White evangelical leaders lost control of their own flocks to Trump’s appeal

Evidence

But as evangelical support for Trump proved to be more than a passing fancy, evangelical leaders confronted the limits of their own influence. This was true on a national level, with the old guard discovering that their endorsements of Rubio or Cruz didn’t seem to be quelling the surge of support for Trump, and on the local level, as pastors realized the limits of their power even within their own congregations. “It’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen,” wrote evangelical activist Randy Brinson. “It’s like this total reversal of the shepherd and the flock,” with congregants threatening to leave their churches if their pastors opposed Trump. — Kristin Kobes Du Mez, Jesus and John Wayne, 573

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the book’s central thesis that grassroots white evangelical identity was forged in consumer culture, not pulpit theology — so when the two conflicted, the rank-and-file chose the culture over the pastors. — connects to: White evangelical quietism is a tactic that flips when power shifts — Robert P. Jones, White Too Long: The Legacy of White…, 294; White Christians supported Trump despite his apparent moral violations — Philip S. Gorski and Samuel L. Perry, The Flag and the Cross: White Christian…, 18; White evangelical politics assume top-down office-holding is the route to influence. — Andrew L. Whitehead, American Idolatry, 235