To be Politically Relevant and Tolerant: A Comparative Analysis of Christian Evangelical Internal Discussions of the 2008 Presidential Election

During the 2008 election season, evangelical Christians, their denominations and individual parishes were active participants in the public debate and outcomes. There were clear divergences in political opinion among church-goers that diverged by race. In this unobtrusive multi-sited ethnography, I compare three churches: (I) a predominantly African American Protestant congregation, (2) a progressive multiracial church and ministry team, and (3) a predominantly white Protestant evangelical leadership and multiracial flock, examining the extent to which they address issues of political salience, and in particular the 2008 election. Was the election discussed in the pulpit, newsletters or web presence among church members? What political activities were encouraged in the name of religious values? The operation of the intersection of race, class, and gender in the U.S. begins to explain these distinctions.