Compromising Positions : Sex Scandals, Politics, and American Christianity

Compromising Positions argues that political sex scandals aren't really about sex. Rather, they are a form of cultural theater moments of highly visible, public storytellingthat use racial and gendered symbols to create a collective sense of national worth and strength. The book shows that Americans condemn or excuse the sexual indiscretions of their politicians depending on the degree to which those politicians reinforce longstanding evangelical symbols associated with "American values" and a "Christian nation."