Rockford Institute is a conservative think-tank associated with paleoconservatism

Paleoconservatism

Paleoconservatism is a term for a conservative political philosophy found primarily in the United States stressing tradition, limited government, civil society, anti-colonialism, anti-corporatism and anti-federalism, along with religious, regional, national and Western identity. Chilton...

, based in Rockford, Illinois

Rockford, Illinois

Rockford is a mid-sized city located on both banks of the Rock River in far northern Illinois. Often referred to as "The Forest City", Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois, USA. As reported in the 2010 U.S. census, the city was home to 152,871 people, the third most populated...

. It is known for the John Randolph Club

John Randolph Club

The John Randolph Club is a paleoconservative social and political organization founded in the 1980s and operated by the Rockford Institute. It is named after John Randolph of Roanoke , a 19th century U.S...

, and publishes Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture

Chronicles (magazine)

Chronicles is a U.S. monthly magazine published by the Rockford Institute. Its full current name is Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture. The magazine is known for promoting anti-globalism, anti-intervention and anti-immigration stances within conservative politics, and is considered one of...

.

It was founded by Rockford College

Rockford College

Rockford College is a private American liberal arts college in Rockford, Illinois. It was founded in 1847 as Rockford Female Seminary and changed its name in 1892. The college is known as the alma mater of Nobel Peace Prize winner Jane Addams, who was a member of the class of...

 President John A. Howard in 1976 as a response to American social changes of the 1960s. Allan Carlson served as president until 1997. He left with John Howard to found The Howard Center for Family, Religion & Society, on offshoot of the Rockford Institute. They took with them two publications: Religion and Society Report and Family in America. Thomas Fleming, editor of Chronicles, succeeded Carlson as president.

The institute and Lutheran pastor Richard John Neuhaus

Richard John Neuhaus

Richard John Neuhaus was a prominent Christian cleric and writer. Born in Canada, Neuhaus moved to the United States where he became a naturalized United States citizen...

 invited Cardinal Ratzinger to give a lecture in New York in January 1988. On May 5, 1989, Neuhaus and his Religion and Society Center were evicted from the institute's New York office after he complained about what he said were "the racist and anti-Semitic tones" of the institute's Chronicles magazine. The charge, which was supported by other leading conservatives, was denied by the institute. They said the office, called Rockford East, was closed for budgetary reasons and because of concerns that Neuhaus was not following institute policies. According to commentator David Frum

David Frum

David J. Frum is a Canadian American journalist active in both the United States and Canadian political arenas. A former economic speechwriter for President George W. Bush, he is also the author of the first "insider" book about the Bush presidency...

, the split was seen by leading conservatives as a sign of the division between the paleoconserve and the neo-conservative elements of the movement.