A Reply to Professor Beck

The 2004 election reinvigorated the debate about Christianity's role in our nation's lawmaking. The election saw increased polarization between the secular left, and the politicized Christian right.' Evangelical Protestants voted overwhelmingly for the Republican candidate, George W. Bush, while the most secular voters voted overwhelmingly for John Kerry.2 The 2004 election emboldened the Christian right. In addition to what they believed was their crucial role in President Bush's victory, the Christian right celebrated the passage of constitutional amendments banning gay marriage in all eleven states where such amendments were on the ballot.? One leader of the Christian right stated that "the liberal, anti-Christian dogma of the left has been repudiated in almost every recent election . . . .' Citing polls showing that President Bush received 80% support from the large number of voters who listed moral values as their top priority, the Christian right has continued to flex its political muscle.

In the wake of this election, Christian conservatives have become increasingly vocal and increasingly effective in Congress and in state legislatures across the country.