Evangelical Christianity is not monolithic but rather numerous denominations sharing core beliefs. The overarching characteristics of the MAGA evangelicals are they are politically motivated, conservative, and Caucasian.
We identify ourselves by our spiritual convictions in the authority of the Bible, salvation through Jesus Christ alone and living out our faith in everyday life, especially sharing the good news of Jesus with others. We share the historic Christian beliefs in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected to life.
National Association of Evangelicals web site
White evangelicals are more southern and significantly older than Americans as a whole. An overwhelming percentage, perhaps 70%, of white evangelicals voted for Trump in 2020. Evangelicals are a reliable voting bloc cemented in the Republican camp.
White evangelical Protestants have been among the Republican Party’s most loyal constituencies, and this remained true in 2020. More than eight-in-ten White evangelical Protestant voters who attend religious services frequently (85%) voted for Trump in the most recent election, as did 81% of those who attend less frequently.
Most White Americans who regularly attend worship services voted for Trump in 2020 – Pew Research
White evangelical Protestants tend to be more religious than other Christians by a number of measures, including in their worship habits: Two-thirds of White evangelical voters attend monthly or more often, while one-third attend less frequently.
There is no possible evidence-based argument Donald Trump has admirable character. He is the undisputed leader of the MAGA movement and he wields that power with a heavy hand.
A devoutly religious person would normally be more apt to shun someone with his lifelong history of treacherous behavior, yet that was not the case in 2020 nor 2024. Why?
White Evangelicals Get “Political”
A political firestorm that may have been the origin of the political right species is the 1925 Scopes trial. The nationwide debate over human evolution energized fundamentalist Christians because of their contradictory belief in the biblical description of creation. So, evangelicals wholeheartedly supported a ban of public school instruction of evolution.
While the initial battle leaned their way, the flurry of activity in schools and libraries swung public opinion against them and they returned to being apolitical.
Evangelical Christianity And Civil Rights Conflicts
The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case fractured the country along a clearly defined fault line of racial bias. The decision to outlaw school segregation didn’t sit well with many southern state people.
The passage of the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 further insured racial equality. Southern people concerned about their freedom of choice being infringed were awakened. They found full throated support from Senator Harry Byrd, a Virginia Democrat. Byrd engaged a “massive resistance” strategy aimed at maintaining racial segregation in Virginia. He pushed the state legislature to hold back state funding for all integrated schools. In the end all the racially motivated machinations failed, but one offshoot of the strategy that remained was the existence of “segregation academies” in the private school sector. The tactic of providing inexpensive private schools to circumvent public school regulations was embraced as a way to maintain integrated schools.
The Immigration Act of 1965 promised to bring increased diversity to the country. Because that diversity would further dilute the traditionally American Christian nature of the country as well as the racial mix, evangelicals began to see the worth of increasing their political involvement.
Following the path of Jerry Falwell tells the story of the conversion of white evangelicals to the MAGA mission. Falwell and his political actions are not solely responsible, but his blueprint is the same as others.
Jerry Falwell
Falwell was the pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, a televangelist, and a political activist. His church opened Lynchburg Christian Academy (LCA) in 1967 as a segregation academy. Falwell’s public motivation for opening the school was an expression of religious freedom rather than an objection to racial integration. His timing remains suspect.
Falwell understood politics and mass media. In that regard, changing “Lynchburg” to “Liberty” in the school’s name is indicative of how savvy he was. He understood the social impact of one trigger word. He continued along the same line co-founding Liberty University a few years later. “Liberty” is not a religious word, it’s transparently political and installs patriotism over religion.
Using his nationally syndicated radio and television megaphone “The Old-Time Gospel Hour”, Falwell was able to transmit his message to white evangelicals across the country. Despite protestations race was no motivation for any behavior, those national messages were often particularly critical of the civil rights movement and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.. For example, Falwell said in a 1964 sermon, “Preachers are not called to be politicians, but soul winners….”
Not much later, Falwell decided he was personally immune to what he slammed Dr. King about. Falwell’s calling had changed as he dove into national politics using all tools at his disposal. His messaging had a major impact on the politics of American evangelicals then and now.
I Love America
Falwell leveraged his rise to fame, hitting the road in 1976 staging “I Love America” rallies. At the rallies he railed against what he said was the decay of American morals. His language was strong, naming his targets as literally evil. Fair game at his rallies included the Equal Rights Amendment, homosexuality, abortion, women’s liberation, sex education, pornography, a full gamut of sins. Wokeness had not yet been invented as a word.
A 1981 newsletter condemning homosexuality offers a view of Falwell’s style:
Please remember, that homosexuals do not reproduce! They recruit!
And, many of them are out after my children and your children.
Recently, a homosexual organization came to Lynchburg to demonstrate against me. They held demonstrations outside our offices. They called themselves the “Oral Majority.”
In almost every one of my “I Love America” rallies on the state capitol steps, large groups of homosexuals come and demonstrate against me. They shout obscenities into the air. They lift signs and placards with vulgar words on them.
It sounds a great deal like Sodom and Gomorrah. As I interpret Scripture, when a society becomes like Sodom and Gomorrah, it is not far from destruction.
Some of these people are dangerous.
Letter from Jerry Falwell on keeping Old Time Gospel Hour on air August 13, 1981
Jimmy Carter is a Southern Baptist who taught Sunday school in his home state of Georgia. White evangelicals gave their vote to Carter for his 1976 win. When Ronald Reagan defeated Carter in 1980, those same white evangelicals went with Reagan by a 2 to 1 margin.
