The Politics of Mainline Protestants

A common characterization of mainline Protestants is that they are more liberal theologically than evangelical Protestants and more likely to emphasize the social gospel. See Putnam and Campbell, American Grace 14 (2010). The impression is that mainline Protestants are by and large a liberal group. But this impression is apparently mistaken. 62% of highly religious mainline Protestants are Republicans. Id. at 371. ((Only 35% of highly religious Catholics are Republicans (id.) – I am quite sure the figures would be markedly different among the bishops)).

Even more surprising, at least to me, are the relative views of mainline and evangelical Protestants toward the role of government in helping the poor. My impression has been that evangelical Protestant have been better at providing to charitable causes than non-religious liberals (though not more generous than religious liberals), but that they, unlike mainline Protestants, are hostile to a government role in providing for the poor.  It turn out that even when black evangelicals are excluded, some 60% of evangelicals believe that government rather than private charity should primarily care for the poor and that mainline Protestants are somewhat less likely to favor such a government role. “Anglo” Catholics run virtually neck and neck with evangelicals on this issue. On the other hand, non-Christians (Jews, other faiths, no faith) exhibit greater support for government support of the poor than evangelicals, “Anglo” Catholics, or mainline Protestants, and Latino Catholics and Black Protestants show vastly greater support.  Id. at 257.

I conclude from this that the characterization of mainline Protestants as liberals is mistaken and am tempted to conclude that the category of mainline Protestants is too heterogeneous to be useful in political analysis.   

Comments

[Jimbino]

I think it would be more productive to consider that Protestants, of whatever ilk, are much more anti-authoritarian than Catholics, certainly in matters of faith.

A Protestant finds it distasteful that his priest or pastor might be any kind of automatic conduit between him and his god and he knows that he is perfectly free to refudiate everything his pastor (or even bishop) says. I don't know how much this anti-authoritarianism spills over into his political life, but my experience says that it does, particularly among Quakers, Unitarians and UCC types.