Pulling the lever at 8 out of 10 times for Trump, however, should not be confused with unqualified, widespread support. Many “held their noses” as they did so, if we are to believe the “unfavorable” numbers for Mr. Trump. Many simply believed Trump was “less bad” than Mrs. Clinton. Still others, keeping an eye on Supreme Court nominations, sided with Mr. Trump with the hopes of a more conservative court and possibly putting a dent in Roe v. Wade. It’s been said all along that “evangelical” is difficult to define.
But that’s what makes the turnout in favor of Mr. Trump so interesting to me. If there is one way to define evangelical, it’s by voting behavior, the very metric that journalists and sociologists have been using for years. I know many who would prefer a theological definition and find the journalistic approach troublesome. But with 80 percent of professing evangelicals selecting the GOP nominee, we can no longer act as if all the journalists misunderstand the movement. In the polling booth, “evangelical” does amount to very nearly one thing, or at least one voting behavior.
Read Full Article »