Buies Creek, N.C.–Dr. Randall Balmer, professor of American Religious History at Barnard College, Columbia University, criticized the Religious Right at an annual lecture sponsored by the Campbell University Department of Religion and Philosophy on Tuesday, Mar. 11. Balmer is the author of several books on religion and politics including, “In God We Trust (at least when we’re campaigning),” “God in the White House: How Faith Shaped the Presidency from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush,” and “Thy Kingdom Come: How the Religious Right Distorts the Faith and Threatens America.” His first book, “A Perfect Babel of Confusion: Dutch Religion and English Culture in the Middle Colonies,” won several awards and his second book, “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: A Journey into the Evangelical Subculture in America,” was made into a PBS documentary series for which Balmer was nominated for an Emmy award. “I write as a jilted lover, the evangelical faith that nurtured me as a child and sustains me as an adult has been hijacked by right-wing zealots who have distorted the gospel of Jesus Christ, defaulted on the noble legacy of the 19th century evangelicals and failed to appreciate the genius of the First Amendment,” he quoted from his book, “Thy Kingdom Come.”The Religious Right distorts Jesus’ teachings by supporting war instead of peace, blurring the line between the separation of church and state and weighing in on the side of corporate America rather than reaching out to the margins of society, he added.Balmer has published widely both in academic and scholarly journals and in the popular press. He is an editor for “Christianity Today,” and his commentaries on religion in America, distributed by the New York Times Syndicate, have appeared in newspapers across the country. His second documentary, “Crusade: The Life of Billy Graham,” was aired on PBS and also appeared in Arts & Entertainment TV’s “Biography” series. “‘In the Beginning:’ The Creationist Controversy,” a two-part documentary on the creation-evolution debate, was first broadcast over PBS in May 1995 and rebroadcast in fall 2001.This is the Department of Religion and Philosophy’s ninth annual lecture. Photo Copy: Dr. Randall Balmer speaks at Campbell University.
Balmer speaks out against the Religious Right