20 Myths about Religion and Politics in America

by Ryan P. Burge

The way most people think about religion and politics is only loosely linked to empirical reality, argues Ryan P. Burge in 20 Myths about Religion and Politics in America . Instead, our thinking is based on anecdotes, a quick scan of news headlines, or worse, flat-out lies told by voices trying to push a religious or political agenda on a distracted public. Burge sees this fundamentally flawed understanding of the world around us and our misperceptions about where we fit into the larger fabric of society as caustic for the future of American politics and religion. Without an accurate picture of our society, when we subscribe to only caricatures of what our country looks like, we never really address the problems facing us. Striving to be an impartial referee, Burge describes with accessible and engaging prose--and illustrates with dozens of clear, helpful graphs--what the data says. Step by step, he debunks twenty myths, using rigorous data analysis and straightforward explanations. He gives readers the resources to adopt an empirical view of the world that can help all of us, religious and nonreligious alike, get past at least some of the unsupported beliefs that divide us.

Genres: Politics, Religion, Nonfiction, Christian, Cultural, Atheism

249 pages, Hardcover

Published March 1, 2022

Reviews

[George P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1879, Hill’s Manual of Social and Business Forms stated this rule of conversational etiquette: “Do not discuss politics or religion in general company. You probably would not convert your opponent, and he will not convert you. To discuss those topics is to arouse feeling without any good result.”

I feel ambivalently about this rule. On the one hand, it seems like good advice, especially when social media has done so much to polarize us. On the other hand, religion and politics are too important not to talk about, especially with those who disagree with us. They touch on two basic needs: our relationship with God and our relationships with one another.

Moreover, those two basic needs are mutually symbiotic. What we believe about God shapes (and is shaped by) how we relate to others. Hill’s Manual used the conjunction “or” to distinguish religion from politics, but the conjunction “and” seems more appropriate. Religion and politics go together.

So, it seems we are stuck with a conundrum. We must talk about religion and politics, but doing so can be needlessly divisive.

Enter Ryan P. Burge. Burge is assistant professor of politician science and graduate coordinator at Eastern Illinois University, as well as an American Baptist Church pastor. He has carved out a niche as an expert on polling data regarding the intersection of religion and politics in America.

In 20 Myths about Religion and Politics in America, he debunks false beliefs about how those two terms interact. Here are the myths:

1. Evangelicalism is in decline.
2. Donald Trump wasn’t the choice of religiously devout Republicans.
3. Most Americans have strong views about abortion—but are willing to change their minds about it.
4. Researchers are biased toward Christians.
5. College leads young people away from religion.
6. Nondenominational Christians are rare.
7. Born-again experiences are common and dramatically change a person’s life.
8. You have to go to church frequently to be an evangelical.
9. The personal faith of a presidential candidate can activate part of the electorate.
10. People return to religion late in life.
11. Abortion is the most important issue for evangelical voters.
12. White evangelicals agree with the Republican party only on social issues.
13. Most Catholics and evangelicals do not support women in leadership.
14. White Christians have always been conservative Republicans.
15. The growth of the nones is largely from people leaving church.
16. America is much less religious today than a few decades ago.
17. Black Protestants are political liberals.
18. Mainline Protestants are politically liberal.
19. Young evangelicals are more politically moderate than older evangelicals.
20. Pastors often discuss politics from the pulpit.

Burge uses four data sources to debunk these myths: the Cooperative Election Survey, the General Social Survey, proprietary surveys that he led, and the Voter Study Group. These sources look at both the beliefs and practices of representative samples of American adults.

Some of Burge’s debunked myths may surprise readers. Contrary to popular sentiment—and as a Christian minister, encouragingly—evangelicalism isn’t declining (1), college doesn’t lead young people away from faith (5), most evangelicals support women in leadership (13), and Americans are as religious today as they were a few decades ago (16).

Other debunked myths may concern readers. Regarding those, readers should keep in mind that surveys indicate what is, not what out to be. Take 7, for example. As a Christian minister, I believe the new birth should “dramatically change a person’s life.” Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the case, at least with regard to frequency of church attendance.

Or take 11. As a pro-life evangelicals, I might want abortion to be a more important issue for my religious group, but the data indicate that only 42% of self-described evangelicals rank it as having “very high importance.” It ranks 12th out of 15 issues in a Cooperative Election Survey poll. The top nine issues—all of which a majority list as having “very high importance”—are national security, corruption, immigration, Social Security, health care, jobs, deficit, taxes, and crime. By comparison, the “culture war” issues of abortion, race relations, and gay marriage are ranked 12th, 13th, and 15th, respectively.

What should readers do with this information?

Burge closes the book with three suggestions for general readers. Knowing the need to talk about religion and politics, he suggestions that they (1) “ask questions” before they “stake out a position”; “stop arguing about things on social media” (for reasons similar to the ones given by Hall’s Manual); and (3) “recognize you might be wrong.” That’s good advice. A little curiosity, wisdom, and humility go a long way in potentially divisive conversations.

I’d like to add an additional insight for Christian ministers, however. In 2000, I attended the Leadership Summit at Willow Creek Community Church. President Bill Clinton was completing his second term in office, and Pastor Bill Hybels (one of the president’s spiritual mentors) interviewed him. The most interesting part of the conversation concerned what he had learned from his affair with Monica Lewinsky and subsequent impeachment. (Hybels justifiably grilled him on this.)

