For God and Country: The Political Activism of Religious Congregations in the United States

Abstract

In this paper, I draw on four waves of the National Congregations Study to explore the political activism of religious congregations in the United States, how this activity has changed over the past two decades, and in what ways it varies across religious traditions. It shows that although theologically conservative Christians have developed a reputation for political activism, this is not reflected at the congregational level. White evangelical churches seldom engage in overt political activity and instead seek to keep their focus on the worship of God. Rather, it is Roman Catholic and Black Protestant congregations that are the most politically active, engaging in a wide-variety of activities, such as distributing voter guides, registering people to vote, forming groups to discuss politics, lobbying or marching about particular issues, or inviting political candidates and elected officials to speak at their worship services. The paper also finds that the marching and lobbying efforts of religious congregations increased in 2018-19, an increase that may very well reflect reactions to policies of President Trump's administration. The paper concludes with a brief reflection on the results of the analysis, and noting that it just begins to scratch the surface if congregational political activism, it offers a few suggestions for future research.