Oldmixon, Elizabeth Anne 1974(?)–

PERSONAL:

Born c. 1974. Education: Providence College, B.A. (summa cum laude), 1996; University of Florida, M.A., 1999, Ph.D., 2001; attended Blackfriars College, Oxford, 1994-95.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Department of Political Science, University of North Texas, 125 Wooten Hall, P.O. Box 305340, Denton, TX 76203-5340. E-mail—oldmixon@unt.edu.

CAREER:

University of North Texas, Denton, assistant professor of political science, 2002—. Visiting scholar, American Political Science Association's Centennial Center for Political Science and Public Affairs, 2006.

MEMBER:

American Political Science Association (member of executive council, 2005—; chair, 2006—), Society for the Scientific Study of Religion, Christians in Political Science Association, Southwestern Political Science Association.

AWARDS, HONORS:

American Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship, 2001-02.

WRITINGS:

Uncompromising Positions: God, Sex, and the U.S. House of Representatives, Georgetown University Press (Washington, DC), 2005.

Contributor to books, including Representing God at the Statehouse: Religion and Politics in the American States, edited by Edward L. Cleary and Allen Hertzke, Rowman & Littlefield (Lanham, MD), 2005; Religion in World Politics, edited by Jonathan Fox and Shmuel Sandler, Routledge (New York, NY), 2006; and Oxford Handbook on Religion and American Politics, edited by Corwin Smidt, James Guth, and Lyman Kellstedt, Oxford University Press (New York, NY), 2008. Contributor to journals, including Legislative Studies Quarterly, Foreign Policy Analysis, Politics & Religion, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Political Research Quarterly, and Social Sciences Quarterly. Editorial board member, Politics & Religion, 2006—.

SIDELIGHTS:

Elizabeth Anne Oldmixon graduated from Providence College summa cum laude in 1996, with an undergraduate degree in political science. She completed her education at the University of Florida, where she earned both her master's degree and her doctorate. A writer and educator, Oldmixon accepted a position on the faculty of the University of North Texas in Denton, where she joined the department of political science as an assistant professor. Her primary academic and research interests include the relationship between religion and politics in the United States, the legislative process, the presidency, and the government and politics of Israel. In addition to her academic endeavors, Oldmixon has contributed to a number of journals, including Legislative Studies Quarterly, Foreign Policy Analysis, Politics & Religion, Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Political Research Quarterly, and Social Sciences Quarterly. She has also contributed chapters to several anthologies and general reference texts, including Representing God at the Statehouse: Religion and Politics in the American States, edited by Edward L. Cleary and Allen Hertzke; Religion in World Politics, edited by Jonathan Fox and Shmuel Sandler; and Oxford Handbook on Religion and American Politics, edited by Corwin Smidt, James Guth, and Lyman Kellstedt. She is also the author of Uncompromising Positions: God, Sex, and the U.S. House of Representatives.

Uncompromising Positions takes a look at the difference between moral issues and more straightforward issues of law, particularly as it pertains to the decisions of U.S. legislators. In order to determine the truth, Oldmixon carefully researched thirty-five legislators and key aides in Congress, attempting to determine their decision-making process and whether it differed when the question at hand was of a moral nature. In order to back up what the individuals told her, she pored over old congressional records to look at roll calls, lists of who sponsored bills, and the social and racial make up of various constituencies. Ultimately, she determined that moral issues are discussed and treated in a different way than other issues. Whereas shades of gray played an important role in determining other, less emotionally and morally charged issues, the opinions regarding moral issues tended to be very much black and white. Amy E. Black, writing for Christianity Today, noted that "as Oldmixon's book warns, … combining deeply held beliefs, passionate activists speaking in black and white terms, and an unwieldy legislative body that does much of its best work through compromises behind the scenes is often a recipe for disaster. And this disastrous combination is exactly why Uncompromising Positions is such an important read for those seeking to integrate their religious values and worldviews with the political process."

Ultimately, Oldmixon tackles the legislative approach toward such controversial subjects as gay rights, prayer in school, and the disparate ideas that get thrown back and forth between the more traditional and religious citizens of the country and those who are primarily liberal and believe in a more rigorous separation between church and religious beliefs and the decisions made by the government. Melody Rose, writing for the Political Science Quarterly, felt that Oldmixon missed some opportunities to drive her point home, however. The critic wrote: "There is a lack of contextualization here, particularly in the abortion policy section. Although Oldmixon aptly places the three policy issues … within the larger social context of cross-cutting cultures …, the treatment of those cultural developments is thin." However, Journal of Church and State critic Paul Rasor declared that "Oldmixon makes an important political and moral point here. When leaders buy into the nonnegotiable framing of cultural issues—indeed, when they lead the extremist charge—they may be reflecting the position of party elites and base constituencies. But this posture interferes with legislators' central responsibility, which is to legislate."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Choice: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries, June 1, 2006, J.D. Rausch, review of Uncompromising Positions: God, Sex, and the U.S. House of Representatives, p. 1903.

Journal of Church and State, September 22, 2006, Paul Rasor, review of Uncompromising Positions, p. 897.

Political Science Quarterly, September 22, 2006, Melody Rose, review of Uncompromising Positions, p. 530.

Reference & Research Book News, May 1, 2006, review of Uncompromising Positions.

ONLINE

Christianity Today Online,http://www.christianitytoday.com/ (November 1, 2006), Amy E. Black, "Moral Issues and Legislative Politics."

University of North Texas Political Science Department Web site,http://www.psci.unt.edu/ (April 23, 2008), faculty profile.