In the US which churches/denominations are on the political left or centre?

[Vanellus]

Note I don't want this to be a political thread but an informational thread. In the UK we hear quite a lot about the "religious right" or the "Christian right" and the archetypal figure of this being Pat Robertson. But is there a Christian left or a Christian centre in the US? Note I don't want answers along the lines of "you can't be a particular political hue and a Christian". This is a post seeking information. Posters will be welcome to explain why they think a particular church/denomination is where they think it is on the political spectrum.

This may not be the right place for this question but I didn't want this to be a political thread and I couldn't find a question for information about denominations in general forum.

 

[BobRyan]

Seventh-day Adventist, Southern Baptist, and many independent churches seem to be right or center -- in my opinion.

The Catholic church is on the right "in theory" but you see the Vatican urging a lot of things on the left when it comes to illegal immigration etc and Democratic left - Catholic members of the senate and the house tend to be the largest religious group so far as I know - in congress..

I see a lot of posts here on CF by Catholic members that appear to be on the right rather than the left but they are also critical of the Vatican when it comes to policy/politics left-vs-right at times.

 

[WolfGate]

I think you left out an important fourth category which would be churches that are apolitical. They would be none of left, center, or right but instead focus their efforts on advancing the gospel. Doesn't mean they don't talk about issues that end up in politics, but it does mean politics don't drive their identity or positions on those issues.

Then, even among denominations that are truly apolitical in their stances, you may find churches that still lean one way or the other. The Evangelical Free Church of America, for example, follows the charge as stated by Bill Reidel to "focus on our witness to a greater kingdom and greater good than partisanship can offer". Denominationally, they are apolitical. I served in a church in that denomination for over 25 years, and while that statement is true denominationally, I also met churches where it was clear they had a loyalty to a political party. Currently we attend a Vineyard church, which I also see denominationally as apolitical, but I suspect there are individual congregations with different shared leanings.

I'll also add the intuitively obvious comment - churches that are not political get far less media coverage than those that are. That can certainly give the appearance that all churches are somewhere on the political scale of left, center or right.

 

[WolfGate]

Seventh-day Adventist, Southern Baptist, and many independent churches seem to be right or center -- in my opinion.

The Catholic church is on the right "in theory" but you see the Vatican urging a lot of things on the left when it comes to illegal immigration etc and Democratic left - Catholic members of the senate and the house tend to be the largest religious group so far as I know - in congress..

I see a lot of posts here on CF by Catholic members that appear to be on the right rather than the left but they are also critical of the Vatican when it comes to policy/politics left-vs-right at times.

Here in the Carolinas, I have yet to find a Southern Baptist church that wasn't solidly politically on the right. YMMV, particularly in other geographical areas.

I have the impression the Catholic church is generally not partisan but also not afraid to speak out on issues that have become partisan. So I sort of think your observation supports that.

 

[PloverWing]

But is there a Christian left or a Christian centre in the US?

If you're willing to look at the social/ethical left, rather than the political left, then, yes, there is a Christian left in the US. I have in mind a cluster of issues like 1) caring for the poor, including changing social structures that contribute to poverty or that allow exploitation of the poor; and 2) working for the human rights of people who are often marginalized due to their race, ethnicity, gender, nationality, or similar factors. These ethical values may or may not be expressed in political ways, which is why I want to distinguish between social/ethical and political. (Sometimes government is a good tool for human rights, and sometimes it isn't; the usefulness of government is something people disagree about.)

I see the values of the social/ethical Left expressed, in various combinations, in some of the majority-Black churches, in the Society of Friends (Quakers), and in some of the mainline* churches (the United Church of Christ, the Episcopal Church, United Methodists, and so on). There is also a strand of the social/ethical Left in some corners of Evangelicalism -- Jim Wallis is an example. None of these are uniformly Left (except maybe the Friends), but there's a significant Christian Left presence in these churches.

