| Washington for Jesus | |
|---|---|
| Part of Melding of Republican Party with American Christianity | |
 Washington For Jesus, Washington D.C., April 29, 1980 | |
| Location | Washington, D.C. |
| Caused by | Religion and politics |
| Goals | Political Change |
| Methods | Mass rally, meetings with elected leaders, speeches |
Washington for Jesus was a series of heavily-attended rallies held in Washington, D.C. by various representatives of the American Christian church in the United States. The first rally was held in 1980 on 29 and 30 April and centered primarily on promoting a Christian viewpoint in the political arena. Religious leaders present included John Gimenez, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, William Bright, and Benson Idahosa.
Although the event was ostensibly non-political,[1] speeches and statements during the 1980 rally outlined many of the early points of the socially conservative agenda of the religious right. It was during this time that many national leaders of the Christian right unified in their political stances against homosexuality, abortion, teenage pregnancy, drug abuse, increasing divorce rates, and the women's liberation movement. The event is regarded as a forerunner of the rise of political activism among conservative Christians,[2] and the rallies are believed to have helped mobilize the religious right behind the candidacies of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush.[3]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
eugenewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Vegh, Steven G. (February 14, 2008). "Bishop John Gimenez, co-founder of Rock Church, dies". Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved 27 May 2012.
- ^ Posner, Sarah (June 17, 2009). "All Roads Lead to Virginia Beach". The American Prospect. Retrieved 27 May 2012.