Produced by Freke Vuijst, Green Room Productions
For fifteen years journalist Freke Vuijst has followed the growth of the Religious Right from a small special interest group to a major force in American politics. She first came across them in 1980 when several fledgling conservative Christian organizations held a training session on the art of influencing government. They tried to avoid coverage of this event and thus aroused her suspicions. Fifteen years later the group had grown into " a mighty army," with Pat Robertson at the helm.
In this film, she traces the phenomenal growth and influence of the Christian Coalition, not only on American politics and diplomacy, but also on American culture. It shows Bob Billings, director of the Moral Majority, influencing his New Hampshire parishioners to vote for Ronald Reagan. It follows Pat Robertson's campaign for the Republican presidential nomination. It shows how the beliefs of the Relgious Right, particularly their vision of the apocalypse, shape their political agenda. Clips of Jerry Falwell, Jimmy Swaggart and other tv evangelists show how the electronic pulpit reaches a mass audience.
The report is rounded out by interviews with Skipp Porteous, an expert on First Amendment issues; Jim Wallis, who first exposed the fundamentalists' political ambitions. Without resorting to sensationalism, Onward Christian Soldiers presents a convincing picture of how the Religious Right threatens democracy in America.
55 min. Video or DVD. Sale $295. Video rental $75.
"Documents how the 'mainstream political movement' in the U.S. has been systematically infiltrated by the conservative Religious Right." Booklist
Bronze Plaque, Columbus International Film Festival, 1997
Windy City Documentary Festival, 1997
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