---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Though claiming to represent a…"
description: "\"Though claiming to represent a conservative form of Christianity, the Religious Right is politically a form of Protestant liberalism.\" — Stanley Hauerwas"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/stanley-hauerwas-2675_christianity_though-claiming-to-represent-a-conservat_2003945.png"
---

#  Though claiming to represent a conservative form of…

![“Though claiming to represent a conservative form of Christianity, the Religious Right is politically a form of Protestant liberalism.” quote by Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/stanley-hauerwas-2675_christianity_though-claiming-to-represent-a-conservat_2003945.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/stanley-hauerwas-2675_christianity_though-claiming-to-represent-a-conservat_2003945.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/stanley-hauerwas-2675_christianity_though-claiming-to-represent-a-conservat_2003945.png)

> “Though claiming to represent a conservative form of Christianity, the Religious Right is politically a form of Protestant liberalism.”

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The Religious Right claims conservatism but operates with liberal political tactics, revealing a paradox.

**In simple terms:** Conservative rhetoric masks liberal politics.

Key Takeaway

Critically assess political labels.

Themes

politics religion ideology

Mood

critical analytical

Type

theoretical political

When to use this quote

- policy analysis
- public discourse
- voter education
- media critique

Key Concepts

conservatism liberalism hypocrisy

Questions to Reflect On

- What drives the Religious Right's political strategies?
- Can religious movements be both conservative and liberal?

A Different Perspective

Labels can oversimplify complex motivations.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Claiming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/claiming/) [Conservative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative/) [Conservative Form](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conservative-form-3541376/) [Form Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/form-christianity-1929495/) [Liberalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/liberalism/) [Politically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politically/) [Protestant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protestant/) [Protestant Liberalism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protestant-liberalism-3541375/) [Religion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religion/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Religious right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious-right/) [Represent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/represent/) [Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right/) [Though](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/though/)

## Related quotes

> [Socialism is, in fact, a form of Christianity, people wishing to imitate Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/socialism-is-in-fact-a-form-of-christianity-people-wishing-to-imitate/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [I am a communist because I believe that the Communist idea is a state form of Christianity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oleksandr-zhuravliov/i-am-a-communist-because-i-believe-that-the-communist-idea-is-a-state/)

[Oleksandr Zhuravliov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oleksandr-zhuravliov/)

> [No form of Christianity is absolutely and only true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-henry-hedge/no-form-of-christianity-is-absolutely-and-only-true/)

[Frederick Henry Hedge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-henry-hedge/)

> [“Some conservative evangelicals write or speak as if the only legitimate form of Christianity is inerrantism. Only a tiny minority throughout church history has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-blomberg/some-conservative-evangelicals-write-or-speak-as-if-the-only/)

[Craig Blomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-blomberg/)

> [“The form of Christianity that developed in Europe and later spread to America and the rest of the world was the last great creation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-durant/the-form-of-christianity-that-developed-in-europe-and-later-spread-to/)

[Will Durant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-durant/)

> [Reformation names the disunity in which we currently stand. We who remain in the Protestant tradition want to say that Reformation was a success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/reformation-names-the-disunity-in-which-we-currently-stand-we-who/)

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

> [Protestantism came to America to make America Protestant. It was assumed that was to be done through faith in the reasonableness of the common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/protestantism-came-to-america-to-make-america-protestant-it-was/)

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

> [I am a Protestant. I am a communicant at the Church of the Holy Family, an Episcopal church in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/i-am-a-protestant-i-am-a-communicant-at-the-church-of-the-holy-family/)

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

> [America is the first great experiment in Protestant social formation. Protestantism in Europe always assumed and depended on the cultural habits that had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/america-is-the-first-great-experiment-in-protestant-social-formation/)

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

> [One of the problems with the identification of Christianity with love is how such a view turns out to be both anti-Semitic and anti-Catholic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/one-of-the-problems-with-the-identification-of-christianity-with-love/)

