Faith Today - May/June 2016

Canadians have been looking south of the borderinbewilderment. How could a thrice- married, immodest billionaire like Donald Trump, who is very noncommittal about his moral and religious views, be popular among Evangelicals?

There’s no simple answer, but there are interesting things we can learn.

First we should realize that, even among Evangelicals planning to vote Republican, many are not Trump supporters, especially the clergy and regular attenders. Instead they support Ted Cruz or another candidate (depending, of course, on how the poll defines Evangelicals).

It’s also important to counter the assumption that all Evangelicals vote Republican. While it is true a small majority of (white) Evangelicals lean or identify as Republican ( 56 per cent according 2014 data just released by the Pew Research Center), sizeable numbers are also independent ( 16 per cent) and Democrat (28 per cent).

The lead-up to the November election in the U. S., besides causing considerable hand-wringing on both sides of the border (and an overwhelming number of Facebook posts), presents a good time to clarify the differences and similarities between American and Canadian Evangelicals.

LET’S BEGIN BY
ADMITTING OUR BIASES

Canadians have long relished distinctiveness from the United States. In fact, some say the most important aspect of our national identity seems to be that we are not Americans. For their part, Americans like to distinguish themselves from all other nations of the earth.

Evangelicals in both countries follow this tendency as well. Canadians in general stereotype American Evangelicals as brash, showy, fundamentalist, right-wing and aggressive politically.