Making Evangelicals Great Again? American Evangelicals in the Age of Trump

This article analyzes the ways in which American evangelical Christians have responded to the presidential campaign and presidential administration of Donald Trump, with a particular focus on the faction of politically progressive evangelicals. While over 80% of white evangelicals voted for Trump and over 70% continue to support his presidency, progressive evangelicals have vociferously opposed him. This article summarizes the proposals, protests, and petitions of progressive evangelicals with respect to four broad issues: racial justice, immigration, healthcare, and economic policies. Though some conservative and moderate evangelicals have also criticized Trump’s personal behavior and politics, numerous factors hinder their potential partnerships with progressive evangelicals. The current political context has exacerbated a long-simmering identity crisis among progressive evangelicals. Even as many debate the costs of identifying with a religious tradition and label that has become popularly associated with white Christian supporters of Donald Trump, progressive evangelicals have sought to correct popular perceptions of American evangelicalism as inherently linked to political conservatism