The Christian Right Becomes a Political Thing

In 1970, President Richard Nixon ordered the Internal Revenue Service to enact a new policy. Falwell had been profoundly disturbed by the actions of the federal government legalizing abortion and removing prayer from the public schools. In some states, he famously complained, it's easier to open a massage parlor than a Christian school. The birth of the Christian right as a political movement was very much inspired by evangelical religious leaders to keep black people out of churches and schools.