Includes bibliographical references (p. 267-323) and index
Introduction -- Religion and American conservatism: a rhetorical history, 1944-1979 -- American change and religious engagement, 1942-1976 -- Raising the rhetoric of righteousness: the pivotal 1976 election -- Two roads diverged: religious conservatives and the Carter disappointment -- The birth of a new religious politics in 1980 -- The legacy of 1980 at the dawn of a new era: lessons for religion and politics going forward