How Biblical is the Christian Right?

That interesting question was posed by Margaret M. Mitchell, a professor of New Testament and Early Christian Literature at the University of Chicago Divinity School.

Ms. Mitchell wrote an article by that name for the school's web site (linked on the Ethics Daily column I linked to) to state her conclusions. She reviewed several web sites general associated with conservative Christian groups, such as the Southern Baptist Convention and did not find a whole lot about the Bible.

Ms. Mitchell's studies also found that when scripture was quoted, it usually pertained to the early books of the Old Testament, the letters of Paul, and Revelation. Noticeably missing were references to the Isralei prophets or the Gospels of Jesus' ministry on earth.

"By self-definition, the 'Christian Right' is a movement that seeks to remake the political order in America in the biblical image," Mitchell concludes. "It seems fair to ask both those who honor it and those who repudiate it to examine, with a critical eye, whether or not it is really a biblically literalist movement."

"Biblical? Yes and no. Biblical in the sense of seeking biblical support for an agenda? Yes. Biblical in the sense of reading the whole Bible? No. Biblical in the sense of reading the Bible literally? No, not consistently. Biblical in reading parts for the whole, and in using the Bible as a source of weapons to define themselves against their enemies? Yes. Wrestling with the possible plural meanings and complex legacies of Bible itself? Not in public, at any rate."

I'm sure religious right supporters will find some way to discredit Ms. Mitchell. When they can't dispute the message, they usually go after the messenger.