the Empathy List #127: Move Slow and Mend Things

Against Election Anxiety (Plus, a note on how white American evangelical pastors plan to vote)

Hello friend, Liz here.

Yesterday I spent the workday chasing down two Lifeway surveys—one that showed evangelicals doubly supporting Trump over Harris (61% vs. 31%) and another that showed half or more of all white evangelical pastors supporting Trump (~the same percentages as their congregants).

I wanted to parse the data and settle on a clear conclusion about the Church and American Politics—is Christian nationalism on the rise or decline? Do pastors’ opinions matter to their congregants? Does the polling feel true?

…And what does it mean that half of surveyed white evangelical pastors support a raping, pillaging, late-stage capitalist billionaire candidate? 🙈 I have no idea, but it’s not good.

To me, the most notable element of the survey was the fact that so few said the character of a candidate defined the direction of their voting—only 24% say personal character matters the most. Barf.

And I don’t know what to make of that number. The wide gap between theology and practice in white American Evangelicalism still baffles me. And I don’t know why I’m still surprised and offended. The stats are only confirming what I have seen and experienced over years within white American evangelicalism. But I hope for better. And I keep praying that God will convict those more concerned about “border security” and the size of their wallets than the trustworthiness of their leaders.

You can buy this letterpress poster from Department of Small Works in the UK.

News like this reminds me that I’m bone-weary.