[ *Note: "mainline" is an American term that, I am told, has little meaning outside the US. In the 20th century, there were splits in many of the American Protestant denominations over the inerrancy of the Bible. The mainline churches are the groups that were on the liberal side of that split. They tend to accept modern critical scholarship of the Bible, and most of them have clearly-traced roots in one or more of the major groups in the Reformation. ]

 

[Vanellus]

Seventh-day Adventist, Southern Baptist, and many independent churches seem to be right or center -- in my opinion.

The Catholic church is on the right "in theory" but you see the Vatican urging a lot of things on the left when it comes to illegal immigration etc and Democratic left - Catholic members of the senate and the house tend to be the largest religious group so far as I know - in congress..

I see a lot of posts here on CF by Catholic members that appear to be on the right rather than the left but they are also critical of the Vatican when it comes to policy/politics left-vs-right at times.

I hadn't thought of that - what are the Christian denominations of members of Congress? Does that indicate a political bias to certain denominations?

Religious affiliation in Congress

Apart from the large number of Catholics the other major observation is that the Jewish members are all Democrats. That's quite different from the situation in the UK with a far more even split among parties. Of course that isn't a Christian group or denomination but it is a remarkable statistic that I didn't expect.

 

[Vanellus]

I think you left out an important fourth category which would be churches that are apolitical. They would be none of left, center, or right but instead focus their efforts on advancing the gospel. Doesn't mean they don't talk about issues that end up in politics, but it does mean politics don't drive their identity or positions on those issues.

Then, even among denominations that are truly apolitical in their stances, you may find churches that still lean one way or the other. The Evangelical Free Church of America, for example, follows the charge as stated by Bill Reidel to "focus on our witness to a greater kingdom and greater good than partisanship can offer". Denominationally, they are apolitical. I served in a church in that denomination for over 25 years, and while that statement is true denominationally, I also met churches where it was clear they had a loyalty to a political party. Currently we attend a Vineyard church, which I also see denominationally as apolitical, but I suspect there are individual congregations with different shared leanings.

I'll also add the intuitively obvious comment - churches that are not political get far less media coverage than those that are. That can certainly give the appearance that all churches are somewhere on the political scale of left, center or right.

I was wondering what you mean by apolitical? Not advocating voting for a particular party from the pulpit, or a congregation whose voting reflects the local voting pattern, or whose sermons don't emphasise certain issues considered being a particular political hue?

 

[BobRyan]

I hadn't thought of that - what are the Christian denominations of members of Congress? Does that indicate a political bias to certain denominations?

Religious affiliation in Congress

Apart from the large number of Catholics the other major observation is that the Jewish members are all Democrats. That's quite different from the situation in the UK with a far more even split among parties.

Yes and Democrats tend to be the least supportive of US policy towards Israel.

Faith on the Hill

While there has been a decades-long decline in the Christian share of U.S. adults, 88% of the voting members in the new 118th Congress identify as Christian. That is only a few points lower than their share in the late 1970s.

www.pewresearch.org

The report says that nearly all non-Christian members of congress are Democrats

 

[PloverWing]

Apart from the large number of Catholics the other major observation is that the Jewish members are all Democrats. That's quite different from the situation in the UK with a far more even split among parties. Of course that isn't a Christian group or denomination but it is a remarkable statistic that I didn't expect.

One of the factors here in the US is that about 100-150 years ago, we had a couple of large waves of Catholic immigrants from Europe and Latin America, and about 100 years ago, we had a large wave of Jewish immigrants from Europe, as people left various troubles in their home countries to come to the US. Thus, I'd expect some correlation between these groups and attitudes toward immigrants, which might in turn correlate with political party affiliation. The UK's history is different here, I think.

 

[anetazo]

Corinthians chapter 3. Apostates formed denominations and broke away from the foundation of christ. They teach tradition of men and false doctrine. Proverbs chapter 5. The stranger or Zur, is apostates. They once knew the truth and turned their backs on God. Amos chapter 8, were in time of Famine. Its hearing God's Truth. I documented this. Jesus approved of the churches smyrna and Philadelphia in revelation chapter 2, 3. They teach sound doctrine. And repent sins to God. God doesn't like the other 5 churches. Are we catching on??.

