Q&A with the Author: Julie J. Ingersoll

1. For those unfamiliar, who are Christian Reconstructionists?

Christian Reconstructionists are a small but influential group of conservative Christians who argue that biblical law as it is contained in the Old and New Testaments should be the basis of our modern legal system and the organizing mechanism regulating every aspect of human life. Most known for “dominionism,” they have had an important, but often hidden, influence in the culture, the agenda, and the framing of concerns of conservative American Protestantism.

2. What led you to this particular field of study?

Well, broadly speaking I have been interested in the intersection of religion and politics since I was an undergraduate at Rutgers majoring in political science and minoring in religion. Those interests led me into the Christian Reconstructionist world where I became a “member,” and remained for a decade or so. This project, more specifically, arises from decades of research, observation, and reflection on that part of my life. I should say though, this book is historical and sociological it is not a memoir.

3. What is unique about this book?

In addition to bringing together my first hand experience with the movement and my training in religious studies, the book blends research methods in what I hope is a unique way. The first half of the book is historical, tracing the rise of the movement and the development of what Reconstructionists call a “biblical worldview;” it’s an intellectual history of sorts. The second part of the book is a field-based study looking at how the biblical worldview plays out is some specific organizations and in the daily lives of believers. There are chapters on home schooling and Christian schooling, a discussion of the tea party, and a chapter on religion and violence.

4. What do you think people misunderstand about Christian Reconstructionists?

It’s funny, what people misunderstand is something that Reconstructionists say all the time: “it’s not about politics.” That is a little hard for outsiders to get their heads around because what they do seems, to most of us, to be so political. Their assertion that they are not primarily about politics is dependent, in part, on a difference in how they use the term. Importantly, though, if we look at only the explicitly political aspects of this movement we miss the source of their influence: what they really seek is much bigger than politics, it’s the compete transformation of every aspect of culture to bring it into line with the way they read the bible.