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The Christian Coalition of America is a grassroots conservative political organization that advocates for the rights of people of faith in the United States. The original organization, the Christian Coalition, was founded by Marion Gordon “Pat” Robertson (1930–2023) in 1987 to mobilize and inform Christian voters. The advocacy group consists of supporters from various Christian denominations, including mainline Protestants, Catholics, Baptists, and Pentecostals.
Today, the Christian Coalition of America is classified as a 501(c)(4) “social welfare” nonprofit. The organization was established by Pat Robertson during the months leading up to his run for the Republican presidential nomination in 1988. Robertson withdrew from the race before the primaries and used the resources accumulated during his campaign to kickstart the coalition’s operations.
The Christian Coalition was initially led by American political consultant and lobbyist Ralph Reed. The organization established independent chapters in forty-nine states, claiming tax exemption and operating under that status while its application was pending. However, in 1996, the Federal Election Commission filed a lawsuit against the Christian Coalition, accusing the group of endorsing and donating to candidates running for federal office, which was prohibited for entities with tax-exempt status.
The coalition’s main efforts have been to educate Christian voters on important issues and provide information about the candidates’ stances on those issues. Primarily through churches, the group has distributed millions of non-partisan voter guides and scorecards outlining the candidates’ positions.
In 1999, the IRS denied the Christian Coalition’s application for tax-exempt, nonprofit status and required the group to pay an estimated $400,000 in back taxes. In response, the Christian Coalition of Texas, which had been granted tax-exempt status as a subsidiary.
Diary of the Christian Coalition underwent restructuring, relocation, and rebranding as the Christian Coalition of America, maintaining its role as an educational entity and disseminating millions of voter guides in churches across the United States.
Roberta Combs, a founding member of the Texas chapter and owner of a political consulting firm, serves as the current president and CEO of the Christian Coalition of America. She has advised on pro-family matters for various local, state, and national campaigns, governors, members of Congress, senators, and former President George W. Bush. Originally based in Washington, D.C., the Christian Coalition of America is now headquartered in Charleston, South Carolina.
The Christian Coalition of America has a five-part mission: to advocate for the pro-family stance in school boards and at local, state, and national levels; to be a Christian voice in the public sphere and media; to train and educate Christian leaders for effective social and political engagement; to inform pro-family voters about issues and legislation; and to denounce anti-Christian prejudice and safeguard the rights of people of faith (https://cc.org/about-us/, accessed 2/1/24).
The legislative agenda of the Christian Coalition of America includes discontinuing public funding for abortion, endorsing initiatives for energy independence, reforming the criminal justice system, upholding Second Amendment rights, backing Israel’s defense, repealing and replacing Obamacare, advocating for evangelical Christian military chaplains, opposing the “Fairness Doctrine,” reducing the national debt, defending traditional marriage laws, and increasing military expenditures.
The influence of the Christian Coalition of America has diminished since the 1990s and early 2000s. By 2005, the organization had significantly downsized, with only two staff members and operating on a much smaller budget of $1.3 million, down from the $26 million it had a decade earlier (www.washingtontimes.com/news/2005/oct/1).
Reference: Document 3/20051013-121940-9083r/, retrieved on February 3, 2024.