 

[Vanellus]

One of the factors here in the US is that about 100-150 years ago, we had a couple of large waves of Catholic immigrants from Europe and Latin America, and about 100 years ago, we had a large wave of Jewish immigrants from Europe, as people left various troubles in their home countries to come to the US. Thus, I'd expect some correlation between these groups and attitudes toward immigrants, which might in turn correlate with political party affiliation. The UK's history is different here, I think.

Yes an interesting thought. Of course, there have been influxes of peoples into the UK throughout history but the effects of the ones further back in time have dissipated (e.g. the Huguenots). There's quite a large Irish population owing to proximity and the Irish navvies who built the canals and railways. More recently there has been immigration from the Commonwealth countries from the Caribbean and the sub-continent as well as from continental Europe. Brexit has meant that many from Europe have left the UK. However, the US is more ethnically diverse given the numbers from different European countries as well as S and Central America.

 

[Vanellus]

Yes and Democrats tend to be the least supportive of US policy towards Israel.

Faith on the Hill

While there has been a decades-long decline in the Christian share of U.S. adults, 88% of the voting members in the new 118th Congress identify as Christian. That is only a few points lower than their share in the late 1970s.

www.pewresearch.org

The report says that nearly all non-Christian members of congress are Democrats

Thanks for the link - very helpful.

I assume by "nearly" you are not counting the Mormon members as Christian even though may self identify as such. This is just a factual question about your opinion. Discussion of whether Mormons are Christian or not belongs elsewhere.

Maybe non Christian minorities find the Democrats more appealing or Republicans are less willing to be represented by non Christians? The Christian percentage of Democrats is still higher than the national average.

The under-represented non Christian groups are Buddhist, Hindu and Muslims though with very few actual members of Congress. Other under-represented groups are Pentecostals and non-denominational Protestants.

 

[WolfGate]

I was wondering what you mean by apolitical? Not advocating voting for a particular party from the pulpit, or a congregation whose voting reflects the local voting pattern, or whose sermons don't emphasise certain issues considered being a particular political hue?

Definitely not showing any signs of partisanship. Not doing things that brings secular politics into church such as putting out "voter guides" (even the ones that say they are neutral because they give at least the appearance of bias, perhaps unintended but still there).

Regarding issues, I'd say it is a little different than what you said. You preach on the bible and don't select or avoid passages because they might be considered having a particular political hue. You teach what it says without pulling politics into the sermon and let people take the words of the bible out into the world as they make their political decisions. Yes, that is a tough balance, because all people have some bias. The last few years in our previous town, we attended a church with a pastor who did it well. I know his political leanings because we engaged a good bit outside Sundays, but you could never tell what they were by listening to his teaching. He had developed an ability to be really bible focused, had a high view of scripture, and if the verses lead in a direction that was not aligned with his political party preference, he spoke on them anyways. The church had a pretty wide array of people that crossed several socio-economic, racial and political lines who all were comfortable there.

 

[Paidiske]

Yes an interesting thought. Of course, there have been influxes of peoples into the UK throughout history but the effects of the ones further back in time have dissipated (e.g. the Huguenots). There's quite a large Irish population owing to proximity and the Irish navvies who built the canals and railways. More recently there has been immigration from the Commonwealth countries from the Caribbean and the sub-continent as well as from continental Europe. Brexit has meant that many from Europe have left the UK. However, the US is more ethnically diverse given the numbers from different European countries as well as S and Central America.

The other factor in the UK, of course, is the existence of an Established church. (Or, technically, different Established churches in the different countries; Presbyterian in Scotland, Anglican in England, no Established church in Wales or Northern Ireland, although that's relatively recent history). When church and government are, in effect, two tentacles of the same octopus, it's a very different relationship.