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

> [Oh yeah! I'm living life to the fullest and claiming what's mine, there's no better way...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/oh-yeah-i-m-living-life-to-the-fullest-and-claiming-what-s-mine-there/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Fraud is corrosive, but so is claiming fraud where there is none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-devine/fraud-is-corrosive-but-so-is-claiming-fraud-where-there-is-none/)

[Miranda Devine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-devine/)

> [“Then the glow grew brighter: a holographic golden sickle with a few sheaves of wheat, rotating just above Meg McCaffrey. A boy in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/then-the-glow-grew-brighter-a-holographic-golden-sickle-with-a-few/)

[Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/)

> [Couture has copied my things for years, in addition to countless other costume designers, claiming theirs were the original ideas. It's all part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-head/couture-has-copied-my-things-for-years-in-addition-to-countless-other/)

[Edith Head](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-head/)

> [“I understand that you are claiming it is almost impossible to forgive, but only easier to forget. The truth is that, you can only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/i-understand-that-you-are-claiming-it-is-almost-impossible-to-forgive/)

[Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/)

## More by Stanley Hauerwas

> [Advent is patience it's how God has made us a people of promise, in a world of impatience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/advent-is-patience-it-s-how-god-has-made-us-a-people-of-promise-in-a/)

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

> [It turns out that the God whose word will stand forever does not exist to insure our fantasies that we will not have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/it-turns-out-that-the-god-whose-word-will-stand-forever-does-not/)

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

> [I have come to think that the challenge confronting Christians is not that we do not believe what we say, though that can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/i-have-come-to-think-that-the-challenge-confronting-christians-is-not/)

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

> [Though the world may often appear to be more charitable than the church, it is crucial to remember that, for the church, the care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/though-the-world-may-often-appear-to-be-more-charitable-than-the/)

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

> [God knows we are subtle creatures who are more than able to use candour to avoid acknowledging our deceptions of others and ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/god-knows-we-are-subtle-creatures-who-are-more-than-able-to-use/)

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

> [When love becomes what Christianity is all about, we can make no sense of Jesus's death and resurrection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/when-love-becomes-what-christianity-is-all-about-we-can-make-no-sense/)

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

> [To try to turn Iraq into a liberal democracy is absolutely crazy. Islam has no understanding of the separation between church and state because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/to-try-to-turn-iraq-into-a-liberal-democracy-is-absolutely-crazy/)

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

> [Our sin is exactly the presumption that we can know God or ourselves through our own capacities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/our-sin-is-exactly-the-presumption-that-we-can-know-god-or-ourselves/)

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

> [The heart of the gospel is that you don't know Jesus without the witness of the church. It's always mediated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/the-heart-of-the-gospel-is-that-you-don-t-know-jesus-without-the/)

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

> [I have no doubt that for some to become a Christian may involve an experience of ecstasy. Yet I do not think such an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/i-have-no-doubt-that-for-some-to-become-a-christian-may-involve-an/)

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

> [The Gospel of John makes explicit what all the Gospels assume - that is, the cross is not a defeat, but the victory of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/the-gospel-of-john-makes-explicit-what-all-the-gospels-assume-that-is/)

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

> [One of the challenges Christians confront is how the politics we helped create has made it difficult to sustain the material practices constitutive of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/one-of-the-challenges-christians-confront-is-how-the-politics-we/)

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

> ['The Chronicles of Narnia' are war-determined stories. I do not think Lewis could have written well or truthfully if he had tried to avoid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/the-chronicles-of-narnia-are-war-determined-stories-i-do-not-think/)

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

> [I should like to think how we write as theologians would reflect our confidence in the One who makes that writing possible. That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/i-should-like-to-think-how-we-write-as-theologians-would-reflect-our/)

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

> [Many who become theologians in our time think their task is to try to determine how much of what has passed for Christianity they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/many-who-become-theologians-in-our-time-think-their-task-is-to-try-to/)

