Dylan's political, religious and other attitudes have in many ways been remarkably consistent. Also consistent has been the distorted spin that the mainstream media have put on his life and work. Assigning Dylan's work to the cultural left has been one of the Big Lies of American liberalism. They have tried hard to co-opt possibly the greatest ever American songwriter to their world view, despite his constant rejection of their labels and their seductions. It's a big subject, one I write a little about here:
http://www.rightwingbob.com
Oh, and the idea that he rejected Christianity between 1981 and 1983, or any other time, is completely wrong. He continues to sing such songs as "Saving Grace," "I Believe In You," "Solid Rock" and others in concert. It's pretty clear that his born-again experience led him to explore his Jewish heritage very intensely. This led some gossipers to say he'd just shed Christianity like some kind of fad. It's bogus, and just another Big Lie. Dylan has made clear over and over again that he accepts Christ, in addition to accepting his own Jewish identity, yet somehow certain observers choose to spin in another way ...