Introduction

Abstract

This chapter explores how the evangelical community utilized different concepts of nature, largely throughout the 1970s, to help create the religious right movement. It discusses the dichotomy between being “natural” versus “unnatural,” which was used to justify political causes, such as the fight against abortion and gay rights. It also looks at the way conservative evangelicals went beyond ideas regarding nature protection that took place during the 1970s when they constructed a sense of nationalism by reimagining the United States' historical origin stories. The chapter reviews stories that contributed to the development of a unique identity, which provided a common culture or a connective historical tissue that bound together conservative evangelicals nationwide. It highlights how the national understanding of American politics and culture explains why and how the religious right's conception of the natural world became an important political barrier against nature protection initiatives.