[Stanley Hauerwas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

[Explore all 155 Stanley Hauerwas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/)

## More Christianity quotes

> [Christianity was never meant to be defined by its disciplines, but by its passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-johnson/christianity-was-never-meant-to-be-defined-by-its-disciplines-but-by/)

[Bill Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-johnson/)

> [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/)

[Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/)

> [“God hates Hell. He hates the idea of people going there. He hates it so much that He was willing to take on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/god-hates-hell-he-hates-the-idea-of-people-going-there-he-hates-it-so/)

[Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/)

> [“some of my good Baptist brethren in Georgia had done a little preaching from the pulpit against the KKK, I would have a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-moss/some-of-my-good-baptist-brethren-in-georgia-had-done-a-little/)

[Norman Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-moss/)

> [I pray that wherever we are and whatever duties we have in the priesthood of God, we will be united in the cause to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/i-pray-that-wherever-we-are-and-whatever-duties-we-have-in-the/)

[Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/)

> [Why do Christians sing when they are together? The reason is, quite simply, because in singing together it is possible for them to speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/why-do-christians-sing-when-they-are-together-the-reason-is-quite/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [“every church can treat each discipleship class and each worship service as an opportunity for continual rehearsal of what the words, stories, symbols, rituals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-arthur/every-church-can-treat-each-discipleship-class-and-each-worship/)

[Sarah Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-arthur/)

> [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [“A question for Christians who accept evolution: When did we gain a "soul"? Did Homo habilis have a soul? Homo ergaster? Did God only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-mcafee/a-question-for-christians-who-accept-evolution-when-did-we-gain-a/)

[David G. McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-mcafee/)

> [The notion of a non-religious Christmas is ridiculous. But so is the insistence on the part of Christians that politicians and retailers carry out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-campos-duffy/the-notion-of-a-non-religious-christmas-is-ridiculous-but-so-is-the/)

[Rachel Campos-Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-campos-duffy/)

> [A real Christian in an odd number anyway. He feels supreme love for One whom he has never seen, talks familiarly every day to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-real-christian-in-an-odd-number-anyway-he-feels-supreme-love-for/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Because the truth is that gossip is as good as gospel in this town. You can save face but you won't ever save your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conor-oberst/because-the-truth-is-that-gossip-is-as-good-as-gospel-in-this-town/)

[Conor Oberst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conor-oberst/)

> [How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/how-else-but-through-a-broken-heart-may-lord-christ-enter-in/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [Every saved person this side of heaven owes the gospel to every lost person this side of hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-platt/every-saved-person-this-side-of-heaven-owes-the-gospel-to-every-lost/)

[David Platt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-platt/)

> [I grew up in Synagogue in the boys' choir. We didn't listen to music in the house; only at temple. Then I went to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-patinkin/i-grew-up-in-synagogue-in-the-boys-choir-we-didn-t-listen-to-music-in/)

[Mandy Patinkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-patinkin/)

[Browse all 14,385 Christianity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Though claiming to represent a conservative form of Christianity, the Religious Right is politically a form of Protestant liberalism.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Stanley Hauerwas"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/though-claiming-to-represent-a-conservative-form-of-christianity-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Christianity"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/though-claiming-to-represent-a-conservative-form-of-christianity-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/stanley-hauerwas-2675_christianity_though-claiming-to-represent-a-conservat_2003945.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/stanley-hauerwas-2675_christianity_though-claiming-to-represent-a-conservat_2003945.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f13/stanley-hauerwas-2675_christianity_though-claiming-to-represent-a-conservat_2003945.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Though claiming to represent a conservative form of Christianity, the Religious Right is politically a form…” — Stanley Hauerwas",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Stanley Hauerwas",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-hauerwas/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Though claiming to represent a conservative...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/though-claiming-to-represent-a-conservative-form-of-christianity-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-hauerwas/though-claiming-to-represent-a-conservative-form-of-christianity-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
