On The Front Lines
Eerdmans Publishing Issues History of The Rutherford Institute, John W. Whitehead & Impact on Religious Freedom Movement
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- Coinciding with the 25th anniversary of The Rutherford Institute, Eerdmans Publishing has issued a groundbreaking book by scholar R. Jonathan Moore entitled Suing for America's Soul: John Whitehead, The Rutherford Institute, and Conservative Christians in the Courts (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2007). In an effort to explain the rise of conservative Christian legal advocacy groups in recent decades, Moore traces the evolution and impact of The Rutherford Institute over its 25-year history. As Suing for America's Soul notes, "A close examination of The Rutherford Institute--its founder, published materials, and court activities--helps to explain the rise of conservative Christian legal advocacy groups in late twentieth-century America."
On June 29, 1982, John W. Whitehead and his wife Carol withdrew $200 from their bank account--their entire savings at the time--and set up a small office in the basement of their home. Whitehead dreamed of creating a legal organization that would defend people who were persecuted or oppressed for their religious beliefs without charging them for such services. He also hoped to influence American culture by encouraging Christians to play a more active role in the courts and in society as a whole. For the next 25 years, Whitehead and The Rutherford Institute would do just that. By standing up for the religious freedoms and constitutional rights of countless individuals, provoking those on both sides of the political aisle with its independent and sometimes controversial stance on the issues, setting important legal precedents in several cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, and creating cultural and educational programs to help people better understand our rapidly changing world, The Rutherford Institute and its supporters have indeed changed the world around them. As Moore concludes in Suing for America's Soul, "Beginning in 1982, The Rutherford Institute stood as a ready ally for religious citizens who found their liberties threatened, and it helped ensure that a conservative Christian voice would be heard in the nation's highest courts."