 

[DragonFox91]

Catholics used to be very Democrat. Back when the Catholic / Protestant animosity was stronger, Catholics flocked to the Democrats when JFK ran. That was back when the Democrats were stricter on abortion too.

Today I think Catholics see a common enemy with the Democrats against evangelicals. As does the secular wing of the Democrats dislike evangelicals, so do Catholics.

But at the Catholic / Protestant animosity has died, I think you’re slowly seeing Catholics leave the Democrats. (I hear Ohio is very Catholic & they’ve been trending very Republican, for example)

When I think of which denominations are political left, I think Methodist for sure. I'm guessing Black are as well.

 

[BobRyan]

Thanks for the link - very helpful.

I assume by "nearly" you are not counting the Mormon members as Christian even though may self identify as such. This is just a factual question about your opinion. Discussion of whether Mormons are Christian or not belongs elsewhere.

I was just quoting the report - I don't know how they evaluated Mormons - they might have classed them as Christian. I assume Mormons view themselves that way and I suspect the ones doing the report take the view of whatever each group says of itself when classifying them

Maybe non Christian minorities find the Democrats more appealing

That seems to be the implication of the report.

 

[BobRyan]

Catholics used to be very Democrat. Back when the Catholic / Protestant animosity was stronger, Catholics flocked to the Democrats when JFK ran. That was back when the Democrats were stricter on abortion too.

The old middle-of-the-road liberal was most often Democrat and had a pretty good case to make.

But as Jon Stewart points out all the woke-ism and extreme-left hard-left turns that the party has taken in recent years leaves the classic democrats of 20 or 30 years ago - out in the cold.

Today I think Catholics see a common enemy with the Democrats against evangelicals

Certainly it is true that there is a strong anti-evangelical element to today's Democratic party. That could be enough to turn a blind eye to everything else in it - for some Catholics.

. As does the secular wing of the Democrats dislike evangelicals, so do Catholics.

Yep I think that it makes perfect sense for the secular wing to not like evangelicals.

When I think of which denominations are political left, I think Methodist for sure. I'm guessing Black are as well.

I am interested in what the majority of black churches teach when it comes to gender, marriage, LGBTQ, etc

 

[throughfiierytrial]

Note I don't want this to be a political thread but an informational thread. In the UK we hear quite a lot about the "religious right" or the "Christian right" and the archetypal figure of this being Pat Robertson. But is there a Christian left or a Christian centre in the US? Note I don't want answers along the lines of "you can't be a particular political hue and a Christian". This is a post seeking information. Posters will be welcome to explain why they think a particular church/denomination is where they think it is on the political spectrum.

This may not be the right place for this question but I didn't want this to be a political thread and I couldn't find a question for information about denominations in general forum.

As Wolfgate stated, there are apolitical denominations, interested only in advancing the Gospel. The social issues of the day are still to be judged as sin or not sin by individual church members. The political right labels many of society's actions as detrimental to society while most members of churches seen as conservative label these issues "sin".
There are many denominations in the US and different synods within those denominations so your question is difficult to address. For instance, there are liberal and conservative Lutheran denominations. I believe the more one adheres to Biblical principles the more conservative the church politically, but in the US, there is a government holding to the principle of separation between church and state. This is an important point because a church can lose its tax exempt status if it conducts itself in a manner deemed political. This is another reason your question is difficult to address. However, one might say that the more a church aligns itself with social agendas ..defended by government in most instances...the more one might see it as on the political left.

 

[Vanellus]

Have any US churches lost their tax exempts status?

 

[throughfiierytrial]

Have any US churches lost their tax exempts status?

Not to my knowledge, but I have not researched it. Also, the government is becoming increasingly hostile toward religious groups and things are changing rapidly.
I believe it was under President Johnson that separation between church and state lines were more clearly drawn. Churches ...well those seen as conservative churches or denominations...abruuptely quit much of their political activities. There are marches against abortion and so on, not initiated under the auspices of a church though.