God's Own Country: Power and the Religious Right in the USA

Right-wing evangelical Christianity has come to dominate American political and social life in recent years, dividing the country and sparking cultural and moral battles whose outcome will determine how the world’s superpower is shaped in the 21st century. High politics and low tactics frame a fierce debate which goes much further back in the country’s history than the accession of George W. Bush in 2001. In this insightful study Stephen Bates explains why what happens in the Bible Belt matters around the world and identifies those who hope to export the battle to an international stage. American fundamentalist religion has the potential to impact crucial and acutely dangerous areas of the world, and is already affecting American government foreign policynot least in Israel and the Middle East, where some are predicting the world’s last and greatest battle will be fought. This crucial study addresses time-sensitive and crucial topics, and identifies where America’s battle for its soul take the rest of the world.