Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAccording to an article published by Baptist News Global (curated from Vox) \u201cWhite evangelicals are the only religious group to support Trump.\u201d (October 8, 2018)<\/p>\n
I doubt it.<\/p>\n
*Note: This blog is not a discussion board; if you choose to write a comment know that it may not be posted here. This blog is moderated and only comments and questions that are relatively brief, addressed to me, civil in tone, substantial in content (not mere assertions), will be approved. Hostile tirades, sermons, mere quotations, etc., are not welcome. The purpose of this blog is 1) to express my opinions, and 2) invite thoughtful conversations about my opinions. I do not speak here for anyone else.*<\/p>\n
As recently as January 12 (2018) Deseret News Utah published an article entitled \u201cMormons give Trump highest support of any religious group in poll.\u201d<\/p>\n
So how to reconcile these seemingly conflicting reports?<\/p>\n
First, the poll reported on in the Baptist News Global is more recent than the one reported on in the Deseret News\u2014but not by much. Also, the poll reported on in Baptist News Global (curated from Vox) claimed that seventy-one percent of self-identifying \u201cwhite evangelicals\u201d (in the U.S.) support Trump. The poll reported on by Deseret News found that sixty-one percent of Mormons polled supported Trump.<\/p>\n
Second, \u201cwhite evangelicals\u201d is not really a \u201cgroup\u201d in the same sense as Mormons (now preferring to be called \u201cLatter Day Saints\u201d) are. There is no \u201cmembership\u201d in \u201cwhite evangelicals.\u201d One poll I read about said the poll takers considered anyone \u201cevangelical\u201d who was white and claimed to have had a \u201cborn again experience.\u201d As an evangelical theologian and religion scholar I don\u2019t take that very seriously. Being evangelical means more than just \u201chaving had a born again experience.\u201d Also, there are many authentic evangelicals who are not white.<\/p>\n
Third, \u201csupport Trump\u201d is a bit vague. Many white evangelicals I know absolutely abhore many things about Trump\u2019s personality and lifestyle but support him because of some of his policies and especially because of their long-time craving for a right-leaning Supreme Court. Now that they have it, I suspect they will stop supporting Trump\u2014depending, of course, on who his opponent is in the next presidential election.<\/p>\n
Also, fourth, the poll reported in the Baptist News Global indicates not only that a little over two thirds of white evangelicals support Trump but also that a little less than one third do not! That should come as a shock to people who think Trumpism and evangelical Christianity are inextricably linked.<\/p>\n
I realize that the headline \u201cWhite evangelicals are the only religious group to support Trump\u201d is only a headline, but my objection is that many people will only read the headline. Headline writers need to be careful. The word \u201conly\u201d is blatantly false\u2014given that almost two thirds of Mormons\/Latter Day Saints support Trump.<\/p>\n
This equation of evangelicalism with Trumpism is the creation of some sociologists of religion who train poll takers and interpret the polls\u2019 results and of journalists who may (and I would say many do) have a bias against evangelicals.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Are White Evangelicals the Only Religious Group to Support Trump? According to an article published by Baptist News Global (curated from Vox) \u201cWhite evangelicals are the only religious group to support Trump.\u201d (October 8, 2018) I doubt it. *Note: This blog is not a discussion board; if you choose to write a comment know that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5655","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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