Christian conservatives and the election
According to data and analysis released by pollster George Barna of the American Culture and Faith Institute, support for Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump is gaining momentum among a demographic identified as SAGE Cons. SAGE Cons are Spiritually Active, Governance Engaged Conservatives. According to Barna, they are “Christians who are actively engaged in a range of religious activities; consistently follow political news and participate in political activity; are followers of Jesus Christ and committed to growing in their relationship with and faith in Christ; and donate to one or more Christian ministries that are involved in social and political action.”
Demographically, SAGE Cons tend to be middle-aged or older; white; upscale; married; and more heavily located in the southern and Midwestern states. They are 56% male and 46% female. They are conservative both ideologically and theologically. Barna says SAGE Cons are well-educated, with more than half (53%) having graduated from a four-year college and about one-third (31%) who attended graduate school. Compared with all US adults, just three out of ten (28%) graduated from a four-year college and about half of those (15%) attended graduate school. So when liberals say those supporting Trump are less educated, low income, and ignorant, they are lying.
According to Barna, “In a January survey among SAGE Cons, Mr. Trump was the favorite of just 11% of these voters. His favorability ratings were quite low at the time, with only 15% claiming to have a very favorable impression of him. During the eight months since that survey, things have changed dramatically for the New York real estate mogul. Once it became clear that he was the GOP favorite for the party’s nomination, 70% of SAGE Cons said they would vote for him in a match-up against Hillary Clinton. That level of support in a head-to-head contest remained unchanged until after the Republican convention in late July. At that point his support jumped to 83%. It has remained in the 80% to 84% range ever since.”
A few takeaways from this: The more we share the information we have on Hillary Clinton, the more impact we can make. Let us remember, however, that there is no political solution to our country’s problems. It is a spiritual resolution that we need. Notwithstanding, it has to start somewhere and our charge is as Christ said in Mark 16:15, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” If we continue to make the case based in love and the good reason of the gospel and allow the Holy Spirit to convict people, we are doing our part to raise the Lord’s standard for our nation. We can use political and other events to encourage and evangelize. Even with all the information out there, Barna reports that support among Christian conservatives for Hillary Clinton has doubled to 4%. Keep fighting the good fight.
