Christian Coalition: Difference between revisions
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The '''Christian Coalition''' is an [[United States of America|American]] political interest group that focuses on promoting and strengthening [[Christianity]] and [[family values]] in American politics and culture. The organization was founded after its founder Rev. Pat Robertson's failed Republican Presidential nomination during the 1988 elections.<ref>http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=BhPAWSDLoNEC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=Christian+Coalition+&ots=Uhhzne_zAa&sig=98lqgt9OMKqvWYJOMa6-j-Wbx3k#v=onepage&q=&f=false</ref> Originally named the Christian Coalition, Inc., it was renamed to Christian Coalition of America after a legal battle with the [[Internal Revenue Service]]. As a "grass roots" organization it has distributed information to citizens and lobbied for issues that concern Christians. It had tremendous success from its founding to the late 1990s. It is considered an organization that reflects the views of the | The '''Christian Coalition''' is an [[United States of America|American]] political interest group that focuses on promoting and strengthening [[Christianity]] and [[family values]] in American politics and culture. The organization was founded after its founder Rev. Pat Robertson's failed Republican Presidential nomination during the 1988 elections.<ref>http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=BhPAWSDLoNEC&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=Christian+Coalition+&ots=Uhhzne_zAa&sig=98lqgt9OMKqvWYJOMa6-j-Wbx3k#v=onepage&q=&f=false</ref> Originally named the Christian Coalition, Inc., it was renamed to Christian Coalition of America after a legal battle with the [[Internal Revenue Service]]. As a "grass roots" organization it has distributed information to citizens and lobbied for issues that concern Christians. It had tremendous success from its founding to the late 1990s. It is considered an organization that reflects the views of the Christian Right.<ref>http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Qj6gm1oBmNMC&oi=fnd&pg=PR7&dq=Christian+Coalition+of+america&ots=jlBH_LKjWd&sig=3O0qC2RyMOtWEQ-IPxH9SV6YGGo#v=onepage&q=Christian%20Coalition%20of%20america&f=false</ref><br /> | ||
==History== | ==History== |
Latest revision as of 15:31, 7 June 2024
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The Christian Coalition is an American political interest group that focuses on promoting and strengthening Christianity and family values in American politics and culture. The organization was founded after its founder Rev. Pat Robertson's failed Republican Presidential nomination during the 1988 elections.[1] Originally named the Christian Coalition, Inc., it was renamed to Christian Coalition of America after a legal battle with the Internal Revenue Service. As a "grass roots" organization it has distributed information to citizens and lobbied for issues that concern Christians. It had tremendous success from its founding to the late 1990s. It is considered an organization that reflects the views of the Christian Right.[2] HistoryFoundingThe Founding of the Christian Coalition can be traced back to the 1988 Republican presidential primaries. During the primaries Rev. Pat Robertson had failed to gain the nomination from the Republican party. After his defeat Robertson still had a large following of Christians and funds from his campaign. Robertson created the Christian Coalition, Inc a conservative Christian organization with an ambitious agenda. The organization was to bring issues concerning "people of faith"[3] to legislators. Pat Robertson would become its first president and he selected Ralph Reed to be its executive director. Ralph E. Reed as Executive Director (1989-1997)Under the leadership of Ralph Reed the Christian Coalition was able to reach the height of its power. His charisma and persuasion attracted membership from the Christian right, thus increasing membership. The Coalition exerted its influence over southern politics and local politics, where there was a large concentration of its membership. The Christian Coalition was able to influence both legislation and the election of candidates with similar Christian ideals. The Christian Coalition claimed to have helped the Republicans gain a majority on both the House and the Senate for the 104th United States Congress. In 1996 the Coalition began its decline and would eventually lose much of the influence and membership it had gained. The Chief Financial Officer Judy Leibert accused Reed of allowing his friend and golfing buddy access to the direct mailing list. This resulted in Leibert receiving a severance package to drop the charges, it included $80,000 yearly salary, and $25,000 to cover the legal expenses. This also resulted in the resignation of Reed in April of 1997.The coalition was also accused of violating campaign finance laws for the congressional and presidential elections, this resulted in their loss of their tax except status. The Decline of the Christian Coalition (1997-)Current objectives and activitiesTheir Mission
2009 Christian Coalition Legislative Agenda for the 111th congressThe group has stated its objectives as:[5]
The Christian Coalition currently has a campaign for each of its objectives. As an organization it makes petitions, facilitates communication with representatives, disseminates information by petitions or emails, and lobbies in an effort to further its goals. Organizational structureIts national president is Roberta Combs. The Christian Coalition is a grassroots organization with local chapters across the U.S., which deal with local as well as national issues. The coalition has a pastor’s council in which spiritual leaders can band together and defend their religious views. This allows for the coalition to have influence on those who seek guidance from these religious leaders. The Coalition also has Church liaisons that registers voters and disseminates public information at local churches. Public perception and controversiesThe public perception of the Christian Coalition is that the interest group is representative of the Christian right. At times it has been accused of being intolerant to homosexuals because of their stance against same-sex marriage. The coalition had a long fought battle with the Internal Revenue Service concerning it being granted a 501(c)(4) status, which does not permit tax-deductible contributions but exempts the organization from taxes and allows certain political activity. This ended in 2005 with the organization being granted the status. In 1996 the Federal Elections Commission accused the coalition of violating campaign finance laws during the 1992, 1994, 1996 Congressional elections and the 1992 Presidential elections. As a result the coalition lost its tax-exempt status, but regained it in 2005 with a settlement agreement. References
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