Jimmy Carter, the Politics of Family, and the Rise of the Religious Right

468 Pages·2011·4.168 MB·English

by  J. Brooks Flippen

Jimmy Carter,
the Politics of Family,
and the Rise of the
Religious Right
series editors
Claire Potter, Wesleyan University
Renee Romano, Oberlin College
advisory board
Mary Dudziak, University of Southern California
Devin Fergus, Hunter College, City University of New York
David Greenberg, Rutgers University
Shane Hamilton, University of Georgia
Jennifer Mittelstadt, Rutgers University
Stephen Pitti, Yale University
Robert Self, Brown University
Siva Vaidhyanathan, University of Virginia
Judy Wu, Ohio State University
j. brooks flippen
Jimmy Carter,
the Politics of Family,
and the Rise of
the Religious Right
The University of Georgia Press
Athens and London
© 2011 by the University of Georgia Press
Athens, Georgia 30602
www.ugapress.org
All rights reserved
Set in Minion by Graphic Composition, Inc.
Printed and bound by Th omson Shore
Th e paper in this book meets the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee
on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.
Printed in the United States of America
15 14 13 12 11 p 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Flippen, J. Brooks, 1959–
Jimmy Carter, the politics of family, and the rise of the religious right / J. Brooks Flippen.
p. cm. — (Since 1970 : histories of contemporary America)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn- 13: 978- 0- 8203- 3769- 2 (hardcover : alk. paper)
isbn- 10: 0- 8203- 3769- 2 (hardcover : alk. paper)
isbn- 13: 978- 0- 8203- 3770- 8 (pbk. : alk. paper)
isbn- 10: 0- 8203- 3770- 6 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Carter, Jimmy, 1924– —Political and social views.
2. Carter, Jimmy, 1924– —Religion.
3. United States—Politics and government—1977– 1981.
4. Families—Political aspects—United States—History—20th century.
5. Religious right—United States—History—20th century.
6. Christian conservatism—United States—History—20th century
7. Christianity and politics—United States—History—20th century.
8. United States—Social conditions—1960– 1980. I. Title.
e873.2.f57 2011
973.926092—dc22 2010032599
British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data available
For my parents, Jim and Nancy Flippen
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
introduction Washington for Jesus 1
one The Times They Are a-Changin’ 25
two The Year of the Evangelical 61
three Rootin’ and Tootin’ 107
four His Faith and Virtue Were Not Enough 155
five The Formidable Conservative Barrage 203
six The Profamily Movement 245
seven The Reagan Revolution 275
epilogue A Fault Line in American Society 321
Notes 351
Bibliography 403
Index 421
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Acknowledgments
the american novelist sherwood anderson once re-
marked, “The whole glory of writing lies in the fact that it forces us out of
ourselves and into the lives of others.” In my case, at least, the truth of this
sentiment is probably more than Anderson intended. While over the last
several years my writing has brought me into the lives of Jimmy Carter and
the prominent fi gures of his day, my research has forced me—perhaps more
directly—into the lives of librarians, archivists, researchers, and editors
without whom all of my eff orts would have been in vain. At Southeastern
Oklahoma State University, Ken Chinn, my department chair, has supported
me in more ways than I can count. From the start Ken has encouraged
my work and helped arrange my schedule for the time it required. At the
Henry G. Bennett Memorial Library, librarian Dennis Miles assisted in my
research and, just as important, was always a friendly face when I needed
one. Archivist Albert Nason at the Jimmy Carter Library patiently answered
my e-mails and always led me to just the right fi le, the right record, or what-
ever. This book would not have been possible without archivists such as
Bert and his dedicated colleagues. Independent Atlanta researcher Lynne
Watson-P owers also aided in locating key sources. I want to thank all those
who agreed to oral histories and quietly endured my endless questions. I
also thank the photographic staff at the National Archives, Liberty Univer-
sity, and the Christian Broadcasting Network. The editors at the University
of Georgia Press, including Nancy Grayson, Beth Snead, and Jon Davies, did
a fantastic job in the production of this book. Together with John McLeod
in the marketing department, they demonstrated why so many writers re-
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