Creation, cultural wars and campus crusade

And finally, as a part of his broader strategy, he structured CCC, both nationally and globally, into a complex network of front and sector organisations. Currently it has 27,000 staff and 225,000 trained volunteers in 190 countries. It operates through some 60 ministries and projects. These include Campus Ministries, Professional Women's Fellowship (once headed by Mary Walker, the chief legal officer of the US Department of the Air Force, removed after her involvement in the torture scandal at Abu Ghraib), Athletes in Action, Christian Embassies, and Military Ministry. One of its best known projects is The Jesus Film. Corporately funded, it reportedly has been seen by about four billion people.

CCC has been active in all of the major issues of the new Right agenda: global issues and the new world order, "family values", and education and the role of schools.

From its beginnings CCC saw America not only as a Christian nation but a nation called by God to fulfill its ordained role in world affairs. This belief saw it in action in solidarity with the white minorities in Rhodesia and South Africa, and in Latin America. According to the University of Chicago's seminal work on fundamentalism, CCC saw "itself as recruiting" shock troops "to turn back communism and liberation theology". The other direction it took was into unqualified and unquestioning support for Israel, and denial of the Palestinian existence or rights. As the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) declared, "The Jewish people have the absolute right to possess and dwell in the Land, including Judea, Samaria, Gaza and Golan".

Bright positioned the CCC within a network of organisations such as ICEJ, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, Stand for Israel campaigns, fundraising for settlements, and the International Day of Prayer and Solidarity with Israel.

While currently there is considerable debate and disquiet both within the American Jewish community on relations with the Christian Right, and the Christian Right’s increasing concern with Sharon's policies, nevertheless the Israeli Government in meetings with evangelical leaders (including the CEO of Hillsong) has promised them land in Israel, and The Jerusalem Post  has just announced the beginning of a regular edition for evangelical Christians.

Family values are a core issue for the Christian Right and are usually code words for opposition to abortion and homosexuality, and a "vision of family which sees men in control and women submissive".

These values are reflected in CCC, in their organisational structure with the board made up of 27 men and one woman. The Godly Business Woman's magazine, published by CCC has much about "evangelical hospitality" and the "joys of hospitality". Bright was party to the setting up and funding of two organisations which furthered his family ministry; Alliance Defence Fund ("to defend family values … prolife and antigay") and Promisekeepers (the goal of which was "to restore men's leadership role in the family").

With the family now covered, schools, as the major influence outside the family, became a major focus of CCC. And it is in this context of combating secular humanism and placing God at the centre of education, that CCC has been involved in creationism-Intelligent Design. Sponsoring conferences, endorsing books and producing and distributing ID DVDs are now fairly standard activities of CCC.

In the US, the NCRP noted "the rise of the evangelical Christianity has had a profound impact on American politics".

CCC has and is one of the major players.

In Australia, national days of prayer and thanksgiving, parliamentary prayer breakfasts, moral report cards, attacks on school curricula and school "values", identification of nations as "Christian", well-funded education resources including pro-family and ID resources, and "holy land tours" - all have their origins in the American religious Right.

Organisations on the Right, such as the Institute of Public Affairs, monitor and dissect (frequently with Federal Government funding) what they perceive to be Left-wing religious and community organisations.

Perhaps the time has come for a similar systematic monitoring and understanding of the significance of the religious Right.