PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

UC research takes first look at catalyst behind evangelicals' forays into today's culture wars

Political science research links the Southern Baptist Convention's abortion politics to other hot-button issues such as free speech

2013-08-27
(Press-News.org) It's apparent to Andrew Lewis that as the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) expands its role in our nation's culture wars, there is one battle cry rallying the group's nearly 16 million members: advocating against abortion.

Lewis, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Cincinnati, has studied how leaders of the SBC apply the group's long-held strategy toward abortion politics to new areas of political concern, such as free speech. That method provides a framework for the SBC's constituents to understand new issues and why they're important. For certain political issues, abortion politics has ignited advocacy change. This approach comes with potentially significant consequences for the SBC.

In his research paper "Culture Creep: How Abortion Politics Shapes Evangelical Legal Advocacy," Lewis writes: Politics is affecting religion, instead of religion affecting politics, and it is happening in ways not previously unearthed.

"It's often the understanding that your religious perspectives affect your political proclivities," Lewis says. "But potentially in some of these areas – particularly ones that haven't been held over the long term like free speech – the political nature of the times may be affecting how members of the SBC interpret some of their traditional theological emphases."

Lewis will present his research at the American Political Science Association's (APSA) 2013 annual meeting and exhibition. He'll focus on how the SBC's view on abortion relates to its free speech advocacy. The APSA event, themed "Power & Persuasion," will be held Aug. 29 through Sept. 1 in Chicago. The APSA serves more than 15,000 members around the world, bringing together political scientists from all fields to promote awareness and understanding of politics.

New, in-depth analysis

This research out of UC's McMicken College of Arts & Sciences covers relatively unexplored territory. The UC2019 Academic Master Plan emphasizes producing new ways of understanding and transforming the world through research and scholarship. Lewis says the link between abortion politics and other hot-button politics for evangelicals has been under-analyzed by scholars of legal advocacy and religion and politics.

Yet it's an important area to understand. When a group as large and influential as the SBC increasingly takes its concerns to the highest levels of the judicial system, the potential cultural repercussions could be widespread. Lewis says his work helps tell the story of how people are being represented before the US Supreme Court and what barriers and opportunities exist.

Among the reasons Lewis chose to focus on the SBC for his study were the group's historic tradition, organizational structure and vast membership. Because of the SBC's size, it is largely representative of mainstream evangelicalism in America.

Lewis' mixed methodological approach targeted three areas of analysis: framing of legal arguments; mobilization of the base; and legitimation of advocacy decisions. His data is drawn from interviews with SBC advocacy leaders, amicus brief filings, newspaper reports, internal group documents and surveys of the clergy and of the rank and file.

"For scholars, there's a missing understanding of religious legal advocacy," he says. "This connection between how one cultural battle, abortion, drives several other battles in the law hasn't been vetted well. My research is the first major approach to look at it this way."

Direct links in political strategy

The SBC is the world's largest Baptist denomination and the second largest Christian entity in the United States next to the Catholic Church. For nearly 40 years evangelical groups such as the SBC have been taking a more active role in legal advocacy, often presenting their case in front of the Supreme Court. When it comes to legal arguments, abortion is considered the top priority among the evangelical elite as well as the laity.

Lewis sees direct connections between abortions politics – such as the legality of abortion protests – and the defense of free speech. He points to the Supreme Court cases Hill v. Colorado (2000) and this fall's McCullen v. Coakley as examples of how evangelicals engage the legal system to advocate for expanded free speech rights of abortion protestors. Lewis says it's a shift for conservative evangelicals who have historically been in favor of limiting rights to free speech.

Lewis hopes his research will provide in-depth perspective into today's cultural battles and how they play out in the legal sphere.

"While there is a cultural divide in American politics, there is more nuance in advocacy decisions than often reported," Lewis says. "I hope my research provides some insight into how religious individuals' views and perspectives get communicated to institutions that are often insulated from popular opinion, such as the Supreme Court."



INFORMATION:



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

UC research examines NATO and its 'smart defense' focus in era of economic uncertainty

2013-08-27
After the 2008 global economic meltdown, many nations reduced military budgets and pooled resources in response to economic uncertainties. For example, at one time, Bulgaria and neighboring Romania each had their own very small submarine fleets. Then, as wear and tear necessitated taking equipment out of service, the countries had neither funds nor particular need to replace the old equipment. They instead opted to share vessels in order to meet training needs – while also saving money. This is just one instance of security cooperation driven by today's shrinking defense ...

Adapting to mainstream lowers diabetes risk in African-Americans

2013-08-27
ANN ARBOR—Trying to find a produce store or a large grocer in an economically depressed neighborhood is about as easy as finding an apple in a candy store. Lack of access to good nutrition impacts racial and ethnic minorities and recent immigrants disproportionately. Poor nutrition combined with higher stress can contribute to other health problems, including type 2 diabetes. But a new University of Michigan study may help explain how to cope with this stress and perhaps curb some of these health problems. Rebecca Hasson, assistant professor at the U-M schools ...

Language can reveal the invisible, study shows

2013-08-27
MADISON, Wis. — It is natural to imagine that the sense of sight takes in the world as it is — simply passing on what the eyes collect from light reflected by the objects around us. But the eyes do not work alone. What we see is a function not only of incoming visual information, but also how that information is interpreted in light of other visual experiences, and may even be influenced by language. Words can play a powerful role in what we see, according to a study published this month by University of Wisconsin–Madison cognitive scientist and psychology professor ...

New technique for measuring tree growth cuts down on research time

2013-08-27
Tree growth is measured to understand tree health, fluxes in carbon sequestration, and other forest ecosystem functions. It is one of the most essential and widely collected woody plant traits. Yet, the traditional method to measure tree growth is awkward and time consuming. Scientists have developed a new, resourceful way to take repeated tree growth measurements safely and accurately. Dendrometer bands are metal straps that wrap around a tree trunk to measure its growth. Bands are fashioned by bending banding material into a "collar" and passing the metal strap through ...

