Close Encounters with the Religious Right: Journeys Into the Twilight Zone of Religion and Politics [Paperback]

Robert Boston (Author), Rob Boston (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2000

This is an eye-opening expose, revealing a sometimes funny but more often disturbing world of fanaticism and extremism.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Prometheus Books; 1St Edition edition (May 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157392797X
• ISBN-13: 978-1573927970
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #471,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

70 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Who Will Be The Victims of The Holy War?, May 8, 2000

By 

Robert Derenthal "bucherwurm" (California United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Close Encounters with the Religious Right: Journeys Into the Twilight Zone of Religion and Politics (Paperback)

"We are the believers who have the right to say that what we believe is going to prevail...We are at war!" Thus spoke Bishop Earl Jackson at the 1999 annual meeting of the Christian Coalition. Military references frequently dot the speeches of members of the Christian Right as they strive to rally supporters. The goal is to make "spiritual warfare" to take back the country from "secular humanists", "the liberal media", "radical homosexuals," and "extreme separationists."

Robert Boston's task in this book is not to debate theological issues, but to acquaint us mostly with the political agendas of groups who feel that their religious and moral views should be the law of the land. I would agree that people should be allowed to follow their own consciences and believe what they want to believe. The problem is when one group feels their views should be impressed on others.

Boston's full time job is following religious right groups, and he diligently reads their publications and attends their meetings and conventions. For much of the book he allows the leaders of these groups to speak for themselves by writing their comments made in speeches, interviews and publications. Included in the book are chapters on the Christian Coalition, the Promise Keepers, the Rutherford Institute, Focus on the Family, and the ministry of James Kennedy.

While these groups unquestionably frighten the targets of their frequent wrath, they should be causing some alarm amongst mainstream Christians. Many members of these Christian Right groups look upon other Christians as apostates. In excerpting their speeches Mr. Boston also shows that leaders of the right have no compunction about misleading their followers by distorting history. The colonial America experience, the philosophy of Jefferson and Madison, and the principles involved in Supreme Court decisions frequently are radically twisted in addresses to the faithful.

39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Really Good Book...But Something is Missing, April 14, 2002

By 

Robert O. DeVries (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Close Encounters with the Religious Right: Journeys Into the Twilight Zone of Religion and Politics (Paperback)

Robert Boston has written a valuable contribution to current literature about the Religious Right. His personal observations of Religious Right leaders and organizations in action establish a credibility which a purely academic study could not. And he really covers the waterfront with discussion of influential organizations like the Rutherford Institute and the Traditional Values Coalition which most authors ignore. And as a Democrat, I can certainly relate to the author's conclusion that the Religious Right is basically a con game to lure people who would naturally gravitate to the Democratic Party into the conservative Republican fold.

However because the author has no strong theological interests, he overlooks the great danger which the Religious Right poses to Evangelical Protestantism. The actual purpose of the Religious Right is to allow people to consider themselves good Protestants while at the same time rejecting important New Testament teachings. For those who are uncomfortable with the Christian target audience being "all men everywhere"(Acts 17:30), the Religious Right permits the establishment of Our Private Religious Club--for "traditional families" only, thank you. And the list of major discrepencies between Religious Right teachings and New Testament teachings is long and substantial. Because Mr Boston overlooks the worst aspect of the Religious Right movement, he has understated his case.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A witty and enjoyable overview of the religious right, July 22, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Close Encounters with the Religious Right: Journeys Into the Twilight Zone of Religion and Politics (Paperback)

While there are other books that describe the religious right political movement, Boston's book is unparalleled in its first-hand accounts, its attention to detail, and its charm.

At its root, Close Encounters offers the reader a summary of each of the leading groups and leaders that comprise the religious right. Instead of a dry recitation of the relevant players, however, Boston's book stands apart by buttressing facts and figures with personal anecdotes. An experienced expert on the issue of religion and politics, Boston does not simply remark on the religious right from an ivory tower. He's gone to the "belly of the beast," visiting and interacting with religious right officials and grassroots activists. (Particularly enjoyable are tales of Boston's trips to the Christian Coalition's "Road to Victory" conferences, and his reservations about group hugs at a Promise Keepers gathering.) These experiences offer an insight not offered by any contemporary journalist or researcher.

At times, Close Encounters' description of the groups that make up the right are enough to produce genuine concern about the future of church-state separation and religious liberty. The religious right's movement, as the book explains, represents a serious and determined threat to the First Amendment. Yet, Boston's humorous style and sincere enthusiasm for the subject matter turn what is clearly a serious issue into a fascinating and witty book.

One gets the impression that critics of the book have offered their critiques before actually reading Boston's work. It's a shame; they appear more interested in ad hominem attacks than a serious discussion of the subject matter.

Though written during the Clinton administration, Close Encounters is perhaps at its most relevant now, as many of the groups and religious leaders chronicled in this text have risen to even greater political influence by way of President Bush's administration. In short, anyone concerned with the religious right and the changing dynamic of the relationship between religion and politics will definitely enjoy Boston's terrific book. I highly recommend it.