
1: Presidents and Politics 15
2: Allies and Enemies 38
part ii: intellectuals and the groves of academe
3: Knowledge to Change the World 75
4: Life of the Mind 94
part iii: artists, celebrities, and the public stage
5: From Protest to Patronage 117
6: A Cultural Revolution 137
part iv: corporate titans and the corner office
7: Faith-Friendly Firms 161
8: Executive Influence 186
conclusion: Move-the-Dial Christianity 208
appendix 233
notes 255
references 301
index 317