Forty or 50 years ago, liberal Christians were more likely than conservatives to be identified with specific political positions, largely because of their support of the civil rights or anti-war movements. White evangelical Christians began uniting behind the Republican Party with the emergence in 1980 of Moral Majority, a movement organized by evangelist Jerry Falwell in support of Ronald Reagan's candidacy.
The Republican Party's nomination of Donald Trump, with his record of questionable behavior and divisive rhetoric, has introduced new political tensions in the evangelical movement, however, with more leaders warning of the dangers of a lockstep association with one political party over another.
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