The depth and breadth of Falwell’s faithful audience then had the full attention of Republican political operatives.
The Evangelical Moral Majority
One of those operatives was far right conservative activist Paul Weyrich. His is not a household name, but his impressive resumé includes co-founding The Heritage Foundation, the Free Congress Foundation, and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).
Weyrich and Falwell brought in other high profile preachers and televangelists to form Moral Majority in 1979. The group’s membership eventually reached four million members with two million of them participating as donors.
The Republican party aligned it’s platform with that of Moral Majority to match the family-values messaging. The anti-communist agenda aligned with Moral Majority objecting to the “godlessness” of communism and the Republicans objecting to the politics. As other hot topics like abortion arose, the two groups were aligned more often than not.
There are many examples of eye-popping rhetoric with Falwell’s fire-breathing style as even “the media” became a frequent target. All of that has been assimilated by the MAGA movement.
MAGA Devoured Evangelicalism
The white evangelical voting bloc are reliable voters for MAGA candidates. The direction the Moral Majority pointed Republicans has continued moving rightward with no sign of slowing.
Jerry Falwell, Jr. took over the reins of a financially troubled Liberty University. He had become a mouthpiece for the Christian right until a sex scandal faded his spotlight. Until then, Falwell, Jr. offered a secularized view of Falwell sermons while keeping similar ideologies and visible biases.
Jerry, Jr. became an unblinking cheerleader for Donald Trump.
If more good people had concealed-carry permits, then we could end those Muslims before they walked in.
Jerry Falwell, Jr. three days after a San Bernadino, CA mass shooting
In my opinion, Donald Trump lives a life of loving and helping others as Jesus taught.
Jerry Falwell, Jr. introduction of Donald Trump – Iowa Caucuses 2015
We’re never going to have a perfect candidate unless Jesus Christ is on the ballot.
Jerry Falwell, Jr. defending Donald Trump after Access Hollywood video surfaced
He does not have a racist bone in his body.
Jerry Falwell, Jr. defending Donald Trump Charlottesville “Good people on both sides”
You get the idea.
Falwell’s Trump endorsement, sex scandal, and wildly nuts social media posts eventually cost him his Liberty University gig. The lingering effects of his endorsement and faithful reduction of all Trump’s gross behavioral flaws had already metastasized in white evangelical politics.
Personal Character Doesn’t Matter
Political involvement is necessary to gain changes in laws that follow an ideology. If a ban on abortion is something important to an individual or group, it’s the correct behavior to support candidates who will enact that legislation or interpret the Constitution accordingly. Acting toward that end isn’t evil or anything other than productive work.
The root of most religions, including Christianity, is unconditional love of our brothers and sisters. When a movement like the MAGA evangelicals quotes scripture using the most vengeful passages to make a point, it has lost it’s way.
God called King David a man after God’s own heart even though he was an adulterer and a murderer.
Jerry Falwell, Jr. defending Donald Trump in 2016
The MAGA movement erased personal character as a reason to support or reject a political candidate. That has filtered into and taken over the white evangelical group. It has gone so far with evangelicals as to have a large group of prophecy producers insisting Trump is actually a messiah or at least a prophet of God.`
It seems trite to dismiss it all as a cult of personality, something that makes it possible to wage and win a culture war. But, is it?
MAGA Evangelical Christians Are A Symptom
Donald Trump is not at fault for the corruption of Christian principles necessary to support his candidacy, that blame lies at the feet of MAGA evangelicals. His success spawned a new school of MAGA candidates using the same script. It happened because defining sides in a culture war is a winning strategy.
That base script involves weaponizing fear and presenting one’s self as the only one who can fix the problem. It’s not new and the effectiveness of forging a culture war of “us and them” scenarios has worked before. The “us” is a single group while there are any number of “them” groups. Examples include immigrants, homosexuals, transsexuals, mainstream media, woke beer sellers, kneeling athletes… ad nauseum.
Moral Bankruptcy Welcome
MAGA culture is a willingness to embrace morally bankrupt candidates who profess to support the MAGA goals at the expense of people with a history of provably better character. There’s no recognition in the MAGA mind that the bankrupt candidate is willing to proselytize for anything that will get them a vote. Because of that, they shouldn’t be trusted to follow through on the promise that won them MAGA support to begin with. It’s part of the candidate’s moral bankruptcy, and it will never change.
I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK?
Donald Trump – 2016 campaign stop at Christian college (Dordt College) – Sioux Center, IA
It’s, like, incredible.
American Republican candidates for offices from school boards through the presidency are rewarded for allegiance for narratives that are often false but part of the MAGA portfolio. For example, “the 2020 election was riddled with fraudulent votes” or “the January 6 attack was peaceful.” Candidates must adhere to that strict set of positions or be shunned.
Toe the line, be loud, and there is no behavior past or present that will lose them a single MAGA vote.
Research and Supporting Information
- Defining Evangelicals in an Election Year – Christianity Today
- Paul Weyrich – Wikipedia
- Massive resistance – Wikipedia
- Evangelicalism and Politics – Organization of American Historians
- A History of Private Schools and Race in the American South – Southern Education Foundation
- Brown v. Board of Education – History Channel
- Most White Americans who regularly attend worship services voted for Trump in 2020 – Pew Research
- Moral Majority – Wikipedia
- From biblical times to Trump, false messiahs have doomed societies – The Conversation
- Letter from Jerry Falwell on keeping Old Time Gospel Hour on air August 13, 1981