Evangelical women’s organizations mobilized members into political activism

Evidence

In 1976 she published The Spirit-Controlled Woman, a book that would sell over 800,000 copies, and in 1979 she founded Concerned Women for America (CWA), an evangelical organization devoted to carrying forward the pro-family, anti-feminist cause. Within only a few years, CWA surpassed Schlafly’s Eagle Forum in terms of membership and influence within American evangelicalism. Even more than Dobson, Beverly LaHaye motivated her followers to engage with politics; 98 percent of CWA members voted in the 1988 presidential election, 93 percent had signed or circulated a petition, 77 percent had boycotted a company or product, 74 percent had contacted a public official, and nearly half had written a letter to the editor. — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 213

Categorization

• SEED: The concrete statistics on CWA member activism could anchor an article comparing how evangelical women’s political mobilization differs from secular women’s movements.