Christian Agenda

In the political realm, different groups each have their own agenda, focusing on those issues and positions they agree with or value. Union workers, Democrats/Republicans, and members of the LGBTQ+ community, for example, all have issues they lobby for with their legislators; one of the most influential groups, Christians, have an agenda that covers a variety of topics and areas of life, from schools to health care to the media. In recent years, this agenda has come to be overwhelmingly fought for by members of the Christian Right, or the religious right.

The belief that America is a Christian nation, founded on the principles of Christianity, underscores this Christian agenda. Using this belief as their foundation, members of the religious right often believe that the "separation of church and state" is not codified in the Constitution and the basic tenets of Christianity should be mirrored in the laws of the land. This includes defining marriage as solely between one man and one woman, and criminalizing abortion in most - if not all - cases. Another part of the Christian agenda focuses on education, with support for school vouchers ideally enabling parents to send their children to religious schools without incurring additional financial expense; other aspects of this include the teaching of creationism and intelligent design rather than evolution, and a removal of sex education from classrooms, potentially replacing it with abstinence-only education. Some Christian groups include in their agenda more radical viewpoints, such as supporting legislation that would limit shopping, dining out, etc., on Sundays, as that is believed to be the Sabbath. While the Religious Right has a great deal of influence in American society and government, their agenda is not as strongly supported as they would like, simply because of the diverse denominations that exist under the umbrella of Christianity. Were these groups to agree on a position and fight for it as a unified front, their lobbying power could have a profound impact on the success of the Christian agenda.