“Family Values” and the Formation of a Christian Right Agenda

摘要

DURING his 1976 presidential campaign, Jimmy Carter promised socialnconservatives that, if elected, he would convene a conferencenexamining how the federal government could support Americannfamilies. That promise—alongside Carter’s description of being “born again”nand his well-documented Christian devotion—thrilled Americannevangelicals. They provided him with a crucial bloc of support in the 1976nelection. Four years later, Carter finally made good on his campaign pledgenwhen he convened the White House Conference on Families. Carter declarednthat the conference would “examine the strengths of American families, thendifficulties they face, and the ways in which family life is affected by publicnpolicies.”n1nHe recruited a panel of organizers and asked them to focus onnhow government policy might better support family life.