"In Defense of the Religious Right," Patrick Hynes (Nelson Current, July 2006)

Despite the plunging poll numbers of Republicans amid the Mark Foley scandal, don’t hand the congressional keys to Democrats just yet. Political prognostication is a tricky business, much of which proves to be hot air come Election Day.

In his book, "In Defense of the Religious Right," GOP political consultant and blogger Patrick Hynes contends that much post-election analysis is also all wet, particularly when it comes to Christian conservatives.

Hynes lampoons the critics who have demonized the Religious Right while painting them as a camp filled with uneducated Neanderthals, misogynists and angry white males who yearn for a theocracy to rule the nation.

Using statistical analysis, the author makes the points that:

* Christian women outnumber men 57-43 percent and are more likely to attend church, read the Bible regularly and embrace a literal interpretation of the Book.

* Sixty-five percent of the church is between 18 and 52, putting to rest the image of churches filled with doddering old fogies.

* While many on the left fumed about evangelicals supporting President George Bush, so did traditionalist Catholics, who backed him 72-28 percent over Sen. John Kerry in 2004.

There is much to like about this book, including Hynes’ penetrating historical analysis. He points to how Abraham Lincoln often quoted Scripture and appeals to God in the North’s victorious battle against the South.

Hynes also recognizes how the mushrooming growth of conservative-dominated cells and home groups fuels the voter involvement that flummoxed Democrats in 2004.

The author believes the liberal-dominated media are responsible for many of the insults aimed at the Religious Right. He also mentions the disproportionate share of news coverage of such groups as MoveOn.org, which at 2.5 million members represents only a tenth of Christian conservatives.

This book is filled with ironies, none more apparent than a Catholic taking up his pen to defend evangelicals. Yet, just as Hynes accuses liberals of ignoring nuances within the conservative world, he also ignores some of the nuances and shortcomings of the right.

For example, Hynes recalls Martin Luther King, Jr.’s religious base and appeals to God, yet conveniently ignores the fact that most evangelicals defended the status quo during the Civil Rights era.

Not only were they on the wrong side, those seeds produced bitterness that can be seen by the distrust many African-Americans still have for conservatives, despite sharing many of their views on moral issues.

And, while Hynes notes the existence of divisive Terri Schiavo partisans, he fails to comment on some conservatives’ penchant for a "no compromise" stance in politics that creates more bitterness than practical solutions.

So, while Hynes’ book helps present a more balanced view of religious conservatives, it only represents the starting line. Take, for example, the book by Joel Hunter—new president of the Christian Coalition—"Right Wing, Wrong Bird: Why the Tactics of the Religious Right Won’t Fly With Most Conservatives."

Obviously, even within conservative Christian circles not everyone admires the political tactics employed to push certain agendas.