Christian right

The Christian right are Christian political factions characterized by their strong support of socially conservative and traditionalist policies. Christian conservatives seek to influence politics and public policy with their interpretation of the teachings of Christianity.

In the United States, the Christian right (otherwise known as the New Christian Right or the Religious Right) is an informal coalition which was formed around a core of conservative Evangelical Protestants and conservative Roman Catholics. The Christian right draws additional support from politically conservative mainline Protestants, Orthodox Jews, and Mormons. The movement in American politics became a dominant feature of U.S. conservatism from the late 1970s onwards. The Christian right gained powerful influence within the Republican Party during the Presidency of Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. Its influence draws from grassroots activism as well as from focus on social issues and the ability to motivate the electorate around those issues.

The Christian right has advanced socially conservative positions on issues such as creationism in public education, school prayer, temperance, Christian nationalism, Christian Zionism, and Sunday Sabbatarianism, as well as opposition to the teaching of biological evolution, embryonic stem cell research, LGBTQ rights, comprehensive sex education, abortion, euthanasia, pornography, and the use of drugs. Although the term Christian right is most commonly associated with U.S. politics, similar Christian conservative groups can be found in the political cultures of other Christian-majority countries.