From an esteemed scholar of American religion and sexuality, a sweeping account of the century of religious conflict that produced our culture wars
"Why are religious conflicts over sex and sexuality so inescapable in American politics today? The answer, argues R. Marie Griffith in Moral Combat, lies in sharp disagreements that emerged among American Christians almost a century ago. In the 1920s, after women gained the right to vote nationwide, a longstanding religious consensus about sexual morality began to fray irreparably. The slow but steady unraveling of that consensus in the decades that followed has transformed America's broader culture and public life, dividing our politics and pushing sex to the center of our public debate"--