Dartmouth researchers develop molecular switch that changes liquid crystal colors

2013-08-27
Dartmouth researchers have developed a molecular switch that changes a liquid crystal's readout color based on a chemical input. This new development may open the way for using liquid crystals in detecting harmful gases, pathogens, explosives and other chemical substances. The findings appear in the journal Angewandte Chemie. A PDF of the study is available on request. One of the challenges in the field of molecular switches and machines is the translation of molecular level motion into macroscopic level events by harnessing light or chemical energy -- think of a molecular-sized ...

Eastern US water supplies threatened by a legacy of acid rain

2013-08-27
Human activities are changing the water chemistry of many streams and rivers in the Eastern U.S., with consequences for water supplies and aquatic life, so reports a new study in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. In the first survey of its kind, researchers looked at long-term alkalinity trends in 97 streams and rivers from Florida to New Hampshire. Sites ranged from small headwater streams to some of the nation's largest rivers. Over the past 25 to 60 years, two-thirds have become significantly more alkaline. Alkalinity is a measure of water's ability ...

Watching the production of new proteins in live cells

2013-08-27
New York, NY – Researchers at Columbia University, in collaboration with biologists in Baylor College of Medicine, have made a significant step in understanding and imaging protein synthesis, pinpointing exactly where and when cells produce new proteins. Assistant Professor Wei Min's team developed a new technique to produce high-resolution imaging of newly synthesized proteins inside living cells. The findings were published in the July 9th issue of The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Volume 110; Issue 28). Proteins carry out almost every crucial biological ...

Scripps Research Institute scientists report breakthrough in DNA editing technology

2013-08-27
LA JOLLA, CA—August 26, 2013—Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found a way to apply a powerful new DNA-editing technology more broadly than ever before. "This is one of the hottest tools in biology, and we've now found a way to target it to any DNA sequence," said Carlos F. Barbas III, the Janet and Keith Kellogg II Chair in Molecular Biology and Professor in the Department of Chemistry at TSRI. The breakthrough concerns a set of designer DNA-binding proteins called TALEs, which biologists increasingly use to turn on, turn off, delete, insert ...

RNA double helix structure identified using synchrotron light

2013-08-27
SASKATOON -- When Francis Crick and James Watson discovered the double helical structure of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) in 1953, it began a genetic revolution to map, study, and sequence the building blocks of living organisms. DNA encodes the genetic material passed on from generation to generation. For the information encoded in the DNA to be made into the proteins and enzymes necessary for life, ribonucleic acid (RNA), single-stranded genetic material found in the ribosomes of cells, serve as intermediary. Although usually single-stranded, some RNA sequences were ...

Microneedle patch could replace standard tuberculosis skin test

2013-08-27
Each year, millions of people in the United States get a tuberculosis skin test to see if they have the infection that still affects one third of the world's population. But the standard diagnostic test is difficult to give, because a hypodermic needle must be inserted at a precise angle and depth in the arm to successfully check for tuberculosis. Now, a team led by University of Washington engineers has created a patch with tiny, biodegradable needles that can penetrate the skin and precisely deliver a tuberculosis test. The researchers published their results online ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

iRECODE: A new computational method that brings clarity to single-cell analysis

New NUS-MOH study: Singapore’s healthcare sector carbon emissions 18% lower than expected, a milestone in the city-state’s net zero journey

QUT scientists create material to turn waste heat into clean power

Major new report sets out how to tackle the ‘profound and lasting impact’ of COVID-19 on cardiovascular health

Cosmic crime scene: White dwarf found devouring Pluto-like icy world

Major report tackles Covid’s cardiovascular crisis head-on

A third of licensed GPs in England not working in NHS general practice

ChatGPT “thought on the fly” when put through Ancient Greek maths puzzle

Engineers uncover why tiny particles form clusters in turbulent air

GLP-1RA drugs dramatically reduce death and cardiovascular risk in psoriasis patients

Psoriasis linked to increased risk of vision-threatening eye disease, study finds

Reprogramming obesity: New drug from Italian biotech aims to treat the underlying causes of obesity

Type 2 diabetes may accelerate development of multiple chronic diseases, particularly in the early stages, UK Biobank study suggests

Resistance training may improve nerve health, slow aging process, study shows

Common and inexpensive medicine halves the risk of recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer

SwRI-built instruments to monitor, provide advanced warning of space weather events

Breakthrough advances sodium-based battery design

New targeted radiation therapy shows near-complete response in rare sarcoma patients

Does physical frailty contribute to dementia?

Soccer headers and brain health: Study finds changes within folds of the brain

Decoding plants’ language of light

UNC Greensboro study finds ticks carrying Lyme disease moving into western NC

New implant restores blood pressure balance after spinal cord injury

New York City's medical specialist advantage may be an illusion, new NYU Tandon research shows

Could a local anesthetic that doesn’t impair motor function be within reach?

1 in 8 Italian cetacean strandings show evidence of fishery interactions, with bottlenose and striped dolphins most commonly affected, according to analysis across four decades of data and more than 5

In the wild, chimpanzees likely ingest the equivalent of several alcoholic drinks every day

Warming of 2°C intensifies Arctic carbon sink but weakens Alpine sink, study finds

Bronze and Iron Age cultures in the Middle East were committed to wine production

Indian adolescents are mostly starting their periods at an earlier age than 25 years ago

[Press-News.org] UC research takes first look at catalyst behind evangelicals' forays into today's culture wars
Political science research links the Southern Baptist Convention's abortion politics to other hot-button issues such as free speech