The thing that stuck with me most, however, was a comment Clinton made about polling. Basically, he said that leaders should not use polls to shape their agenda. However, they should use polls to shape their communications about their agenda. That seemed right at the time, and still seems the correct approach today.

So, if you’re a Christian minister reading 20th Myths about Religion and Politics in America, use Burge’s data to shape the way your preach and write about these issues. Challenge people in the pews to live fully into the reality of the New Birth. Uphold the value of life from the cradle to the grave. Stay mindful of the way that politicking from the pulpit has the potential to be needlessly divisive. Be encouraged by the good news about the state of American Christianity, and be savvy about how to respond to the bad news.

And do all of this because it behooves people who follow “the Truth” (John 14:6) not to be taken in by myths (1 Timothy 4:7).

Book Reviewed
Ryan P. Burge, 20 Myths about Religion and Politics in America (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2022).

P.S. If you liked my review, please click “Helpful” on my Amazon review page.

[Tyler McQuilkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book! Read mostly the last two days. The conclusions are very helpful and he does a great job naming the limitations of his data. Very clearly written and helpful to provide empathy to others across political and theological lines. Loved his conclusion to the book as well and think we all need to put his thoughts into practice.

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent and encouraging look at religion and politics in my country. Burge has very good advice at the end about engaging in fruitful conversations rather than impotent fights.

[Angie Miale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kinda interesting. I learned a lot. Free on audible for audible plus members

[Vance Christiaanse · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audiobook and it's a book of graphs--but the text is so good at explaining the graphs that I didn't really need to see them. The myth-busting was great--and so were the insights woven into the entire book about how reporters think and how our news is created. The author has been working with the media for years and he helped me see it as the flawed, human activity it is.

[Mark Skinner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ryan -

Thank you for your persepctives on the generalizations we make about politiics and religion in our country and I feel like I have/do accept several that you mention and will need to work at overcoming these misconceptions versus what is currently happening in our culture/country.

I will look forward to reading more of your writings and those of others to develop a more accurate depiction of how religion impacts politics and how politiics influences religion as well as how they work together in and through policy and the media with and without the election cycles.

This book is informative and gives the reader better insight into how religion and politics influence each other and what issues resonate with our society.

[Zach Waldis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Burge, a political science professor and pastor, has given us a treasure here with his expertise in the current American cultural moment. Though I don't regularly consume corporate media, there are still "myths" which we subscribe to, whatever our own stances and beliefs, and this book is a helpful way of making sure opinions are in line with data and reality (a vanishing desire throughout the US). Particularly as a minister, this ought to be required reading in seminaries as ministers walk the current "tightrope" (229).

[Paige McLoughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few things I didn't know were found in the myths of religion. The religious right liked Trump more than commonly believed. Also being born again doesn't really change behavior (well I did kind of know that), Church going weekly makes for some unsavory beliefs at least in my book. The fewer church services one attends the more ethical and liberal one gets or at least it looks that way. Religion is stronger than I thought or certainly hoped. Anyway interesting stuff.

[Lisa Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very readable, not over the top dry for a book packed with graphs and charts. Burge explains everything clearly. A few of the myths I wanted to push back on, even after his data was presented. For me that was one of the most eye-opening parts of reading the book. I think I’m persuadable. I think I’m fact-driven. Yet I wanted to find reasons to discredit his findings because I didn’t want to acknowledge the myth as myth.

The book also made realize how much of an outlier I am.

[Ryan George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ryan Burge presents interesting findings that offer a counter-narrative to the headlines about trends in Christianity. I liked the chapters best where he could isolate data that offered either nuance or clarity to widely-held assumptions. At the same time, some of the data sets—while large enough to qualify for academic rigor—seemed too small to be trusted as inarguably definitive. I also wonder how different the data is after the political season of 2024.

[Scott Goodson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very intriguing, but a bit wonky (it *is* a book about demographics, statistics, and charts after all). If you find yourself thinking about religion and/or politics in America very often, I would say this is a *must* read. Edifying bit of commentary at the end as well for those who may have doubted the authors pastoral bona fides by the end.

[Jeremy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Important for helping challenge simplistic assumptions we make about each other in the U.S. I appreciate also the author's advice in the last chapter about how to humbly invite engagement with those who disagree.

[Travis Taylor, PhD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Accessible and data-driven, this book is an easy read that dispels common perceptions about religion and politics and encourages readers to rethink what they believe about the political behavior of religious Americans.

[Kati Higginbotham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just absolutely fantastic.
I also had this moment of clarity when reading this book to say “ah ha! That’s what I am! American Baptist”. That’s why I’m so endlessly frustrated by the politics of evangelicalism, but also throw my hat in with the theological positions.

[Stafford Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. Burge has some good observations and thoughts to consider. One area that I thought he did not adequately address was birth rates and how they are related to both religion and politics.

[Courtney Sage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Burge does it again, gives you the data and additional sources so you as the reader are able to understand exactly why the conclusions are drawn. Excellent read.

[Dave Herman]

Burge's short chapters quickly address and correct many of the prevailing assumptions we've picked up from our news media sources about religion in America. Prepare to be surprised!

[Griffin Gooch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating stats but coulda used a little more pizzazz

[Angela Clayton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting data. Would love to see another version of this as our politico-religious landscape continues to change.

[Vibiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast read and very insightful. The data sourcing was valid and correct. I would recommend to ppl.