Product Description

An essential history of the influential men who have spearheaded the movement to erode the wall separating church and state.

Beginning as far-left radicals during the 1960s, the theocons in Damon Linker’s book (including Richard John Neuhaus, Michael Novak, and George Weigel) gradually transitioned to conservatism when they grew frustrated with the failures of the decade’s revolutionary goals. Linker shows how, starting during the Reagan administration, they worked to forge a Christian alliance between Evangelical Protestants and Conservative Catholics. By injecting the language of faith into political life, this movement appealed to a wide swath of voters and ultimately played a central role in the election of George W. Bush. The Theocons is an absorbing and revelatory look at an ideological crusade that every American needs to know about.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #527956 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-04
• Released on: 2007-09-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Conventional wisdom on the left holds that conservatives bring up issues ranging from abortion and gay rights to the teaching of evolution primarily as a cynical ploy to activate their political base, but Linker challenges that notion by detailing the inner workings of the "theoconservative" movement. He describes it as a group of mostly Catholic intellectuals who view American society in sometimes apocalyptic terms, whose absolute and uncompromising moral framework for law—their ultimate goal is "the end of secular politics"—holds great sway in Republican circles. Primarily and almost obsessively concerned with Richard John Neuhaus and his journal First Things, Linker's exposé sometimes makes it seem as if the political philosophy that animates perhaps a quarter of the electorate is essentially a one-man show. More curious is that, though his words drip with disdain for virtually every position championed by the magazine, Linker himself was an editor at First Things until barely a year before his book's publication. This book may leave readers yearning for a more broad-based study of how Neuhaus—whose journal has a circulation of well under 50,000—and his ilk have managed to motivate a resurgence of politically minded religiosity in such a large number of Americans. (Sept. 19)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Linker informs us of a tiny cabal of -activist-propagandists who have forged an alliance between right-wing Catholics and Evangelical Christians that has worked so effectively for the Republican Party that President Bush, in particular, accepts its advice. The cabal's leader is leftist Lutheran minister turned hyperdogmatic Catholic priest Richard John Neuhaus, the founding editor in chief of First Things, the flagship journal of the cabal's movement, which Linker, once on staff at First Things, calls theoconservatism. Neuhaus' 1984 book The Naked Public Square advanced the idea that secularism forces religious voices out of public debates; conservative Jews as well as Christians found Neuhaus' notion very persuasive and politically useful. Linker believes that, however admirable its goals may be, theoconservatism at best misunderstands and at worst despises American liberal democracy, especially the wisdom of the separation of church and state. Linker's literate, reasonable chronicle and assessment of the theocons, that of an erstwhile colleague who shows no personal animus toward his former associates, is one of the most enlightening critiques of the Religious Right to date. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“Required reading for anyone interested in the American political scene today.”
—Mark Lilla, professor at the Committee on Social Thought at the University of Chicago

“The Theocons is invaluable as firsthand research, alarming in its implications for the future of American freedom, and devastating as a critique of the theocratic ambitions of those who now control the Republican Party.”
—Andrew Sullivan, The New Republic

“The Theocons constitutes a major step toward reclaiming the liberal heritage that has made America great.”
—Alan Wolfe, author of The Transformation of American Religion

Customer Reviews

America Under Attack
The Theocons is a hair-raising examination of how several men persevered for over thirty years toward a single goal: to inject their religious ideas into American politics. At present, they have largely succeeded---particularly in their domination of the Republican Party. They make no secret of their goals, among which is the destruction of the separation of church of state, the establishment of medieval Christianity, the "return to the patriarchal family."

The author's history of this alarming movement boldly names names, identifying the alliance between leaders of the Catholic and Protestant churches and discussing their influence among American Presidents and other politicians.

Mr. Linker's familiarity with theocon history is unimpeachable, his writing style easy to read, his stories riveting. However, he does not recognize that the antidote to the theocons' religious ideals of faith, obedience and self-sacrifice are the American values of reason, purpose and self-esteem. As a consequence, it is unclear that he grasps what every American has known for over two centuries: that the only way to guarantee religious freedom in America is maintain a firm separation of church and state.

Nonetheless, this is a valuable history of a very real and present danger facing us.

A great book, a scary book, an important book
You can't live in the United States of America and not notice the shift in politics towards religion. Almost daily we see the lines between Church and State become blurrier and blurrier. Damon Linker calls this movement theoconservatism and outlines the rise and development of this uniquely American point of view in his book The Theocons-Secular America Under Siege.

Linker has a unique perspective as the former editor of First Things, the journal of the theocons. He believes that Americans should be scared enough by this small conservative movement to keep an eye and a check on how far religion is allowed to go in consulting with federal government.

The argument is compelling. We are dealing with an administration that brought in faith based initiatives, faith based counseling, and that involved itself in the Terry Schiavo right-to-die case. It is also a proponent of "intelligent design", has passed (or attempted) pro-life legislation, is against gay marriage, and continues to fund and fight a moral global war against terror.

Linker focuses on the major players of the movement, all who have close ties to the current White House administration and who have very radical views of the role religion should play in government. From Catholic conservative Richard John Neuhaus (founder of First Things) and author Michael Novack, best known for his arguments against income tax and theological justifications for George W. Bush's Middle East policies; to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and almost-Justice Robert Bork - we get a good overview of the main organizers of this small but highly vocal and effective group of theorists and political advisors.

The Theocons is a great book, a scary book, an important book for anyone truly interested in the behind the scenes workings of the current U.S. government to read. Be aware that it is not an easy read. Linker writes from an academic focus that can be a bit dry and painful at times, but struggle through as I did and you will ultimately be glad that you did.

Highlights shift in loyalties in this country
Damon Linker, a former editor of First Things journal, details the rise of conservative theological influence on Washington politics in The Theocons: Secular America Under Siege. The emergence of religious rhetoric in political speech has been, for the most part, a recent infiltration contrasting against the secular swing of the sixties and seventies.

The Theocons chronicles the shift in loyalties of certain prominent theological leaders--namely Lutheran minister turned Catholic priest Richard John Neuhaus, and Catholic philosopher Michael Novak--from Vietnam War-inspired liberalism to the current theocracy permeating the Iraq War strategy.

The validity of Linker's assertions comes from his three and a half years of experience as editor of First Things, a publication by the Institute on Religion and Public Life, whose own goal according to the First Things website "is to advance a religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society." Linker's personal observations of key players of the "theoconservative" movement, who also happen to be behind the creation of the journal, and his detailed research of prior publications made by these individuals, illustrate the deceptive manipulation of the American public by both the media and politicians, specifically the Bush Administration.

An unexpected quality of the book is that the majority of the content is relatively unbiased and is composed strictly of chronological facts. While it is clear that Linker disapproves of the agenda the theoconservative movement has created for the American people, the actions of those involved do well to create an image of an insidious political conspiracy, whether intentional or not. Collectively, religious leaders in the public eye have succeeded in molding American democracy into little more than an extension of the church.

The Theocons was originally published by Doubleday in 2006, and this 2007 Anchor Books trade paperback edition features an Afterword updated with two more years of political reactions and influence.

Armchair Interviews says: If this subject interests you, Linker offers a lot of thoughtful challenges.