The Experiment Podcast: Is ‘Evangelical’ a Political Identity?
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This episode was originally published on May 13, 2021.
These days, everyone assumes that this is just a fact of life: Evangelicals are Republicans, and Republicans are evangelicals. The powerful alliance culminated in the 2016 election of Donald Trump, tying the reputation of Christianity in America to the Trump brand—maybe permanently.
It wasn’t always like this. One man—a political operative from Georgia named Ralph Reed—devised a plan to harness the energy of young Christians and turn them into America’s most powerful voting bloc, one church mailing list at a time. Decades later, when Donald Trump came on the political scene, Reed knew he would be big—and convinced his fellow evangelicals that they should give him a shot.
Trump’s election was everything Reed spent his entire career fighting for: a president who was anti–abortion rights, listened to evangelical leaders, and advocated for Christians who felt pushed out of the public square. But Reed’s victory had a cost. Many, many Christians have come to feel that their church cares more about politics than Jesus. They have spoken out. They have grieved. And some of them have left.
In this episode of The Experiment, we have the first episode in a two-part series: Meet the man who turned a disparate group of evangelicals into America’s most powerful voting bloc and invented the evangelical political brand. Then join us for Part 2, when we’ll look at the human cost of political victory—a cost that might ultimately be very high.
Listen to The Experiment:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-experiment/id15…
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/64nFJEu758qByG5l6kqg6F?si=f…
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-experiment-3
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRzLndueWMu…
In your web browser: https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/experiment/?utm_sour…
Further reading: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/01/evan…
🎨: Michael Ciaglo / Getty
🎥: Nicole Blackwood
These days, everyone assumes that this is just a fact of life: Evangelicals are Republicans, and Republicans are evangelicals. The powerful alliance culminated in the 2016 election of Donald Trump, tying the reputation of Christianity in America to the Trump brand—maybe permanently.
It wasn’t always like this. One man—a political operative from Georgia named Ralph Reed—devised a plan to harness the energy of young Christians and turn them into America’s most powerful voting bloc, one church mailing list at a time. Decades later, when Donald Trump came on the political scene, Reed knew he would be big—and convinced his fellow evangelicals that they should give him a shot.
Trump’s election was everything Reed spent his entire career fighting for: a president who was anti–abortion rights, listened to evangelical leaders, and advocated for Christians who felt pushed out of the public square. But Reed’s victory had a cost. Many, many Christians have come to feel that their church cares more about politics than Jesus. They have spoken out. They have grieved. And some of them have left.
In this episode of The Experiment, we have the first episode in a two-part series: Meet the man who turned a disparate group of evangelicals into America’s most powerful voting bloc and invented the evangelical political brand. Then join us for Part 2, when we’ll look at the human cost of political victory—a cost that might ultimately be very high.
Listen to The Experiment:
Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-experiment/id15…
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/64nFJEu758qByG5l6kqg6F?si=f…
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/the-experiment-3
Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL2ZlZWRzLndueWMu…
In your web browser: https://www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/experiment/?utm_sour…
Further reading: https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/01/evan…
🎨: Michael Ciaglo / Getty
🎥: Nicole Blackwood
@puzzling7785
It was watching evangelical, republican Christians basically cheerlead for Trump and overlook all of his horrible behavior was what was one of the major contributing factors of why I deconverted.
4 likes
@annepeterson5897
The separation of little children from their parents in such a way that hundreds of them will probably never be reunited again is not a grave moral issue?
1 likes
@andydogdixon1
My Sodomy/homosexuality, and rejecting that was one of the leading reasons I became a born again Christian at 16 years old in 1975. Excepting my homosexuality, loving who I am, is one of the leading reasons I rejected Christianity around 1999. Living an openly gay satisfied 64 year old athiest today.
10 likes
@mwfmtnman
A political identity as the fanatics of the Inquisition
4 likes
@talentunburied
Jesus Welcome Invitation Matthew Chapter 11:28-30 not a command...if it were it would change everything about His Character! There would be no Love or a choice. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
@coachfun1987
Reed: "I don't approve of his language on the videotape, but..." The fact that Trump admitted to sexual assault never crossed his radar?
1 likes
@wil-e4c
So the Atlantic is attempting to humanize Reed? An architect of a fascist theocracy.
3 likes
@darkmath100
Ah, the "grab 'em by the" comment. My take on that is Hillary Clinton was such a horrible candidate people would rather vote for Donald Trump. But not The Atlantic, their takeaway is Deplorables are dumb. SMH.
1 likes