Christian Coalition of America Totally Explained

Everything about Christian Coalition Of America totally explained

ť For other organizations with a similar name see Christian Coalition. Note that political parties in Europe also go by this name.

The Christian Coalition of America -- originally called the Christian Coalition, Inc. -- is a US Christian political advocacy group, which includes Christian fundamentalists, evangelicals, neo-evangelicals, charismatics, Roman Catholics and members of mainline Protestant churches. While it once wielded great power within the Republican Party, and helped shape the Republican majority in congress in the mid- to late- 1990's, it largely collapsed following the departure of Ralph Reed, and has flirted with bankruptcy in recent years. It claims to have 1,200,000 members, but records of public contributions and former employees indicate that its mailing list of active members is around 30,000. The organization People For the American Way says other data suggest it's 300,000-400,000.
The Christian Coalition was founded by Rev. Pat Robertson, who served as the organization's president from its founding until February 2001. The current president is Roberta Combs (through 2006). Joel Hunter was scheduled to assume the presidency of the organization as of January 1, 2007, but he then declined to take the job, citing differences of philosophy and vision. Hunter believed the group could better represent Christ by focusing on issues such as poverty and the environment. And while he reported that he wasn't asked to leave, Hunter felt the board considered his additional issues weren't core to their constituency.
While labeling itself as the Christian Coalition, the organization represents certain viewpoints among large number of Christians in the United States, but Christians with other beliefs disagree with the organization's ideas. The CCA's values are consistent with those of the Christian right. Its website states:
ť Christian Coalition of America is a political organization, made up of pro-family Americans who care deeply about becoming active citizens for the purpose of guaranteeing that government acts in ways that strengthen, rather than threaten, families. As such, we work together with Christians of all denominations, as well as with other Americans who agree with our mission and with our ideals.

Brief history

Beginnings with Pat Robertson and Ralph Reed

Following a well-funded but failed bid for the U.S. presidency in 1988, televangelist and political commentator Pat Robertson used the remains of his campaign machinery to jump-start the creation of a voter mobilization effort dubbed the Christian Coalition. Americans for Robertson accumulated a mailing list of several million conservative Christians interested in politics. This mailing list formed the foundation for the new organization. However, despite public announcements that excitement among evangelical and Christian right voters prompted the creation of the Christian Coalition, the incorporation records of the State of Virginia reveal that the Christian Coalition, Inc. was actually incorporated on April 30, 1987, with the paperwork filed earlier, and with planning having begun before that. Thus the Christian Coalition was actually planned long before Pat Robertson's run for President began. Robertson's candidacy appears to have been planned from the start for launching the Christian Coalition.
Ralph Reed took control of day-to-day operations of the Coalition in 1989. From 1989 through 1997, the Christian Coalition wielded tremendous influence, largely in the form of the charismatic and persuasive public face of Ralph Reed;, who became a commanding public voice in the news media. The perception if not the reality that Christian Coalition activists controlled local Party machinery in many locations and could reliably turn out large blocs of votes for Religious Right candidates caused many Republican and Democratic politicians at all levels to either vote as the Christian Coalition urged or else struggle with explaining their votes. The fear of being listed on Voter Guides as casting anti-Christian votes prompted politicians in moderate to conservative districts to carefully consider the positions urged by the Christian Coalition.
   After its founding, it was granted a grace period to operate as a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization before the IRS made its final determination. Several State chapters were also created as independent corporations within their states, including the Christian Coalition of Texas. The Christian Coalition of Texas successfully obtained non-profit status as a 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organization, while the national group's application remained pending and unresolved.
   In 1992, the national Christian Coalition, Inc., headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia, began producing non-partisan voter guides which it distributed to conservative Christian churches. Under the leadership of Reed and Robertson, the Coalition quickly became the most prominent voice in the conservative Christian movement, its influence culminating with an effort to support the election of a conservative Christian to the presidency in 1996.
   Complaints that the voter guides were actually partisan and pro-Republican led to the denial of the Christian Coalition, Inc.'s tax-exempt status. The Christian Coalition, Inc. filed a lawsuit against the IRS. However, instead of pursuing legal action, Pat Robertson renamed the Christian Coalition of Texas, Inc. as the Christian Coalition of America, Inc., and transferred the trademark and all operations to the Texas-based corporation. Since the Texas chapter already enjoyed tax exempt status, the legal challenge became moot. TheocracyWatch wrote that "the Christian Coalition was founded in 1989 by television preacher Pat Robertson to take over the Republican[sic] Party from the bottom up," contributing to "Congressional scorecards from organizations such as the Christian Coalition, Family Research Council, and Eagle Forum. In their report Funding the Culture Wars, the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy lists the Christian Coalition as one of the leading organizations funding the activities of the Christian right. Along with the Family Research Council and Focus on the Family, the Christian Coalition is identified as an dominionist organization by TheocracyWatch, which points to the Congressional scorecard of the Christian Coalition to illustrate the success and the strength of dominionists in Congress.

Decline in influence and Challenges to Tax-exempt Status

Following Bill Clinton's re-election and Reed's departure in 1997, the organization has made only limited progress and has greatly declined in influence, financial stability, staff, and resources. with a loss in revenue from a high of $26.5 million in 1996 to $1.3 million in 2004. Churches that once embraced the Christian Coalition have disassociated themselves for fear of losing their own tax-exempt status.

Criticism and loss of affiliates

AFL-CIO representatives have written that the Christian Coalition, along with much of the Christian right, opposes organized labor. In March 2006, the Christian Coalition of Iowa renamed itself the Iowa Christian Alliance. In splitting from the national group, the Iowa Christian Alliance cited "the current problems facing the Christian Coalition of America" in announcing that it had no ties to the national organization. In August 2006, the Christian Coalition of Alabama split from the national group. It later renamed itself Christian Action Alabama.
   In November 2006, The president-elect of the Christian Coalition of America resigned his post, citing a difference in philosophy over which issues the conservative Christian organization should embrace.
   Rev. Joel C. Hunter, currently the senior pastor of the Northland Church in Longwood, Florida, was to assume the presidency in January. But Hunter said CCA leaders resisted his calls to expand their issue base, saying the organization wouldn't allow him to expand its agenda beyond opposing abortion and same-sex marriage.
   Hunter also said he wanted to focus on rebuilding the CCA's once powerful grassroots network—an appeal he says board members rejected.
   "After initial willingness to consider these changes, the board of the CCA decided, 'that is fine, but that isn't who we are,'" Hunter said.

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