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Southern Baptist Church-State 'Culture War': the Internal THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH-STATE 'CULTURE WAR': THE INTERNAL POLITICS OF DENOMINATIONAL ADVOCACY By Andrew R. Lewis Submitted to the Faculty of the School of Public Affairs of American University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy In Political Science Chair: ~~Leb~J_ Daniel L. Dreisbach, Ph.D. ~ete~ J,;Jta.: 111. ':::#? ,L J<Jc.G~ Dean of the School of Public Affairs i-19-1/ Date 2011 American University Washington, D.C. 20016 AMERICAN UNIVERSITY UBfWfY 01 \c1 UMI Number: 3484794 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI __...Dissertation Publishing--...._ UMI 3484794 Copyright 2011 by ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This edition of the work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Pro uesr ---- ---- ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 ©COPYRIGHT by Andrew R. Lewis 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DEDICATION To Kasey, my wife, best friend, and source of unending support. THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH-STATE 'CULTURE WAR': THE INTERNAL POLITICS OF DENOMINATIONAL ADVOCACY BY Andrew R. Lewis ABSTRACT Principal-agent problems often hamper the substantive representation of members in voluntary associations and professional organizations. These problems occur for a variety of structural and contextual reasons within interest groups, and they frequently exist when members do not join for the purpose of political advocacy. I analyze the Southern Baptist Convention's (SBC) change in church-state advocacy, away from the separation of church and state, to test how groups that are prone to principal-agent problems are able to overcome them. I pose a contextual hypothesis, grounded in theories of interest group politics and public opinion. The hypothesis expects that the intra-group and external political contexts provide the opportunities necessary for entrepreneurs to effectively alter a group's political advocacy and improve the authenticity of representation. I test this hypothesis and analyze the SBC's advocacy shift using quantitative, historical, and qualitative analyses and draw implications regarding interest groups, representation, culture wars, and church-state politics. The results show that principal-agent problems existed within the SBC, but the combination of the internal and ii external contexts provided the opportunities necessary to achieve advocacy change, overcoming many of the representational constraints denominational lobbies face. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many people have generously offered their support, advice, and direction as I have worked on this dissertation. I could not have completed this project without their involvement, and I am confident that their roles in the project greatly improved it. I first want to thank my gracious interview subjects from both the Southern Baptist Convention and the Baptist Joint Committee. They offered hours of their time and pointed me toward additional resources, and I am grateful for this. I hope that I have characterized their statements accurately and fairly. In addition, the offices of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty were very helpful, providing me with amicus curiae briefs, articles, and other publications. I also spent a week at the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives in Nashville, Tennessee, and the staff could not have been more welcoming and helpful. I am truly indebted to the organizations that I have studied here, as I could not have done this project without their cooperation. Second, many scholars in the areas of American politics, religion and politics, and theology provided critiques, commentary, and training that helped me with this project. My first formal training in the study of theology, religious liberty, and Baptist life occurred at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. I am thankful for the faculty there who provided the seed that eventually sprouted this project. They include David Nelson, Mark Liederbach, and Daniel Heimbach, who served as my thesis chair and IV motivated me to engage in further study of the relationship between church and state in America. More directly related to this project, several scholars have taken an active role in my success. I have presented sections of this dissertation anywhere that would have me, including the annual meetings of the American Political Science Association, Midwest Political Science Association, Southern Political Science Association, Law and Society Association, and Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. I appreciate the opportunities to work on my ideas and receive constructive feedback from panel participants. Many scholars deserve special mention, however. Corwin Smidt, Lyman "Bud" Kellstedt, and Jim Guth provided my initial training in the quantitative methodology of religion and politics, helping form my approach to this field of study. And, they have continued to be trusted mentors throughout this project. Jan Leighley and Maryann Barakso provided thoughtful advice at different points during my research and writing, and Paul Djupe read initial drafts, provided helpful critiques, and pointed me in many useful directions. Third, I cannot thank my dissertation committee enough. They read countless drafts, provided rich feedback, and continually supported my research. Jim Guth offered me a variety of data that served as the centerpiece to this dissertation, including archives of Southern Baptist newspapers and surveys of Southern Baptist clergy that he began collecting in 1980. He had the forethought to collect copious amounts of data on Southern Baptists, and I have truly stood on his shoulders with this project. Christine DeGregorio was always quick with feedback, and she challenged me to improve the v precision and clarity of my writing. Being outside the religion and politics field, she brought fresh eyes and an important perspective, both of which greatly enhanced the outcome. Finally, Daniel Dreisbach, my dissertation chair, has been a thoughtful, caring mentor and confidant to me throughout my dissertation process and my graduate school career. He continuously made time for me and my ideas, drafts, and questions, and I always felt wiser after I departed his office. His knowledge of religion and politics and church-state politics is remarkable, and I benefitted greatly from this. More importantly, he is a man of great character and wisdom, of which I aspire to be. Fourth, and finally, I must thank my family, as they have been sources of continual support. My parents have encouraged me to pursue my academic goals and supported me in many ways throughout this journey. From them I know I am truly loved, and the feeling is mutual. As it relates to this project, my father, who is a Southern Baptist minister, frequently provided his perspective on the conflicts within Southern Baptist life. Our conversations related to the topic of this dissertation helped me understand the issues better, posed questions for me to consider further, and produced enjoyable dialogue. My mother was always quick to offer a phone call of encouragement. My in-laws have also been supporters of my academic pursuits, graciously inquiring about my projects and lending help whenever possible. I have been truly blessed by my family. I must end with some token of my enduring gratitude and love for my wife, Kasey. While I will be brief, my appreciation is unending. She has sacrificed time, money, and convenience for me to pursue this dissertation and my degree. She has vi provided endless support, motivation, and insight, which has allowed me to achieve success. I could not have done this without her. To all those named and unnamed, thank you. I am truly grateful. vii ABBREVIATIONS ACLU American Civil Liberties Union AFA American Family Association BJC Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty I Baptist Joint Committee for Public Affairs CLC Christian Life Commission ERLC Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission NAE National Association of Evangelicals n.d. no date (on letter) PAC Public Affairs Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention PAW People for the American Way RFRA Religious Freedom Restoration Act RLUIP A Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act SBC Southern Baptist Convention viii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................. iv ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................................... viii LIST OFTABLES ............................................................................................................. xi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ............................................................................................ xii Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... 1 Defining Terms and Introducing the Case Study ........................................ 8 Methodology .............................................................................................
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