Jacob Lupfer makes the observation that non-denominational evangelicals tend to support Donald Trump, while “confessional evangelicals” (those committed to a specific theology) tend not to.
These are generalizations about leaders who are vocal about the election, not poll results of rank and file members. But his lists of partisans on either side (see his article after the jump) hold up.
We confessional Lutherans are counted as “evangelicals” in surveys, based on our belief in the gospel of Christ and the Bible, though we are different from others in that camp. We would doubtless count in the use of that term as “confessional evangelicals.” As evident in our blog discussions, some Lutherans fiercely support Trump and others fiercely oppose him.
I don’t know how a majority of confessional Lutherans will come down on the election. Because Lutheran confessions teach the doctrine of the Two Kingdoms, which distinguishes between the political and spiritual realms, there may be more political diversity among Lutherans. Many confessional Lutherans are on the political left and many are libertarians.
But what would account for Lupfer’s observation? Why would “mere Christians” support Trump, who himself makes some pretty strong distinctions and has a forceful ideology? You would think that those who reject denominational distinctives and think all Christians should get along wouldn’t be attracted to Trump’s exclusive kind of nationalism. And why would Christians with a distinct and forceful theology be so opposed to him? You would think that these Christians often branded as “intolerant” would like Trump’s exclusive political ideology. Somebody please explain this.
From Jacob Lupfer, Protestant confessionalism and Trump’s evangelical support:
Trump’s evangelical supporters, at least at the elite level, tend to come from non-denominational institutions. Their place in the evangelical world is not tied to specific confessional expressions of Protestantism. Their Christian identity, such as it is, tends to be generic: They are “Bible-believers” and “born-agains,” not Calvinists or Anglicans.
Evangelical holdouts are notably more tied to specific confessional traditions. At the mass level, they are more frequent churchgoers. This probably means they are more self-consciously aware of and formed by their identity not just as “mere Christians,” but as Methodists, Baptists, Reformed, etc. #NeverTrump evangelical elites tend to be leaders in explicitly confessional institutions.
Generic evangelicals or cultural/nominal Protestants go for Trump. Confessional evangelicals are theologically primed to resist him.
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